THE PROBABLE SELDOM AND THE UNEXPECTED

As young as I am, I have come to the conclusion that what they say in Ireland, “the probable seldom happens and the unexpected, every time”, is true as far as I am concerned.

On the 23rd Day of May, 2015, Kevin Muthee and Dennis Kimuchu were promoted to glory after a tragic road accident along the Ruaka – Muthaiga bypass. No words are good enough to express the pain that the society at large suffered.However, as painful as it was, Kev and Dennis had left Stephanie and Ian under our care. I best believe that the two wonderful angels were meant to live on as the legacy left behind by our fallen heroes.

Kev with Steph

In the past one week or so, I have been reading an emotionally engulfing book called ” An Unexpected guest” Joaquin Romero.In this book, the author tries to explain how happiness may be found in suffering, how others may be helped from one’s own position of need and how a wheelchair may be moved by the “Spiritual robotics” of a smile. In his interview, when asked how he felt when the illness knocked at the door, he had this to say; “ It’s as if an honored guest you hadn’t invited is there at the door. you don’t know whether to say ‘Lovely to see you’ or ‘sorry there is nothing for you to eat.’ Then you have to accept ‘him’, you can’t throw ‘him’ out; you have to know how to treat ‘him’, talk to ‘him’, listen to ‘him’ to find what ‘he’ wants, what suits ‘him’. “

Initially, we felt robbed by death and the sensation was awful. The unexpected guest “Death” had knocked at the door. Perplexed, we turned to God and cried for his restoration and Mercy. The much we asked for was Grace to see another day and accept that it was all under God’s control. But we knew not of the joy that awaited us. While defining Suffering, Joaquin terms it as ” The key, the believer’s answer to many of those who ask. It has no meaning that does not relate to the eternal. It teaches you to know yourself better, to put everything in its proper place. And to know other people better, to be understanding about their limitations. “ I tend to think that Joaquin had the families, friends and relatives of the late heroes in mind while compiling his thoughts. Driven by the sorrow, we were more than determined to pick up the pieces and ensure that the dreams of the two angels would be fulfilled just as their fathers would have desired.

Kimuchu with Ian

How we did it?

A few days after the demise of our beloved brothers, some witty minds “The Waheshimiwa group” came up with a fundraising idea with the intention of putting up an education trust fund for the two angels left behind. The idea was widely shared with the families, relatives and friends of the two late brothers who without hesitation embraced and vowed to support it.

A committee was formed, the date, time and venue were all set, to be held on the 30th day of August, 2015, 2.00pm at the Ngarariga Catholic social hall. The TARGET too was set at One million Kenyan Shillings. The challenge was to meet the target. The combined brains came up with vast fundraising ideas to aid in meeting the set target. Their willingness saw the committee members go the extra mile of skipping a meal each Wednesday of the week and sending the cash to the pay bill number set up to collect the cash.

Team work, self giving, love, were all defined by the spirit of each committee member as they gave their all towards the noble initiative. For me, I had found a family, people I could always count on and more-so a leaning shoulder. Far from my Community Outreach Program family at Strathmore University, I had found another family with whom we shared the same ideologies. There is joy and peace in Service to humankind. It is a feeling I cannot fully express but the much I Know is, in the process of giving, you Make another heart smile.  The happy face after impacting a needy person positively is priceless. The able committee was settling for nothing less than their set target. They meant business and their efforts were relentless.

On the material day, one thing stood out –THE AUDIENCE! 80% of the attendees were aged 35 years and below. This act of oneness and team work played out by the young generation left our parents in awe. Who knew that the ‘Unexpected Guest’ would bring with him such gifts?  Praises and thanksgiving rent the air as all the speakers applauded the young generation for their noble acts of Humanity.

Achievements!!!!!

Most fulfilling, WE MADE IT! YES WE DID IT! WE HIT OUR TARGET! Ideally, by the end of the day, we had hit the one million Kenyan shillings target and Steph and Ian’s education dreams were finally up-close. But for Winnie, one thing stood out, with ‘him’ , ‘the Unexpected guest’ had brought forth some goodness. ‘He’ had helped the young generation find the most human part of themselves and bring it out. Out of the suffering and pain, we are better and have managed to put things in place. Ideally, God was and still is working in us.

My Message

“Don’t let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love.  With your Apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the unclean sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you bear in your heart” THE WAY BY JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA!

Hatuwezi elezea wema wako Bwana……..Here goes our Anthem..

Thanks for stopping bye….till next time. Lotsa love.

THE PROBABLE SELDOM AND THE UNEXPECTED

As young as I am, I have come to the conclusion that what they say in Ireland, “the probable seldom happens and the unexpected, every time”, is true as far as I am concerned.

On the 23rd Day of May, 2015, Kevin Muthee and Dennis Kimuchu were promoted to glory after a tragic road accident along the Ruaka – Muthaiga bypass. No words are good enough to express the pain that the society at large suffered.However, as painful as it was, Kev and Dennis had left Stephanie and Ian under our care. I best believe that the two wonderful angels were meant to live on as the legacy left behind by our fallen heroes.

Kev with Steph

In the past one week or so, I have been reading an emotionally engulfing book called ” An Unexpected guest” Joaquin Romero.In this book, the author tries to explain how happiness may be found in suffering, how others may be helped from one’s own position of need and how a wheelchair may be moved by the “Spiritual robotics” of a smile. In his interview, when asked how he felt when the illness knocked at the door, he had this to say; “ It’s as if an honored guest you hadn’t invited is there at the door. you don’t know whether to say ‘Lovely to see you’ or ‘sorry there is nothing for you to eat.’ Then you have to accept ‘him’, you can’t throw ‘him’ out; you have to know how to treat ‘him’, talk to ‘him’, listen to ‘him’ to find what ‘he’ wants, what suits ‘him’. “

Initially, we felt robbed by death and the sensation was awful. The unexpected guest “Death” had knocked at the door. Perplexed, we turned to God and cried for his restoration and Mercy. The much we asked for was Grace to see another day and accept that it was all under God’s control. But we knew not of the joy that awaited us. While defining Suffering, Joaquin terms it as ” The key, the believer’s answer to many of those who ask. It has no meaning that does not relate to the eternal. It teaches you to know yourself better, to put everything in its proper place. And to know other people better, to be understanding about their limitations. “ I tend to think that Joaquin had the families, friends and relatives of the late heroes in mind while compiling his thoughts. Driven by the sorrow, we were more than determined to pick up the pieces and ensure that the dreams of the two angels would be fulfilled just as their fathers would have desired.

Kimuchu with Ian

How we did it?

A few days after the demise of our beloved brothers, some witty minds “The Waheshimiwa group” came up with a fundraising idea with the intention of putting up an education trust fund for the two angels left behind. The idea was widely shared with the families, relatives and friends of the two late brothers who without hesitation embraced and vowed to support it.

A committee was formed, the date, time and venue were all set, to be held on the 30th day of August, 2015, 2.00pm at the Ngarariga Catholic social hall. The TARGET too was set at One million Kenyan Shillings. The challenge was to meet the target. The combined brains came up with vast fundraising ideas to aid in meeting the set target. Their willingness saw the committee members go the extra mile of skipping a meal each Wednesday of the week and sending the cash to the pay bill number set up to collect the cash.

Team work, self giving, love, were all defined by the spirit of each committee member as they gave their all towards the noble initiative. For me, I had found a family, people I could always count on and more-so a leaning shoulder. Far from my Community Outreach Program family at Strathmore University, I had found another family with whom we shared the same ideologies. There is joy and peace in Service to humankind. It is a feeling I cannot fully express but the much I Know is, in the process of giving, you Make another heart smile.  The happy face after impacting a needy person positively is priceless. The able committee was settling for nothing less than their set target. They meant business and their efforts were relentless.

On the material day, one thing stood out –THE AUDIENCE! 80% of the attendees were aged 35 years and below. This act of oneness and team work played out by the young generation left our parents in awe. Who knew that the ‘Unexpected Guest’ would bring with him such gifts?  Praises and thanksgiving rent the air as all the speakers applauded the young generation for their noble acts of Humanity.

Achievements!!!!!

Most fulfilling, WE MADE IT! YES WE DID IT! WE HIT OUR TARGET! Ideally, by the end of the day, we had hit the one million Kenyan shillings target and Steph and Ian’s education dreams were finally up-close. But for Winnie, one thing stood out, with ‘him’ , ‘the Unexpected guest’ had brought forth some goodness. ‘He’ had helped the young generation find the most human part of themselves and bring it out. Out of the suffering and pain, we are better and have managed to put things in place. Ideally, God was and still is working in us.

My Message

“Don’t let your life be barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love.  With your Apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the unclean sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you bear in your heart” THE WAY BY JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA!

Hatuwezi elezea wema wako Bwana……..Here goes our Anthem..

Thanks for stopping bye….till next time. Lotsa love.

An African Wedding Made in Germany

Halisee

On a warm and beautiful day in Nairobi, Terry and Paul invited their closest family and friends to celebrate their wedding, a day full of love, dance, color and cheer. The Loreto Convent Msongari provided a beautiful location for the Mass and the reception which followed immediately after.

Terry’s fashion sense was evident from the wedding dress and the African adornments she wore. She was nothing short of beautiful. Simple but elegant

Immediately after the church service, the newest couple in town stood under a tree and took time to greet and thank all the guests for gracing their big day. This caught many by surprise as it’s typical for the bridal party to have a hiatus which lasts for only God knows how long. In Germany, this is the norm.

The day was a joy to be a part of and I owe a debt of gratitude to the…

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Forget About The Price Tag……..

Once again I get to do what I love, expressing my feelings and thoughts. I just don’t know what I would do if we never had such a platform but am glad we do. Remember that article about wealth, material things and all? Well lets build more on it. I just sat in the office and came across a post about how Louis Otieno’s life cruised in to a ditch and how his new self is a mirage or  shadow of his old self. It took me off by surprise and got me thinking what’s there in life that’s worth living for? Well, stay on board as I take you through my thoughts and sentiments.

We are all busy chasing happiness in all manner of ways in the name of exploration. I got Avril’s song “what the hell” playing on my laptop and more so in my head. I just want to have fun, so what if i mess around? Many are the times we invest our energy in all the wrong ways and for the wrong reasons. we are busy chasing money, chasing dreams and material things. We all want to be powerful and dominant in every aspect of life. We encourage and inspire ourselves, you need to aspire before you expire! others tell us if your dreams aren’t big enough to scare you then you are not dreaming enough! While others will tell you that there’s no short cut to success, you need to take the stairs! Oh yes….don’t even forget about that that book that you are reading simply because you need inspiration, ‘7 habits of highly effective people’ , ’48 laws of power ‘ you can list them all driven by the motive to be a better person and rule over the world. You are busy perusing page after page to just know how Njenga Karume made it from a charcoal burner to a multi billionaire to steal or get away with tips of how you too can be one.

Lets cut it out! Others live by the YOLO motto to get by the day and bury their heads deep blind enough not to see their shamming deeds. I thought of how I stopped at nothing to travel to Nakuru for Prinsloo sevens, get an injury and end up on physio therapy classes at Mater hospital while I would have done something more productive and constructive with my time and money.  We all want to have certain friends because they exhibit certain characteristics or a certain class that we want to be at and in.

Lets get this straight…..simple clear and to the point. whats the need for all the wealth that we all desire to have? I thought of death and apparently I have been on its case for the last few months or so.I could die tomorrow, now or even after ten years but that’s all dependent on God. Death knows no king or queen….it makes us all equal! Will i take the money with me ? Honestly no! Someone will inherit all of it and God knows what they will do with it. Why are our politicians making us fight? Why the calls for referendum and all manner of things that will make them relevant today? Its all about money and power and wealth…you name it. Why is Beyonce relevant and Rihanna’s music playing loud and clear all the time on our minds? why would i comfortably sing along to the lyrics of these bitches ain’t loyal??? what makes one comfortable coming up with a system or idea that will rob you off your money from the bank and all? Its all crazy and dehumanizing in all ways.

All the above drains back to the morals and values and our understanding of Gods nature. In my ethics class, I learnt that happiness lies in a super natural being! But am busy chasing happiness everywhere, from love to clubs to road trips to rugby, music…mention them. It all lacks meaning when i think about God and death. Ultimately i will die. But he will live on…he has no end. if i live according to his ways…his teachings, I will live morally upright…I will less value the riches and all material things! So what if everyone did the same? We wouldn’t kill each other, we wouldn’t rob off each other, we wouldn’t pay bribes and we would abstain from all manner of things that make us less of human. The world would be a better place.

But we choose not to do it. We know the right path but we do not want to follow it. We disregard each and every teaching. Even in the courts, arrogance is no defense! Same case applies to the gospel of God. I acknowledge I do all the wrong things despite the knowledge of what I ought to do. Sad reality I will go on doing them.

But i want to be different and have a noble heart. I want to share whatever small I have with the less fortunate! I commend one DR Matheka who came up with an idea of us visiting the less fortunate at least once in a month. it beats logic why someone else would go hungry for days yet one has more than enough to waste on rugby and clubs while you can touch a heart. The kingdom is for the chosen few and i can only wonder if i will be amongst the few.

The picture of the new Louis Otieno just helped me realize how short life can be. Forget about the price tag. lets run the world the way we want it to be. Live life like you will die tomorrow but with a dream of going to heaven. You Only Live Once so you got to impact life positively while you can!!!!

 

I sign off!

The break through after a break up.

You look depressed! Don’t you want to live another day? If God gave you a chance today to live till you are 120 years of age and 40 years which would you choose? Looking in to his eyes I comfortably said 40! So young yet so hopeless and pessimistic, he couldn’t believe I said it. But all I had on my mind was….You Only Live Once, Life is too short. So what about my dreams? What’s the essence of even dreaming and yearning for big things in life while we all know you will die at one point? Others say legacy and at the moment it crossed my mind, legacy my foot! This was my life! I can choose to screw it up by dangerously living or make a change by impacting the society positively. Just some hours before this conversation with a stranger I met up in a 105 mat, I was from a praise and worship session at God’s gift café led by one pastor Raffian. Prior to that, I had a chat with my best friend Liz and the boyfriend Davie at hall 12 Ngala hostels, UON. I was telling them about how low my faith was dropping and I felt I needed redemption. I spoke my heart out about how concerned I was about my life. I thought to myself that this is how the devil tries to build homesteads in God`s people by taking them hostage and captive. But Davie seemed happy since he thought that it was a good sign that there was an inner voice trying to speak to me. Actually he thought that I needed time to know me the more. The mess in my life, the disorderly unlike Winnie and the desyched up me was a sign that all wasn’t well. For a moment I wished I would turn things around but I realized I didn’t have the power. I was tied up by the bitter me and the mad me. Once you lose the happiness in life, it makes you hopeless, it makes you feel like you do not want to live again, you lose the touch with one self. For a moment I never imagined I would be derailed by anyone leave alone my enemies. But the only thing that stands in between you and your dreams or goals is you! You can choose to whine all you want about it, you can choose to do nothing about it whereas on the other hand you can choose to turn things around and be happy. This is what happens when you are caught up in a messy break up. You are helpless and with no will to pursue any happiness. The torture when you part ways with someone you considered a support system, someone you considered to be family, that one person you shared your secrets, sorrows and all the happy times with. But that’s the cracked part of life. You can never get that which you want the most. My friend Winjoy and cousin Ann were worried about how I would hold up and my reaction now that it was over. I cried over it, got depressed, hated God for a moment and at the same time ended up hating on men. Am surprised am still alive. I tried to do things differently, I started partying, living each minute at a time, proposed to my career and cut all bonds and links with anyone of the opposite gender who tried making moves on me. Slowly I lost touch with my God, the spiritual aspect of life was fading away. FYI this was in a span of three weeks. Writing up on this eases me off a big burden, the least I think about the break up, the more clearer my dreams become, the more my spiritual candle lights up, the more the potential and beautiful Winnie glows.

I choose not to be bitter, I choose to let go the pain and forgive at the same time. It’s amazing what forgiveness can do. I might have broken up with him but that ought to be another beginning of other grater things. You never know, what you constantly value and adore could be your greatest undoing. Open up to the world, view it in another perspective. You Only Live Once and as much as its short, try your best to do as much as you can with the life that you only get once in the shortest time possible. The narrow road and tiresome journey to Winnie’s legacy just kicked off!

Is there a time limit on being bulletproof?

mind boggling….nice read

Tax Reporting Trends

On June 2014, the European Commission said it had opened three in-depth investigations into tax decisions affecting Apple, Starbucks and Fiat Finance and Trade in Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg respectively.

An U.S. Senate investigation has revealed that Apple, that, “under the agreement Apple has with Ireland”, Apple paid a maximum tax rate of 2 percent or less. Apple’s annual reports show that over the past three years, Apple paid taxes worth 2 percent of its $74 billion in overseas income. Reuters 21 May 2013.

It raises the question whether besides evaluating tax risks (level of tolerance) also reputational risks of the company – as part of proper tax risk management – should be considered mandatory when such schemes are recommended.

Tax consultancy firms branded such effective tax planning service offerings not so long ago as ‘Tax Effective Supply Chain Management’. That kind of wording is hardly used anymore for…

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NETWORKING: FUTURE CEOs TOOL

It all started with a simple hello with a certain stranger in the mat. Many are the times I surprise Winnie. The potential in her is unbelievable! How do you meet up a stranger and immediately start discussing who you are? Well, that isn’t much of a surprise to this lady. His name is JB Chege. I had just boarded this matatu and we immediately started talking about our jobs. So he was getting late for a certain trip to Meru on an official mission of repairing certain IT controlled doors for a bank in Meru. I wanted to know where he worked. What did he do for a living? Could I benefit from his job? It turned out my curiosity didn’t kill me but instead ignited or rather woke up the giant in me. In my thinking, we would help his company reduce the tax burden or obligation they had. They needed tax advisory services and as is the fact, our company Taxwise-Consulting stands out from the rest. I figured out we would best help them and we were best suited for this ideal situation. Their duties included importation of goods, resale and installation of softwares amongst others. The business opportunity was to help reduce the withholding tax payable, the VAT and last the corporation tax as well as their duties.

But he enriched me, he told me of a certain convention in westlands where managers and other business men and women hook up for a cup of coffee as they network. The only way to brand yourself, only way to go up that company ladder is by bringing in clients in the form of revenue. That was my aim. He was giving me the secret although at a cost. For you to attend the weekly business meetings one had to make 5000kshs contribution every week. That seemed quite too much for me. That’s when I came up with the idea. Create a WhatsApp group where I would add my friends who looked focused enough and share the idea. We can bet that those friends will be managers, CEOs and financial controllers in different institutions. These are the people who will need my services at a certain time. It doesn’t matter whether it will be in future but one day it will happen. My company could also need services that my friends` company supplies translating to a boost up the ladder. That’s all about networking. I was passionate about his baby.

John Mwangi says, lets create a website for this forum, Kamau describes it as a great idea and many more applauding the idea whilst Peter Elvis the mind behind Realex Technologies proposes I do a blog. Well, it starts small evolving to big. I hereby take this platform to introduce the new baby meant to help the future CEOs cement their positions at their place of work. NETWORKING will help you go up. What are you waiting for? Work your way up towards your dream career or title. Hang on to it. It’s too early to give up on it. Watch out for the upcoming website to be upfront soon. This is the new networking wave that will blow you higher than you thought.

With that, allow me to introduce Winnie Wanjiru Kimotho. A TAX ANALYST at TAXWISE-CONSULTING. For all your tax advisory services do not hesitate to hit me up on email wkimotho@taxwise-consulting.com. Withholding tax, transfer pricing, VAT, PAYE..Name it…we will solve them all. The tax man is under pressure to meet the high deficit for the financial year 2014/15 budget alongside the vision 2030 goals. They could be coming next for your company. More reasons you need to clean up your house. Am that cleaner you need.

Excuse the ancient me please!

Hello dear ones. Allow me please to attach my feelings to this piece as I let out my heart in the current trends that I abhor! I once listened to a kikuyu song from an artist whose manners disgust me but I must admit that the message is inspiring. Admittedly i dare say it was not on purpose since i was out to visit my cousins and I found them playing the song which i got to love. His name is Sovinga Wa Bibiana.

In the name of being civilized and adopting the western culture we have thrown our manners and African traditions out of the window. Yes, while still a kid, my parents taught me to respect the elderly in the community and always give them way and the deserved treatment. I remember the days we used “face me” matatus to get to school. By then i was in class five and in the name of seeking for better and quality education , we had to travel long distances to Limuru town primary school and wake up early to be punctual. There was this matatu, pardon I cannot remember the name that we had to time at 6.00am or else, we would be late. our grandmothers by then would also wake up early on Wednesdays and Saturdays to get their goods on time to the market. It was such a shame to remain seated while your grandmother remained upright the whole time in the mat. Out of the deserved respect, we would give them seats. I recall a time when dad jack, brother to my father, gave an old grandma a seat yet we thought he was old enough to sit down. Yes, it all drains back to the respect for the elderly and the women in the society.

But times have changed, rowdy matatu drivers manhandling our women, brutal and heartless policemen beating up the aged and the women all in the name of enforcing law, grabbing the women with no respect evil enough to slide your hands through their backs just to have a feel of their tender bodies as you harass them sexually. Has it escaped their minds that the women they harass, the women they manhandle and mishandle gave birth to the president, the doctor, the teacher and the house help they all do have and need their services? A woman need not to be your biological mother, your mother in law sister or wife to be held with care and due diligence. you can accord all the respect if only we hang on to our traditions.

A rotten society is all we have become, men raping their daughters, wives killing their husbands and sons and daughters killing their parents for inheritance. When i seat with my grandmother in her kitchen taking a cup of smoked tea, envy and admiration take me over. So old yet God fearing at the same time. All she talks about is the values, words of advice, how to treat my future husband and how much she would love us to have a good life in the future. I look at her six sons and how successful they have become, the love in the family that even flows to the daughter in laws, the successful and learned grandchildren she has now and the sweet old life she has, but i cannot attach all that to any material thing. looking at it from a different angle, i see the power of prayers, the mighty hand of God and more so the fruits of cultivating good morals and habits in a family.

In the old days it was rare to hear of murder cases, rape cases and all other atrocities. I believe our traditions had something unique to last us a lifetime. yes, call me ancient but if my God fearing nature, morals and the standards I set make me timid, I agree and wholly embrace the ancient me. I refuse to be modern with no morals, no respect for the elderly yet so learned. I want to be a Dr or a professor and a master of the faith that Jesus Christ taught and preached of with so much love.

I believe its never too late to change this society. Its high time parents took up the role and instilled good manners to their children and continuously and endlessly pray for them to save the future generation such embarrassments in the future.  well…that’s it for today. no apologies whatsoever to whom i intentionally sliced. enjoy.

sanity I desire on our roads.

Allow me to touch on a matter i consider sensitive. When i hear the ambulance siren i think of the life in there and how hard the doctors are trying to save it. Anger and bitterness suddenly take me over as i figure out how the driver of the ambulance will make through the mad traffic and get the patient on time for further medical assistance. Figure it this way, when the president is set to get to whichever place, all traffic commanders and the who is who in that sector will be under maximum pressure to ensure that the presidents motorcade encounters minimum or no traffic at all. All the highways and super highways are cleared for his excellency. what about that one life in that ambulance? most are the times that the traffic police will hear the ambulance siren and tend to do nothing. On the other hand, retarded and rowdy matatu drivers will refuse to pave way and when they do they will use it to their advantage and keep trail of the ambulance to make sure they are ahead of others in the mad traffic. For Winnie, its a different case, i say a short prayer and ask God to save that life.

what if you were the person in that ambulance lying lifeless and helpless praying hard that they get you to that hospital in a blink of an eye? Thinking of your unfulfilled dreams, your children and family, friends you will leave behind and the life that you once thought will never come to an end could be depressing enough to see you off to the next world.

my hope is that as Kenya develops its infrastructure, they will remember to include the high speed lanes meant for the ambulances and other emergencies. i also pray that God gives our Kenyan drivers, PSV and the private vehicle drivers the patience and will to give way to ambulances so as to help save a father, mother, uncle, daughter or son or even the aged. i figure it out as depressing and haunting when someone dies yet you can do something.

That’s all for today help save lives and drive safely. thank you. bye. Aim to be the change you desire in this beloved country.

death, the thief

Pulling the drawer each morning to wake up to your face reminds me of how cruel death is, was and will forever be.  your photo keeps finding its way back regardless of how hard i try to keep it away.  The month of February has lots of good times, like the month of love, my birthday but still it has it bitter memories like your anniversary. same thing to the month of September. I never experienced the pain of loosing someone i loved till during this two months when i lost those who were close and dear to my heart. Jane Nyambura Gathitu my beloved aunt and Mary Njoki Gathitu my beloved grandmother.

some may be thinking that death is quite a normal thing but the scars and the memories and the foot prints left behind make death unbearable. Do not misunderstand me please, am not in any way trying to lament death but if only this words would express the pain, that’s what am trying so hard to do.

Born as the second born to my father but the first and only kid to my mother, life took a different toll when you both passed on. “Go and work hard, see you next in the coming world, ” those were the last words that my grand mum told me before i went back to school for my second year in high school. while still in primary we laughed and joked a lot about the university together. you only had one wish,that i would be well educated, have a good life and most of all mentor my young cousins. How i wish that you are alive to see me living as you wished. Probably it would have been easier with your presence. You lay helpless in your bed as you bid me your final good bye. If I knew I wouldn’t find you when I came in for my mid term or yet had an idea that should I have gone back to school I wouldn’t have attended your burial, I would have stayed on till your last breath. But, it had to be that way sadly.

Approximately an year and a half later after you were gone, your daughter, my aunt, joined you to keep you company. This time, I was caught by surprise. At the time of reporting back for my last term in high school, she was in good health and had more life than i did. unluckily, she too passed on to glory untimely and left us unceremoniously or should i say left me since only i didn’t attend her burial? off to the point, you all left us some huge responsibilities to undertake. under our care you left us the two most precious gifts from above, Mary and Ruth.

Sadly, we have to bear the consequences of your mistakes while upbringing the kids. Their bad behavior are a constant reminder that you are long gone and never to be seen again.  The effort put in by my parents, uncle and aunts was undone the last year when the dad came back for them. They all trashed the good deeds, the good private schools they went to and the good and happy family they had. The sacrifices that my parents made, the comfort of being the only kid that i shelved for them, were all thrown out of the window.  Bad mouthing about our families, pointing of fingers to those who took them in at their hour of need became the new trend.  But love conquers all. This explains the series of thoughts that my mum has been going through figuring out that despite the humiliation of stealing, poor school performance, rude talks in public among other frustrations, she still prays for them and wishes them all the best. On the other hand, dad is a staunch believer of good manners and his dictatorial nature makes him a principled man. No turning back once he makes a decision. Ruth decided to go back to her dad and so she should live with that.

Ciru on the other hand is weak in love and easily forgives.  At one point, i saw mum and dad argue and quarrel for the first time in my life focal point being Ruth. Crying helplessly i shrugged my legs off to my bedroom and laid my head down hoping for some peace of mind for the night.  Aunt and grandma, barely two weeks after Ruth left our home, she hoped from home to home looking for the lavished life that she desired but all this didn’t happen. finally she went back to the dad but again it was barely two days gone when she knocked on the chiefs door and requested him to call my dad this time to plead with him to take her in. well, the principled middle aged man denied her the opportunity to join us again. Her greatest challenge now is the school fees that her biological dad cannot afford, the heavy breakfast ever presence at Kimotho`s house and lastly the loaded pockets to steal from as she did while at Mrs Kimotho`s house.

I bet if you were still alive, you both would have found a way to tame your beloved daughters who have recently become a laughing stock in the village.  may your souls rest in eternal peace.

That`s it friends.