Eulogy

 My Father died a few weeks ago. It has been so difficult watching my 6'3" strong, invincible father loose his fight for life.

He was a doctor, a surgeon, and worked so hard to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. 

This saying:

                     "Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly"

Is treasure found in a small book within the bible that is full of old fashioned language and ancient cultural norms. My Father lived by this saying.

 My daughter works as a nurse in ICU at Maroondah Hospital. She was looking after an ancient man. As she cared for him she noticed my fathers signature surgical incision scar. She asked him if he knew Laurie Simpson. This ancient man told her that he had come into the REPAT hospital with a painful wound. He had fought in the war and had come back with a chest wound that would not heal, and a crushed spirit. So great was his distress and shock at what he had seen and experienced, he had not spoken since receiving his wound. He told my daughter that his doctor, my father, had come to visit him every morning for two months and had sat and talked to him and prayed with him and cared for him, restoring his spirit as well his body. My dad walked through life with such humility, and took the time to care.

My Father worked in South Korea just after the Korean Civil War. He learnt Korean and later in his life he was asked to use this skill with language to go into North Korea and see if the gifts of medicine sent into the Hermit kingdom were actually being used to improve medical services there. He came out of North Korea pale and quiet, so shocked was my dad at the injustices and the mind manipulation he had witnessed. He loved justice and could never abide corruption or cruelty. 

As a nurse and his daughter I have had so many people tell me stories about my Father and his kindness to them. My favourite is an old gentleman who told me that his wife never felt well and went to one Doctor after another. The Doctors assumed she was anxious and over worried. My Father took the time to listen to her. He did the tests and found an incurable cancer hiding in her chest. Although his wife died, this man had never forgotten my Fathers kindness to his wife. My father loved Mercy. 

Dad has taught me that if there is suffering in our world community and I ignore it or worse, exploit it, then I am less, immature and incomplete as a human. Sometimes I felt completely crushed by his high expectations, but I am also aware that I would be so much less without him and all that he taught me by his example.

My Dad taught me that kindness was the strongest connection between all people, and that we can stand in community united by kindness and mutual help.

We are going to write the words he lived by on the wall of The Fair Trader.

Do Justice , Love Mercy, Walk Humbly.

Good bye my father,  Rest in Peace my dad.