My loving mum was the most peaceful human being I have ever known. Out of so many legacies she left with us her children, I was drawn to her peaceful legacy.
I remember when I was 10 years, my father was transferred to a hospital very many miles away from home. As a civil servant he was not making a lot of money and life was not easy with 10 young children all within the same age range. After working at the hospital for one month he wanted us to join him and my mom had to organize how we were going to pack up, find transport, and move to where Papa was. It was a very long journey. We found a very old taxi with other passengers; We were very cramped and had to hold our luggage or our siblings on our laps the whole way. The roads were very steep, and in such bad condition, that any wrong movement would cause a terrible accident. At one point when the road got very bumpy the spare tire which was tied on top of the taxi rolled off down into the valley.
Before papa found the lord, he liked a drink called inturire which was a locally fermented brew mixed with honey, papa enjoyed this drink a lot. Thorough all the hardships we were going through and how difficult such a journey was with young children, Mama made for him this drink herself and poured it into a very nice agachuma with a beautiful long neck and small mouth piece. She wanted to give papa the inturire when we arrived. Mama gave me the agachuma to hold. The journey was not smooth at all, we were hungry and there were no shops in sight, mama was very worried about us. Just as we approached a few milometers from where papa lived, I don’t know what happened but the agachuma broke. I looked at mama and saw her face full of sadness but because of her peaceful and loving nature mama did not quarrel or shout at me, she just looked at me and then to the broken agachuma and said nothing. Thank God we reached papa’s place safely. I have never forgotten this incident because it showed me that mama had a special love for her husband and her children.
When she started falling sick and had to be in hospital, the moment she would feel any slight improvement she would say mureke ntahe She would ask to be taken back home, where she felt most at peace. Mama would insist because she didn't want him to feel lonely. I have tried to
apply the same kind of love to my husband although I don’t know if it can compare to mama’s but her thoughtfulness and love have helped me very much in my own marriage. The way she loved papa was really special
Mama was peaceful with all her neighbors, church communities and her large extended families. She exuded the type of peacefulness that drew people to her. Pastors respected her and often used her home to be the center for prayer and intercession. She gave special attention to the less privileged, the widows, orphans and the poor. She helped everyone not because she had a lot, she just shared everything she had. Mama was special, selfless, thoughtful, putting others first before self. She did not only share her resources but also her skills. She trained young people to make necklaces and bracelets using beads. She taught people how to make sweaters and they have all benefited such that they are self-sufficient financially. Every venture Mama started, whether for profit or to help those less fortunate was blessed abundantly because of the blessings she received from God.
She visited us at home one time, and promised to make sweaters for my husband. Before the week's end, the sweaters were ready! They were the same color and each time we would go to visit her we would wear the sweaters. Even when it was very hot my husband would wear the sweater not caring what people thought because he said they never knew how special that sweater was to him. She loved my husband very much and they were close. She took him as her own son and they had a special bond he will never forget. She loved and lived peacefully with all her sons/daughters in law. She treated them well and spoiled them and because of that in return they treated her in a special way like their own parent. Mama had a way of always making you feel special and her willingness to make someone’s life better was something I will always admire and try to carry on.
Mama was our greatest counselor and friend. She knew how to talk to each of her children and her grandchildren. The grandchildren especially loved being around her. The children would be so happy that she was around and will forever remember her; she was their darling and their friend, she would sit down and speak to them, counsel and pray for them. She was so selfless that even when her health deteriorated, she still attended birthday parties even when you could see that she was weak.
I marvel at the sacrifices she made for her family, the peace that she gave to us, and the unconditional love she had for us.
Mama is now in a better place, and we thank her for being strong for us and the best example of what it means to have and carry the peace of the Lord with you. My mum was my champion, my hero, my encouragement, my confidant, my intercessor, counselor, and always full of wisdom. I
believe God has honored Mama’s prayers, the ones she saw come to fruition, and the ones she never lived to see.
I thank God for the privilege of being raised and nurtured by such a loving and peaceful
mum. I am forever grateful for the peaceful years she enjoyed while she was still alive. May the Lord help me carry her legacy of peace in every area of my life.
Oh mama we shall always miss you and carry you in our hearts forever.
What does being a peaceful person mean to you? What are some of the ways that the characteristics of peace play into the growth of other characteristics such as love, joy, kindness, selflessness, etc... The peace of the lord is different from the peace of the earth, and it is given in abundance to those who need it.
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