I climbed into bed Thursday morning and began recalling the events of the previous evening. I recalled the image of his body, resting so peacefully, surrounded by his family. I remembered looking around that room, wondering where his spirit might be at that very moment. I can't think about Uncle Tom without thinking about his faith, his church. And regardless of how wide my own faith has spread, I am rooted in the faith I was raised in, and like Nana's, my rosary hangs on my bed post. As I lay there, thinking about him, remembering him, I reached up and took hold of the Crucifix….and I just held it.

I closed my eyes and allowed the memories to begin to surface….
While I have a lifetime of memories, there is just one I want to share with you here today.

It is of an impressionable girl, around the age of 8 or 9 in the late 1960s….standing in a kitchen, looking down a hallway toward the open door of my aunt and uncle's bedroom.  It was bed time and I was spending one of many nights during my childhood at their home.

I recall walking down the hallway toward the bathroom, and peering into their room, and what I saw then, I carry with me still today.

A poignant vision of a man kneeling at the foot of his bed, head bowed in prayer.
This beautiful image is forever etched in my memory.
First, because I imagine that is not something every young girl has the privilege to witness...
And secondly, because he wasn't in crisis crying out to God to save him from some earthly trouble. It was a way of life for him. I was witnessing a very personal, very natural and humble relationship with God.

We've all heard the saying---------------------------It takes a village to raise a child….
That was the case with our family…as kids growing up…we were always together….

There are people who write in your book of life either by the words they say, by what they do or don't do to or for you, or by the example they set by just being themselves. And because they played some significant part in determining the course of your life, we sometime refer to them as defining people.

Years earlier a seed of faith was planted inside me. 
I already knew God, but I was still young and impressionable.
Life can be confusing
I grew up in an interfaith family which was a blessing. 
But religion can be confusing ~ 
And yet, TRUTH never is

That night, Uncle Tom unknowingly demonstrated the truth of his personal faith in God to me.

That night, Uncle Tom made a difference in my life. In that one humble act, he wrote in my Book of Life...in my Chapter on Faith….The Chapter called ~ ONE LOVE

Like many defining people in our lives, in his earthly life, Uncle Tom never knew the significance of that moment to me. He knows now, because at the end of the day….Uncle Tom was an earthly shepherd humbly protecting his flock in the village…and now he's gone home to where he sees everything.

Sending you all love and peace and may you each be comforted by a lifetime of memories. ~Blessings, Janet ?

May you you rest in peace Uncle Tom, I didn't know you well but the couple of times that I did see you at my grandfather Cruzs you always had a smile on your face, please give my grandpa a big hug for me :-)

My deepest sympathies for your loss.  May God's Word strengthen you during this difficult time. For he will deliver the poor one crying for help, also the afflicted one and whoever has no helper. He will feel sorry for the lowly one and the poor one, And the souls of the poor ones he will save. Psalms 72:12, 13 Trisha Phoenix,AZ

I am sorry for the loss of your loved one.  May your family be comforted at this difficult time by God's promise that he will hear your prayer (Psalms 65:2).

I was blessed to have known Tom and in many years past been a part of his family. I was glad I got to visit him this year, he will be missed.  I still remember the first time I met him at about 13 years old.  A quiet man with a stern face and me a nervous teenager dating his son, but once you got to know him..sat down & loved to talk & tell his stories. He was a great man. 27 years have passed & I am very blessed to have his grandson that carries his name in legacy.  To all his family & friends, my sincere condolences.  May you find peace & strength in prayer in your time of need.
Dear Lord, we know that the pain & suffering of losing a love one is very hard to deal with.  Please wrap your loving arms around those who need you and give them comfort in their time of grief. Help them find peace so they may heal in time. May they remember that the things of this earth are temporary and that your love is everlasting & eternal.  Amen

MAY HAPPY MEMORIES CARRY YOU THROUGH THIS SORROWFUL TIME. WE WILL MISS HIM.
HE USED TO TELL US SOME REALLY FUNNY JOKES, I WILL MISS HIM,
LOVE U ALL, AUNT GLORIA

To Roxanne and family I am deeply sorry for your loss, there are no words to confort you all right now but know that where he has gone there is no more pain nor suffering I know he was a great man and loved by many.  The  memories he has left you all keep them in your heart always.
Hilda Scott.

He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery....I love you daddy....

OBITUARY

Tom S. Cabrera

September 22, 1934 – December 11, 2013

West Resthaven Funeral Home & Resthaven Park Cemetery

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