Tribute to my Grandma

This piece is dedicated to my grandma who passed away at 1am, 19th February, 2011.

As some of already know, my English name is Peris. Well, it is Velesi if you come from Eastern Kenya or Verithi if you are from the slopes of Mount Kenya.

I am named after my maternal grandma and being the oldest grandchild bearing her name, she fondly referred to me as Kavele, a small version of her, a small Peris. Get your mind of my hips she was speaking figuratively and not prophetically!

From this woman I inherited many things, some visible some not so visible. The most visible one is the gap between my teeth. You see she passed it on to my mother and my mother passed it on to me. It is our trademark. No wonder she was apprehensive the time she had to get dentures, she wondered if she would lose “our trademark”! Funny thing is with every time it was passed on, it became bigger and so one day there probably will be a pretty little gal running around with no teeth on her upper jaw …the stuff that dentists’ nightmares are made of! Yet, this was and still is (I insistJ) a symbol of beauty in our Kamba culture and a woman blessed with this gap would assure her father a handsome bride price. Hhmm, I wonder what my husband paid for me ….wait, he is still paying.

But I digress…

My grandma was a simple woman, led a simple life as a faithful, hardworking yet always jovial wife of my late grandfather, Mwengi. Together they brought up their 7 children and instilling in them Christian values as that was all she knew. Her father was a reverend you see, so she really did not know any other way to bring them up. And going by the stories from my mum and her sisters and brothers, my grandma had no qualms beating them all the way into heaven! She never spared the rod, the belt or the slipper.

Growing up, visiting her was something to look forward to. There was always a fruit in season, mangoes, oranges, pawpaws, bananas, guavas and the usual staples of maize, beans and pigeon peas among other things. In hindsight, I realize that now this must have been hard work. This farm was in Kitui and many Kenyans would be forgiven if they think am pulling their leg given that when you hear about Kitui more often than not it is about famine. Did I also mention that she had a herd of goats and cows that she would milk for selling and also for her family needs? She made a great cup of tea and I vividly recall evenings seated on her verandah with stories and tea flowing freely.

Velesi was also the village tailor and she added to the family income by chugging on a manual sewing machine. Oh, how busy she was during the school holidays, just before schools reopened and in December, she was so busy she would have to use a lantern lamp just to ensure that families had brand new clothes for Christmas! I can still see clients waiting in her house on 24th and 31st nights just to ensure that they had new clothes to wear on Christmas and/or new years’ church services. She made clothes for so long that she could no longer thread her needles and had to seek assistance from her grandchildren!

This woman was no wimp. It is obvious she drew her strength from God. His joy was her strength.

This week as we plan to lay her to rest, there shall be no flags flying at half-mast. There shall be no embassies or ambassadors falling over themselves to send condolences. There shall even be no politicians salivating for the freely available audience to pour vitriol on their real or imaginary opponents. There shall be no 21 gun salute by the army in her honor.

But that is only here on earth.

In heaven, there shall be great rejoicing. She fought the good fight. She has run her race.

How can I be so sure you might be asking? You see, in her last few years, she lost her memory and could not even recognize her own kids but once you began singing a hymn or a chorus, her eyes lit up, she smiled and she sang along.

Clearly, when memory of all else was gone, her default mode was Christ and out of the fullness of her belly, when it was out of her control, her mouth spoke, she sang of the faithfulness of Christ.

So as I ponder on the expression that “Susu Velesi went to be with Lord”, I wonder why she had to die to be with the Lord. I know without a doubt that she had been with the Lord right here on earth.

And as we celebrate her life, I cannot help but ask myself what is my default mode? When all cognizance is gone, what shall flow out of my belly?

Is it well with my soul?

Is it well with your soul?

Till we meet again Vele!