Mwl. Adeline Makundi

On Tuesday 20 July 2010, at about 7 am in the morning, a nurse asked us,

"What is your relation to her?"

I knew then that something impossible had happened. Silly, I thought, how can that happen? No! Yet we had to answer the nurse's question--so that she could give us explanation why the bed we had left Ade in the evening before was empty.

"I am her older sister, and this is her younger brother", Aika answered for us.

"After you had left her condition did not improve, in fact it deteriorated, and she passed away at one a.m.."

There it was. And I couldn't imagine such a thing ever hapenning.

Mwalimu Ade, at 53, was quite young, with many years of work to put her excellent brains to work for this country which is so much in demand for such gifted persons.

Needless to say I went along with other relatives through the procedure that ended up with burial at our family kihamba at Komakundi village, Kilimanjaro on Saturday 24 July 2010.

I've since been brooding and thinking of the personal loss I suffered for loss of my sibling who was much more than a mere sibling. She was my first and most effective teacher, how I entered formal school head high ,  academically matching ahead of the crowd was the confidence given by her to me.

As no-one can read future to know one's destiny, I would not attempt to make any conclusion on possibilities that could have produced the best in her earlier on than what she came to achieve at mature age diploma and degree. But, heck, young parents with daughters, hear: If you have to work twenty four hours a day, do that to see to it that your daughter receives the best possible education. If she has promising results at lower classes, sell assets and work if you have to so as to see she makes achievements in education and carreer. That shall be a subject of one of my future posts.

Stanza 1:
O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The works Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;


Stanza 2:
When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze;


Refrain:
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!


Stanza 3:
When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how great Thou art!"


Refrain:
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
http://www.greatchristianhymns.com/how-great-thou-art.html

Festive season

I haven't been in upbeat mood in the past fortnight, what with my niece Magret falling sick to extent of being admited and placed in ICU with life support machinery and transfusion. Thank God she's (as I write this post) already out of hospital and recuperating in Mamba Komakundi.

Countdown for Christmas has began, though. Saturday was Tanzania Mainland Independence 45th anniversary, and I found myself in Vingunguti hunting for a goat to buy. The art of bargaining for a goat deserves its own post, so I'll not delve deep into that now.

Sunday 10th--like the previous Sunday--was feverish with activitiy as Lutheran churches in different parts of Dar-es-Salaam were holding Confirmation ceremonies. This tsunami of extravaganza must have contributed a point of a percentage in global warming considering all gas for vehicles ferrying all stuff here and there; and the firewood and charcoal roasting all those goats. Most of us found ourselves in difficult situation as to whose party we'll attend and whose not.

I chose to give company to my cousin David, who was also my best childhood friend. His two boys, Mathew and Timothy were confirmed that day at the Kimara Temboni Lutheran Church (a building of ugly, square simpleness a cathedral should never be). The church site is adjacent to his own place, a magnificient dacha with beautifully landscaped undulating grounds. We went there and blew the afternoon with booze and food. Our nephew, Jimmy, also had his love child confirmed that day so it was a three-way blessing.

That was not the end of story though. David's brother Julius had prepared a grand dinner at a suburb club in Msasani called Anabella in honour of confirmation of his son, Obrey. The ceremony had taken place in the Azania Front Cathedral earlier during the day.

By the time I left at about midnight riding my bike, the action was just starting.