You might not understand why Thai people are mourning the loss of our King with so much
grief. It is because of everything He has done for Thailand. Everything Thailand is today came from the
sweat and tears of our King.
His Majesty would always travel around the country, from north to south, from west to east. He
would work all day outside the palace. At night time, instead of relaxing from all the hard work that
day, He would plan more projects and would work on them until they were successful. He would then
take the projects to places where they could help and He gave the people this new knowledge.
His Majesty would always eat food prepared for Him by the people in that area. He would talk
to them with friendliness. A famous photograph shows that even while talking business, He would not
mind sitting on the ground, leaning on the wheel of His car, just to teach His people the right things.
During a flood outside of Bangkok, He went to the area to help rescue the people stuck there. He
used a walkie-talkie to talk to the people and help them think of ideas to get out of the flood.
If you think that this is not hard work, imagine working with only one eye for the past 70 years.
His Majesty was in a car accident in His early twenties, causing Him to lose an eye. Even during this
sad time, He still thought about the people. He was afraid that people would be frightened by His
eye, so He wore sunglasses most of the time during that period.
During our time as children, we would often think that kings and queens must wear crowns and
live in a big palace with people taking care of them. My King was the opposite. He would only wear
His crown on special occasions, but if it were not a celebration, all He would wear was a small hat,
working in the sun all day.
His Majesty is our King, and our Father. He would always care for us as if we were one of His
children. He never wanted us to see Him as a King, but rather as a father who only wanted the best
for His children.
Second Place, M5 (tie): Ms Sarisa Pokawattana (Room 1)
Do you ever wonder why we really miss someone only after they are gone? Or why we suddenly
miss someone everyday as if it were a habit? I do. I think that is what grief does to you. You are
forced to see all the little things you ignored in the person who is gone, but that now slowly unravel.
This is my first time losing someone so dear to me and honestly it felt like losing so much more than
a person. Our King was many great things. He was a legend, and the thing about legends is their
hearts may stop but their stories will be engraved in our memories; this is how I remember our beloved
King.
22 Mater Dei News ฉบับที่ 51 ปีที่ 13 ปีการศึกษา 2559