Tanita's Tribute To Her Uncle...

 

In Loving Memory of David Lobo

Trying to decide what to write about my uncle David was very hard. He was a man who was loved by everyone around him and managed to impact everyone that he interacted with. There are thousands of words I could say but I thought the best thing for me to do would be to make a list of my fondest memories of him. Here are several things I recall about Uncle David that I never want to forget:

• When you would rub our feet after walking through Disneyland. Even though they were probably really smelly.
• Watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and singing along in the car
• Thinking Hava Nagila was an Indian song because of how much you sang it while playing the guitar
• The beautiful paintings you gifted us for every occasion
• Giving me the nickname “Fajita”
• Walking on your back as children
• The way you made us toast every night when I slept over
• Your tandoori chicken (among many other fantastic dishes)
• Listening to you sing and play guitar at all family occasions
• The time we went to the hot tub and it was full of bubbles, so we all made bubble beards
• Eating a blooming onion for the first time with you after my high school graduation
• When I wanted an octopus but the pet store didn’t sell them, so you bought me an entire aquarium full of fish instead.
• When you would cook me whatever meal I wanted for lunch before my golf matches
• The times you dressed up as Santa for Christmas
• Running up to someone at Great America and giving them a big hug from behind thinking it was you (it wasn’t; I’m still embarrassed to this day)
• How proud you always were of Jasmin and Jade
• The photo shoot I had at your house when I was about six years old (we still have all the photos)
• You driving through a Texas lightning storm to get us some authentic Texas barbeque
• Going to a hotel in Palm Springs that had a boat running through the lobby
• The way you loved Bella
• Seeing Evan Almighty when we were in Arizona
• Getting In N Out on the way to Disneyland
• The time we were in a full elevator in Vegas. You somehow pinched my thigh from the other side of the elevator. I turned around and glared at the guy behind me for the whole ride while you laughed in the corner
• How you and I were the only ones who would go on “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” at Disneyland because everyone else was scared of rats
• Visiting your Tahoe condo and making candles in Heavenly Village
• The OOCL calendars you faithfully gifted each of us every year
• You agreeing to sit in the back of Joseph’s two-door car for a full hour despite how small it is
• The turtleneck sweater you got my mom for Christmas that I promptly stole from her
• The way people always thought you were my dad because we had the exact same skin tone
• Banging pots and pans in the street on New Years Eve
• The time you showed me where the Mrs. Doubtfire restaurant was
• Watching you sing in the Sunday church choir
• When we went to get Chinese food after you had surgery, but you didn’t remember the meal due to the anesthesia and none of us could believe it
• When you tricked Jasmin and I that your thumb disappeared and we cried because we wanted you to have all of your fingers
• You introducing me to Jergens body lotion. It is literally the only lotion I will use to this day
• The way you would pinch my cheeks whenever you saw me, even as an adult
• The way you brightened every room you walked into
• The way you found the silver lining in every situation
• The way you treated me like I was your own daughter

In loving memory of my Uncle David Lobo. May you stay forever young.

• 

All the Love You Will Ever Need

A self-portrait by David Lobo, 1961-2021

A tribute by Vikram Bhaskaran to one of the most precious souls to grace the world

Oh bright spark, your paint brush touches 

the sky and illuminates it with 

joy and mirth

Oh bright man, your light is ensconced here

in our hearts, in the laughter of heavens.

When we go about our days, we will hold you.

Near. There is David in the small things.

Oh David, the dark night of your soul

the pain you must have felt alone on a bed

-- no pain is greater than this.

I see you singing and giving me money

to buy candy in a seaside english town.

I see your big heart broken but always giving.

What little joy there is, springs forth from you

and it Multiplies.

I see the wind holding us, a moment imbued with more love

than any love on this earth. 

I see you leave Bangalore. Friends and family circle you.

The earth is parched and we will never know 

what rain, what torrent, what maelstrom will fill

your days.

But I know in in that tender moment,

you have left.

And you go into the blue yonder, the dark dark seas

of immigrant life so full of magic and strife.

You left us long ago.

In this new place, you will be nourished and 

finally held.

The last embrace is an eternal one

And this unity with the divine

is all the love you will ever need.

No Matter Where We Are

 

No matter where we are

Along the road of a troubled or unsettled life

We should remember we are living and vital beings

Who at any moment, can a new and different reality ignite.

We may have to regain our confidence

That in this new reality, we will be able to thrive, not just survive

But the resources are there, and others have walked the path before us

To successfully make a marked change in their lives.

What will it take ?

The answer may well be

Curiosity and a willingness to give things a try or retry

Perhaps those very things we think are useless and won't work

When we try again, just might.

Yes, a fulfilling and satisfying new reality is not elusive and beyond our reach

And always and ever within our sights

We just have to heed rather than run away from the stop sign that says

This way to a new and more vibrant life.

Once we break out of our current beliefs, habits, and ways,

Leaving fear, hesitation, and reluctance behind

We will be on our way to restoration and renewal,

On our way to hope, well-being, and a positive state of mind.

Yes, no matter where we are, dear reader

Along the road of a troubled or unsettled life

A new beginning awaits us

The minute we make room for (and step into)

A positive change in our lives.