Uncle G....

It’s hard to believe that today marks a year since you departed…I was so inconsolable when you passed I thought I was loosing my mind...I had known you all my life and have fond memories of your interaction with the family...priceless. I can still hear your laughter which is so similar to dads it’s mind-boggling or the way you walked into the house yelling out for mom or dad by their pet names. You were a burst of energy and your presence was a force to be reckoned with from the moment you walked into a room, not in a pretentious manner but positive energy, quite charismatic if you ask me. I was at a loss for words when the call came in with the sad news...I think sometimes my sub-conscious is still in disbelief that you are departed. I’m appreciative that my memory still honors you…LOL memories are made of these….my fondest one being the time you and dad decided to treat auntie, mom and ‘the kids’ to the drive-in to watch Herbie Goes Bananas…I think you and dad had the most fun out of this treat…unbeknownst to us and to our utter embarrassment you’d brought along your ugali, nyam chom and osuga (traditional mbonga) laced with mo nyaluo (cow ghee) and ate away animatedly and with no cares. You always felt like a surrogate dad and took care of us as well as dad would whenever he had to travel. For this and more I am grateful and extremely honored to have known you for who you truly were – generous, loving, caring, charismatic, fun-loving, stern and oh so much more…continue to rest in peace…
I have come to realize over time and especially when we are faced with the loss of a loved one that we all need not take our time on this earth for granted and especially not take one another for granted. We need to enjoy and embrace each other, maximizing every moment we spend in the company of each other. Though death is a sad affair, it makes me more cognizant of family, friends, people, places, experiences and relationships. Final as death may appear to our physical beings on earth, our souls/spirit continue to live with those left behind and are morphed into discreet but ever present ways. With time and healing we learn to move on albeit the missing jig-saw piece...we learn to talk to and be guided by our own special departed 'guardian angel'...