15/06/2026
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
-Psalm 34:18
A great and honorable man sat in this chair.
Last Wednesday was a rough day. I had to take my lil Carlito to see the Dr. His examination was in Cess' office. I sat there trying to contain my tears, trembling, weakened, defeated. Yet, I had to be strong for my son and so I held it all in. Grief is a heaviness that weighs on the soul like a huge wooden plank on chest--immovable, heavy, damp. It breaks the heart, it tires the spirit, it crashes on the body, and it arrests the mind especially in silent moments of a broken heart.
Although Cess is no longer with us on this side of heaven, I am so glad to really have had him as a brother. We were first cousins but never "grew up" together. It was in the year 2000 Cess adopted me into his home in Jamaica and I became part of his family. Back then, I did not realize God had answered my prayers. You see as the eldest of four girls, I always had a yearning for someone to look after me. So God gifted me a brother in Cess-- full of jest, spirit-filled life, topped with many Fridays of free bbq. As a student back then, every free meal was a blessing.
My fondest memories of him were our drives home from school when he would often pick me up after a late exam. He would inquire about how the exam went...and of course with tired eyes and an aching right hand, I would cry and complain and let him know the exam mashed me up--usually econ. He would always encourage me and prophetically say that I would overcome...and I did.
The past few months have been a journey deeper through Christ. I am forever thankful for all the prayer warriors who joined us in the Zoom prayers nightly. This journey to Christ with Cess became the most intimate with him. Even though he was in Mérida, he logged on most evenings as God permitted, and he would pray a Psalm and often share a decade of the Holy Rosary with his beloved wife. His fave was Psalm 23, 'The Lord is my Shepherd.' There were moments when the bacterial infection in his lungs prevented him from reading, but his helpmate, his beloved, his wife, my sis, Lysette Eck, was always there as his faithful back-up.
He was optimistic up to the last days in April. I am forever grateful that I got to spend a whole day with him...he told me of the pain on his side, about his physiotherapy sessions, his next steps for his treatment and his plans to travel soon to meet his grandtuts.
But our Lord needed him in heaven more than we needed him. Cess had completed his mission. He was a representation of an authentic man who walked boldly in his purpose and calling. Most people knew him as a healer, a good Doctor, but I knew him as a great man, a great selfless human, a true Brother. I never witnessed him being upset, or complaining. He took all his pain and suffering--COVID 19 + the dreaded cancer--with grace-like peace and quiet courage. God carried him.
..and God continues to carry each of us daily. So in this grief, sorrow, pain, lingering fear, anxiety about the future etc., let us continue to glorify our Lord and Savior daily as Cess would have done. God always rebuilds what you hand over to him. So in faith and trust, please join me in praying for Cess' family for healing, especially Lys who will return to Coral Grove Medical & Pediatric Center soon.
Cess' legacy continues to be admired and championed. I pray that all of us take on our own dissapointments, suffering and pain with faith, grace-like peace & quiet courage like Cess did. Also, may we all come into God's calling and fulfill our days until God's will is finished.🩺
..still praying Cess. I won't stop.
Love and prayers always,💚
Ven
Venetia Eck-Salazar
