May God rest their souls in peace

Primrose (who, for some reason, prefers to be called Nemo) stands on a swirling stool for a gig!


My rafikis, right now it sucks to be ME!!! Its a week now, but un-welcome news flowed in abundance. My bed-ridden mother battling health complications finally succumbed, I cried my scalp open! Prior to her passing, Timo left a message that Hopes' 59 year old dad a native of Holy Springs, North Carolina, had died of heart attack!! O.K, my mum was old and had lots of complications but how on planet earth would a University soccer coach and supposedly an athlete die of cardiac arrest just like that? Go figure...

The passing of our mum, has left a huge gaping hole in our family. Think about it, she was this kind of a mum that understood everybody's (her kids) divergent views and endeavored to reconcile them. As a last born in our family I got pampered by everybody, but more so by my mother, however she never lost the fact that too much of it would extinguish my light. She was there for everybody. I guess my point here is that she solidified the family in a humble way possible, somebody gatta step up to the plate, but the plate seems so amorphously gigantic to fill with our five pairs of feet! May the souls of both parents rest in peace.

When we count our many blessings, it isn't hard to see that life's most valuable treasures are the treasures that are free, for it is not what we own or buy that signifies our wealth, it is the special gifts that have no price. Our family, friends and health. When we are counting all our blessings, there's one thing we always do. We stop and say, "thank you, lord, for a special you and for our families that love us for who were are". I appreciated all the warm heart felt messages and emails of condolences I received in this period of hardship. Mr. Ndungutse and Jessica (Hopes' big sister) your long messages were a blast in reviving my spirits. Fausta, Rajab, Hemed Zahor, Mado, Cosmas, Cathy, Timo and Olivia, Esther, Peace Nagenda, Festo Kikonyogo, Muhammad, J.B Walugembe and everybody I have forgotten to mention, I truly and sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness and comfort, thanks.

My cousins from Windsor - Ontario, to be precise Piyo, will be visiting with us here tomorrow. Its a shame, but it took the passing of bibi, to actually have this thing done with! Piyo has been trying like hell to get hold of me in vain! Right now I am thrilled they are coming over. That reminds me, Hopes' cousin, an attorney in Missussauga - Ontario, will be here too. We last bumped into her like four years ago at the IRB hearings division in Toronto and that was it. It sounds weird, but such is life here...too engaged in daily life of survival that everything seems secondary. Believe me, its true!!

It has been soooo hot and humid in Ontario that it seems living somewhere in the Sahara would be by far a better place to duck from this cruel heat! We have had two power shortages or failure owing to the use of air conditioners by Ontarians. It seems everybody in my neighborhood is blessed with two or more 10,000+ BTU air conditioners plus gigantic fans, that Provincial government's pleas for energy conservation has fallen on deaf ears, thus over stretching the capacity of hydro! Does that explain to you why power failures are becoming a norm around here? For once mother winter is enjoying the beating summer is receiving lately! Didn't we pray our souls out to have summer arrive earlier than later, well God listened and blessed us with two folds of warmth, mmmh!

I am out like hydro and thanks for your prayers.