20/12/2024
Honoring Our Pillar of Resilience: A Tribute to a Beloved Member Whose Curtains Have Fallen Peter Malelu Katila . Abigael Mwende
I rarely share personal posts, but I wrote this to keep a life remembrance of Dad. It is his ideals that led to the birth of Scars of Resilience Empowerment and Safe Center .
I remember with nostalgia how we celebrated the December holidays. First, it would be kurariri mistari ya Christmas (reciting Bible verses). Those from an AIC background can probably relate to this ,😊. We would sing songs and perform plays about Jesus’ birth. All these would be presented on a special day set aside for Sunday school children. On that day, we would be awarded based on how many times we attended Sunday school throughout the year. The presents were categorized into groups A, B, C, and D.
All my brothers and I would make it to group A.💪 Of course, we were that family that didn’t travel much, so we rarely missed Sunday school.
The presents! For group A, they included five cups, five plates, and five spoons. Now that I think about it, was this a clever plan by our mothers to grow their kitchen collections through us? Back then, we didn’t mind; we were simply happy to receive gifts.
After that Sunday, most families would travel to their rural homes, and in the Sundays that followed, the church would have very few members attending.
Now, come Christmas Day! We had to attend church service. In most instances, ours would be the only family present. This happened mostly on Christmas Day and the Sunday that followed.
Guess what? My dad was so dedicated. He would take up the role of programmer, Mum would lead choruses, and Dad would pray and preach to us. Can you imagine? We even gave offerings! After the service, we would sit and chat, then later continue with the celebrations.
Fast forward to adulthood. My first Christmas as a married woman was different. We planned a big bash. We woke up, started cooking, and later celebrated my son’s birthday. But by the end of the day, I felt so empty. I realized I didn’t get the Christmas feeling. It dawned on me that it was the simple tradition of attending church service that made Christmas special. Since then, I’ve purposed to attend Christmas service before proceeding with any other celebrations.
That’s how I want to remember and celebrate Daddy this year—our first Christmas holiday without him. Rest in peace, Dad, knowing you instilled great values in us.🙏
You were always my go-to person whenever I needed to make a decision or felt conflicted. No matter how small the issue seemed, you listened without judgment.
Your resilience in life inspired the ideals of this CBO. The accident didn’t dim your dreams; if anything, it made you dream bigger. You were a hard worker, a visionary, and a man of action.
Salute to you, Daddy.🫡
I honor your legacy and pray your spirit continues to guide me to inspire and strengthen others.
Goodbye.
Dean Lewis: How do I say good bye...
