Mum always forgave those who wronged her

Jan 20, 2009

When I read about Jacob Odongo’s story, I felt my conscience telling me to write about my heroine and one of my key models in life — my mother, Jane Nabayego Mukasa. When I reflect on what we have gone through, I cannot stop praising her and asking Go

By Agnes Nassuna

When I read about Jacob Odongo’s story, I felt my conscience telling me to write about my heroine and one of my key models in life — my mother, Jane Nabayego Mukasa. When I reflect on what we have gone through, I cannot stop praising her and asking God to bless her.

My mother gave birth to five children — my late sister, Florence who passed away in December 2006 and my three brothers Peter, Joseph and Aloysius, who also passed away when he was two years old, but she looks after over 20 children who all refer to her as maama.

Some of them are her sisters’ and brothers’ children whose parents have passed away.

My father died and mum has raised us single-handed without any help, even when our father was still alive. As a child, this used to make me bitter, especially when other kids talked about their fathers. But as I grew older, I forgave my father because my mother had forgiven him, looked after him when he was sick and also give him a decent burial which very few people would have done, given what she went through.

Key things my mother has taught me, that drive and shape my life and help me make decisions include:

Loving God with all my heart: From the time we were young, mother instilled in us the importance of having a personal relationship with God. She made us say three rosaries a day and would ask us what the priest discussed whenever we came back from church. Mother, this is the greatest gift you gave us.

Having faith, hope and love: Mum taught us that in whatever situation, we should never give up. Some of the helpful sayings she taught us were: God never forgets his children; when God closes a door, he opens a window; Never give up on people because God never gives up on you; God’s delays are not God’s denials; Always pray until something happens.

Forgiveness: I think I have never come across a person who forgives like my mother. I will not discuss the people she has forgiven so as to respect her private life, but here is a woman who can forgive a co-wife who wanted to kill her when she was pregnant and even went ahead and looked after her children; a niece who abused her infront of her children and she looked after her in the most difficult moments of sickness and death; a husband who abandoned her and her children; workmates who wanted her to lose her job. I often tell her that I cannot do what she does.

Humility: My mother has taught me never to blow my own trumpet. She often tells us to just do good and leave the rest to God.

She has also taught us to respect our elders, despite their level of education, job and any other earthly status, something I have come to appreciate as I grow older.

Treasuring Education Mum taught me that the best thing you can give your children is education after helping them know God. Despite our humble background, mum managed to send all of us to school and all the other children she looks after. Mum sacrificed a lot so that we could attend school.

Since she taught me not to blow my own trumpet, I will not discuss my educational background, but the little I can say is that right now I am waiting to be admitted for a PHD from Makerere University; my brother Peter is in the UK pursuing his masters and he recently told me that he also wants to be a doctor; my youngest brother Joseph is an academic staff with Buganda Royal University and is going to start his masters in October this year at Makerere university Business school.

We thank God for this blessing.
I could use more than 50 reams of paper to write about my mother, so let me stop here. She has really been like God on earth for us and the almighty reward her abundantly.

The writer is a student at Makerere University Business School

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