Cherishable Memories
WITH MY FATHER Dr. Sugunamma Third daughter
I thank God for this gracious opportunity given to me to share some of my cherishable experiences and close contacts with my father. Ours is a big family with 11 members, six boys and 5 girls. I am the 6th one in the family. Only after reading the Bible and saying his prayers in the morning he would start his work and other activities of the day. Family prayer was a must everyday. Because of our respect for our father none of us could say ‘no’ to my father. My father was sick often and my mother used to take good care of him and used to attend all his needs. She was an illiterate. Yet she used to give lot of importance to our family prayer. She finishes all her domestic works and prepares all of us on time for our prayer. Even though she gets tired of the domestic works she never demanded us. By God’s grace I got seat in medicine for reduced donation. In spite of family difficulties all members encouraged me to do my studies. Though there were difficulties for my father in his contract works he used to shed all his problems at the Lord’s feet and was able to be happy. My father was very punctual to the church. Soon after the message he used to read from the book of Psalms to the congregation. He encouraged everyone to read the Bible regularly. 62
My father and his brother uncle Raja Reddy and C.V.Subbareddy mama garu together were doing the contract works. After sometime they became independent contractors. My father got into a big loss when he was working on a Railway contract. He had to sell a portion of our property in order to fulfill our commitment to finish the work. He had to sell the factory also. As David said in Psalms 37:25, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread". We never needed to rely on anyone, except on God. God fulfilled his promise in my father’s life, as the Psalmist says in Psalm 34:19 “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the lord delivers him from them all” Then for some years my father had to go to Maharashtra to take up contract works. It is a regular feature in our families that on the 30th and 31st, of December every year my father used to visit each and every family, to pray and thank God for his blessings and kindness for the past year. Though my mother is an illiterate, she had been a prayer support to my father all through his life. I am so proud to say that my mother is so forbearing with all of us that she never forced us for anything. My father prayed three times a day until his last day. After my marriage, when my husband went for M.D. training, I stayed with my parents for four years. My father encouraged me to read the Bible and pray everyday. Especially in my case, we didn’t have any money when we were about to start our own hospital and moreover we were in debts of Rs. 24,000. We took an old building for rent and started the practice. In that desperate situation, my father-in-law helped us financially. My father worked hard to build the rooms for the hospital and all my family members supported us in that crisis. I can say that it is my fathers brought up of the 63 family that made all the family members to be cooperative and single minded in all situations. After my brothers and sisters got married, they had set up their own families and are living on their own. My parents stayed with my younger brother Joseph Reddy. Though he was hospitalized because of his illness my father came to our house on his 81st birthday. He was very weak. My husband treated him until he was well and was able to return home. The next day in the morning he came around 7 a.m. As he had difficulty in breathing, my husband conducted some tests and it was diagnosed as cancer. The same night we took him to Hyderabad and admitted him in Medwin Hospital. He was in the hospital for three weeks. When he was in the hospital, many God’s servants, relatives and friends visited him and prayed for his recovery. And after his treatment he came to Pulivendala and stayed with us in our home. His three months stay with us is a memorable experience in my life. His prayers and meditations of the Bible were a great solace for us and we never realized that how 3 months have passed so quickly. At the time of his admission into the hospital, he didn’t have any debts. But he sold his site and with the money he got out of it, he kept 10% for himself and the remaining 90% he had spent for God’s service by donating it to Brother Paul Reddy to buy a van for preaching the Gospel and spreading the word of God. He was an exemplary giver for God’s work. On Friday the 12th November 1993, my father woke up at midnight and sang the song “Annikalambula nunna yehova” I think he realized that he was about to go to God. That night he called everyone and put his hand on each and everyone’s head and said that “God Bless You” until 10'o clock. On Sunday he went into coma. At 64 that time most of my relatives wanted to keep him out of our house or take him to his own house, as his death shouldn’t happen in daughter’s house. I discussed this with my father-in-law. My father-in-law has a great admiration for my father. My father- in-law said “Sri Konda Reddy is like a Godfather to all of us. He will stay in our house till his last breath.” and he encouraged me to have my father with me. At 9:30 p.m., my father slept in the Lord. I am very grateful to my father and family members who helped me and supported me in my studies and medical practice. I always pray God to help me follow my father’s footsteps. I whole heartedly thank my brother Sri Prakash Reddy for giving me this opportunity of sharing my memorable experiences of my father.
Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. Pro.23:22,24,25