Mum is gone but her love lives on

Feb 02, 2009

The New Vision would like to celebrate the readers’ most cherished family heroes. Below, <b>Martha Serumaga writes about her heroine — her mother.</b><br><br>Mum had not gone far with education, but in spite of that she did not stop working hard to

The New Vision would like to celebrate the readers’ most cherished family heroes. Below, Martha Serumaga writes about her heroine — her mother.

Mum had not gone far with education, but in spite of that she did not stop working hard to put food on the table and clothe us.

Mummy had been baking cakes for a long time and made sure that all of us learnt. She juggled her baking with her work as a secretary at Makerere University.

Mum was an early riser while most of her children loved their sleep. She would wake up early to go to work and then come back and bake cakes.

She saw us through school; she struggled hard like any good mother would and never did I see her breaking down or complaining because of the hard times she was going through.

My mother was a strong woman and she taught me how to be strong. She did not have a home of her own because dad had left debts and the bank had repossessed the house. But that did not stop mum from looking after us even when she had to move from house to house. In spite of it all, she moved on.

Oh how mum baked! She got so many customers and tried to make them her friends. She taught us to welcome visitors, always insisting that we, at least, give them water before they went. She tried so hard to put a smile on our faces and on the faces of all the people she met.

Mum finally managed to get land and planned to start building her house, but I guess God had his own plans. Just as she was about to start building, disaster struck.

In 2006, mum developed cancer. I recall the day she called me and told me that the doctor had told her that she had cancer of the mouth. Mum had been complaining of pain in the mouth but we all thought it was a minor pain that would pass.

My mother started on the cancer treatment. It was so hard and expensive but my hero, mum was strong and determined to fight this horrible disease with all her strength. We were by her side and did everything possible to see that mum got her life back.

With God on her side, mum did her best to struggle with the terrible pain of cancer. Nights and days of loneliness, fear and tears clouded my life and the lives of my siblings, as we watched our mum in pain. We could do nothing but pray and ask God to watch and heal our mummy.

We did our best to stand by her side; we held her hand, prayed with her, made her laugh and joked with her. We would also make noise just to kill the sad thoughts that kept clouding our minds.

God, however, had other plans for, on August 15, a day before my birthday, my mummy, my hero, passed away. Surprisingly, though she was in pain, mum did not at any one time forget God. The night before her death, we sat around her bed, surrounded by friends and prayed with her.

Mum passed away at a time when her life was just getting started, for she had started enjoying the labour of her hands; she had started reaping what she had sowed.

Mum, I am sure you must be reading this and though my heart breaks as I write, I want the whole world to know what a great mum you were. You and God made me and my siblings what we are today. You groomed us well and what you taught me and my siblings we shall carry on for the rest of our lives and pass it on to your grandchildren.

Thank you mum, for making us laugh even when there was no cause to laugh and for waking us up early in the morning to face the world. For those times we got angry at the world for the hard times we were going through, you stood by our side.

Like we said in church the day we buried you, we shall be fine, for you left us with God who has held our hands. THANK YOU MUM. Always and forever you will be my hero.

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