Me: Hello
my favorite and best uncle in the world? (I loved telling him that)
Him:
(Deep Laughter) My Darling, I’m fine, good to hear from you...
After
some chit chat about how everyone was, I had to end the call...
Me: Love
you!
Him: Love
you too Darling!
Less than 2 weeks later, (17th May) on my way to work, I got a message
that the man who I cherished so much was sick and in need of medical
attention. Being on a motorbike, I said a short prayer and said to myself that
I’ll call him once I reached the office. I did.
Me: Hello
Silence.
Me: Hello
Female
voice: Hello, who’s this?
Me: I
want to talk to my uncle!
Her: Who’s
this?
Me: I’m
one of his daughters in Kenya, and I want to talk to him! ( I was now running
out of patience)
Her:
Uncle has just died!
Me: What?
NO! How? What happened? No! Let me call you back!
Just then my phone bleeps. It’s a text message from my
brother. He’s Dead! That’s all it said! I get my phone and look for my uncle’s
second number. I call it expecting to hear his voice from the other side.
Me:
Hello. Uncle...
Female
voice: He has just died. (she starts crying)
Me: Where
is he? Is he at home or at the hospital?
Her: At
home. The doc was on his way but couldn’t make it in time...
I hung up. I called my mum, she was speechless. Just then, my
dad called me, and I burst out crying. He didn’t know what to do and just told
me he’ll call me later. My phone was busy with incoming calls. It felt so unreal.
Many relatives knew how close he and I were and they called to console and encourage
me. Bleep, bleep! Another text message! “He
will be buried tomorrow!” Everything was moving so fast that I couldn’t think
straight. Asked my boss for a compassionate leave and here I was in the house,
parking my clothes, making seat reservations and doing everything else that comes with
confusion.
The number of times I sobbed uncontrollably in the bus, the
questions I asked him ...Why couldn’t he wait? Was he happy leaving me in this
pain that seemed to tear me into tiny little pieces? Why didn’t he just go with
me? Who would genuinely call me darling, sweetheart or his sunflower and mean it like he did? He was to walk me down the aisle, now why couldn't he just wait till we did? He always wanted to see me preach and lead prayers, and I longed to see his face when he saw me do it, but why now? The pain was beyond my control! Notice I am saying him and not HIM. It was
hard to question God our Creator in all this, but I felt Uncle could hear and
answer me. In the bus, we all acted like we had it all together, we wanted
to be strong for each other, but it was hard!
Fast forward when we arrived at his place. People were all
over and this time, he wasn’t there to hug and sweep me off my feet as he
usually carried me! He wasn’t there to hold my hand and make me feel like the
little girl he always made me feel like! All I wanted was to get to him. Fast! Got to
the door, and I saw him! I saw him laid down on a mattress; Him with cotton
wool on his head and in his nose. I rushed to him, calling him all this time. "Uncle! Uncle!" But for the first time, he didn’t respond to my call! He didn’t
laugh and hug me either, he lay there. I was torn! I was dying inside! The painful
reality had set in! They tried telling me it was okay, but no, it wasn’t! They
advised me to at least go outside abit, but no, I wanted to be with MY uncle.
I touched his hands for the last time.The hands that held me a
few minutes after I was born, and always held me till now, were now cold! The
man who believed in me more than anyone on this earth ever did, lay there like someone
who was sound asleep. I wished I could just see his eyes move and prove to everyone
that he was still alive! For a moment I thought I saw it happen! But I guess I
was just fighting; fighting with nature!
We laid him to rest. Each day becomes harder but the Comforter
is with us. For HE will never leave nor forsake us! Selah! I miss him; I tell
myself he’s still alive and we’ll meet; but then a time comes when I realize
we’ll only meet in paradise! The first person I’d want to meet in heaven!
Grieving is a process. It’s a day at a time thing; no rush
about it. Sometimes I smile knowing he’s watching over me; while other times I
sob knowing a part of me was taken away. One thing that I am always happy
about, is the fact that while he lived, I made sure I told him how important he
was in my life. I never ended a call without telling him how much I loved him
and fortunately, that was the last thing we told each other!
Life is too short. Treat people right for you don’t know about
tomorrow! It’s never guaranteed to anyone! Appreciate people when they’re still
alive such that even when God takes them, you will be fulfilled that while they
lived, you did the best you could for them. Sometimes we wait until that
brother, sister, parent, fiancée, spouse or friend dies, then we remember the
good things they did and regret the things we never did and run to post on
social media where they can’t read.
Live as if today is your last day. Don’t take people that God
brought your way for granted, for God had a reason of connecting you and not
others. Appreciate people, Love people! I thank God that He put that heart in
me, that by His Grace, I normally appreciate people in my life, be it through text messages, calls
or gifts. The day I get to go, I will be glad that I let you all know that you were important
and I thanked God for you! I will be glad that I did the best I could for the
people around me; But if you go first, may I never regret for not telling you
how much you meant to me.
And when that day comes, the day I breathe my last, these are
the words I long to hear from my Master:
Matt 25:21: His Master said to him, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant. You have been faithful
over a little;I will set you
over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.
Shalom
