THANK YOU, FRIENDS OF MY FAMILY

It is nearly three months since the body of my father, Omugurusi Ezra Kisigo Mulera, gently drifted into eternal sleep.

I write to thank you for standing with me and my family, at what is easily one of the most difficult moments in one’s life. The phone calls, the messages via social and other electronic media and the physical letters and cards warmed my heart and lifted my spirits. Thank you.

The love, generosity and kindness that the Toronto Community showed us, led by Dominion Church International, lifted our spirits as Flo and I embarked on the difficult journey home to bury our father.

Our friends and relatives in Uganda who joined us at the celebrations in Kampala, Mparo and Kahondo warmed my heart. Your joyful presence in praise and worship and your words of encouragement were in the spirit with which my father lived.

I cannot mention everyone by name. What I can say with certainty is that my family and I hold each and every person who joined us in celebrating our father’s life in high esteem.

We thank Bishop David Zac Niringiye and Bishop George Bagamuhunda who held our hands, led us through the celebrations in Kampala and Mparo, preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ and honoured the memory of our father in a very special way.

Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your generous financial support (amabugo) and your donations towards the Obstetric Ultrasound Project that we shall give to Mparo Health Centre’s Maternal-Child Program in memory of our father.

Thank you, my family in Uganda – every one of you – for going the extra mile to make our stay as painless and comfortable as possible. Thank you, my family and friends in Kenya for that unforgettably therapeutic hospitality that helped Flo and I regain our psychological bearings after burying our father. You are awesome!

The emptiness and sadness that one feels in the aftermath of the death a parent is something that defies easy description. Truth to tell, there is a loneliness that one continues to endure even in the midst of a crowd or among caring friends. However, that pain of loss is eased  by extremely pleasant memories of the times we shared; of his complete devotion as a father and friend; of his wonderful sense of humour; of his terrific smile that came straight from the heart; of lessons he taught me; of dangers from which he saved me; and of his graceful and dignified walk through his last years when old age had weakened his body.  Yes, he was smiling till the end. 

 Though we miss him, we know that he is in his glory, reunited with the saints that left this world before him. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.”

We give thanks for his life on Earth, for his spirit and his legacy. We continue to celebrate his venturesome 102-year journey, confident that having died in Christ, he is alive in Him.

Thank you again!

Yours sincerely,

Muniini