Today myself and my family visited the graves of my late grandparents whom were the parents to my mother. They were both buried at the same place, at an Islamic burial ground located about 20 minutes from my house in Puchong.

My grandmother was the first of the two to pass away. She had passed away when I was 11 years of age, and to be completely honest, I did not feel a loss as large as when I lost my grandfather as I did not know my grandmother that well, though my sisters were very close to her due to their seniority and thus more ample time to know her more closely. Regardless, I still shed tears upon knowing that she was gone since it was the first time someone close to me, and someone I see frequently had passed away. It came as a shock, and I was also there during her burial, when I cried silently seeing her wrapped in the white fabric that all Muslims are wrapped in before being buried. It was something very scary to me and made me realise that death was a very real thing and is something that one should always be prepared for regardless of their age. That night, I had dreamt about my grandmother, though she was simply standing in an open space smiling at me with my family around me at the same time. That was the first and last time I dreamt of her.

The loss of my grandfather, on the other hand, was one that I won't soon forget. My parents divorced when I was 9 years of age, and at the time, my mother was in a depressed state, and was almost always in a bad state of mind, which is understandable. As a single mother, raising four children was a herculean task that demanded help no matter how prepared she was. Thus, she opted for the aid of the people who raised her herself, her parents; my grandparents. Throughout my childhood, my grandparents, more specifically my grandfather, raised me and taught me things that have made me the way I am today. He was a friendly, cheerful family man that knew how to face problems like a man and never once complained about predicaments that befell him. He was smart as well as streetwise, and remained humble throughout the time spent raising me. When my parents divorced, the relationship amongst my family members fractured as a result, and I was rarely able to see my own father except for certain days of the week. My grandfather, on the other hand, made sure that a father figure would not be lacking in my life. When my own father was not around, my grandfather was always there to make sure I knew what it meant to become the 'man of the house'. He became my role model and until his sudden death in the end of my first year in Secondary School, he remained a person I could always count on to help me and be there to listen to my problems when there was no one else I could turn to. 

I love my grandparents dearly as it was them whom had spent their lives raising my own mother. After their passing and after visiting their graves and offering prayers to them, it was only then I realised that I was never able to thank them for being there for me during my childhood. Many things in my life had been lined up perfectly by Allah SWT in order to make me the man that I am today. And them being there despite having a broken family myself was one of them. I will always remember them for that, and I pray that I will one day be able to meet them again in Jannah, insyaAllah. 

Thank you and assalamualaikum.