My father, an example to follow

I have allowed myself this license that this end of the month I share a very personal article and not a summary or suggested book. Yesterday my father passed away. Paradoxes of life, 4 months ago I wrote a letter to my son for him to read in the future and today I update an article I wrote to my father 4 years ago for him to read in heaven.

There are people who inspire, who lead by example, who do not shine, but illuminate the lives of others and one of them was my father. A hero, a saint.

He was my model of prudence and goodness, an extremely good man, one of those who appear in the world, from time to time, at a distance of centuries. He had unbreakable values ​​and principles that spread to everyone.

His hallmark was his incredible ability to give himself to others day in and day out, to his family, his friends and his patients. I never heard him complain about anything, not even these days, saturating oxygen at 84%, he was drowning and he didn't want the rest of us to suffer. An extraordinary ability to face adversity, which was not lacking in his life. He always fabricated an answer to match this one.

Abraham Zavala Stambury was not only the exemplary father of 4 children, but without neglecting his work as a doctor, he was always in the family photo. He was also a committed and loyal husband (61 years of marriage), a loving son who was always worried about his parents, a generous doctor who treated many patients for free and always with a smile (his main door opener), a dedicated friend who transformed many marriages, a teacher who taught how to heal souls, and a brother who always knew the needs of his family. He fulfilled all his roles perfectly.

Now that many are looking for ideas to get out of this crisis, it would be worth taking into account his life. Perhaps the remedy is the one he practiced daily in his office and at his home: a job well done, with love, effort, perseverance and good humor. Just the opposite of what we've been doing. And see how it goes.

My father had the immense fortune of curing Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, whom he asked about death, and he answered that death is “A door that opens to love, to happiness, to joy, to rest. There is no need to wait for it with fear. It has two faces: one faces us, those of us who move in time; it is rather ugly, sad, deformed, disgusting shortly after it occurs. But it has another face, the one that gives to eternity, the one that God sees. This is like the face of a newborn child, because it begins the life that no longer dies. It's not the end, it's the beginning."

He fulfilled his mission for a long time and returned to his true home, that of eternity, it is better there. And the good thing is that she is also next to my mother, another saint (of altar) who also left us a few days ago. Coming home is part of life. I am sad but at the same time very calm because I trust God, he knows better. I have to turn the page, leave the past where it belongs, keep walking and enjoy my journey, just like my parents did. The pain will surely pass when I stop wondering and asking for explanations from the past and start generating new illusions. I gain nothing if I fight with life. It's the deck of cards he dealt me, and I have to keep playing the hand with them, with hope, because I'm sure that with God, I always win, that's my advantage.

It has not died in me, it will remain in my mind and heart, as real in my memory as it was in life. I have to keep the conversation but in a different language and with my eyes to the sky. In fact, in my last words with him, and in the final message I recorded for him, I told him that soon we would talk a lot more than before. And it is that those who love each other will always try to see each other.

I keep in my heart everything I learned from him, and from the deepest admiration, I set my goal there, trying to leave the same mark on Rafita. Meanwhile, I must continue walking, it is what he would have wanted from me. Daddy, I'm not saying goodbye, but "Until life finds us again". See you forever!!