A nostalgic journey down memory lane
November 27 is a special day for me and my family. When the sun rises tomorrow I will be 70 years old. I thank God for my parents and for all His blessings, grace and mercy.
Above all, I thank God for revealing His power, glory and majesty to me in September 2001. I was born during the week the UN General Assembly partitioned Palestine which led to the rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948.
On life expectancy the psalmist writes: “Seventy years is all we have, eighty years if we are strong; yet all they bring is trouble and sorrow, life is soon over and we are gone.” Psalms 90 verse 10 (GNB)
Well, looks like I am now in extra time and waiting patiently in the departure lounge for a one way ticket to heaven, by the grace of God.
Born at Wolo, Aringa County (Yumbe District) I am the second of eight children of a school teacher and pastor, Rev Canon Enoka Yada and Ms Martha Yada. My elder brother, Manasseh, passed on as an infant and I grew up as de facto first born of my parents who have passed on, but I feel their presence today.
Of the eight children only three are alive today, namely, my sisters Sarah and Juliet and your columnist. My father believed in and practised gender parity which partly explains why I am a committed and life-long supporter of women’s struggle for equality justice and human rights.
God has blessed me with six wonderful children - two girls and four boys - Josephine (RIP), Brenda, Christian, Germain, Emmanuel and Matthew. I am, in addition, grandfather of five lovely grandchildren.
Because she lost her first child, my mother harboured fears that I may suffer similar fate; no wonder she showered me with lots of love and fondly called me by my nickname until around 1966 when she felt confident that I would survive.
Like the biblical Martha, my mother worried unnecessarily about my health and welfare. The first time I left home for boarding school in February 1959 was one of her worst nightmares. I was 12 years old. When I returned home for holidays three months later looking good, happy and normal she felt so relieved. With the benefit of hindsight, I can say without any doubt that only God loves me more than my mother.
Like most fathers of those good old days, my father was different; he was a disciplinarian who believed in the old saying “spare the rod, spoil the child,” but deep down he was gentle, caring and loving.
Some lessons learnt
Seventy years is a long or short time, depending on what happens during one’s lifetime. My ambition at school was to become a doctor; along the way I changed my mind and wanted to be a lawyer.
In 1966 when I was in Senior Six at Busoga College Mwiri the only Law School in East Africa was at the newly established University College, Dar es Salaam, but my preference was Makerere – the oldest and best of the three campuses of the University of East Africa, where I went and read political science and history which equipped me to become a career diplomat.
Looking back I have no regrets whatsoever. I believe it was the invisible and mighty hand of God guiding me towards that noble profession.
Lesson 1: Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and obey His commandments and you will not go astray or be misled by conmen, frauds and false prophets who are rampant today. Trust in God.
Lesson 2: Honour and obey your parents, tell the truth at all times; be humble and honest in whatever you do, including what you do in private because God is watching and nobody can deceive God with blatant lies and half-baked stories. Be a person of integrity.
Lesson 3: Treat everybody with compassion and respect because each one of us is ultimately our brother’s keeper. God will reward you for every good deed you perform, especially what you do for the poor, weak and downtrodden.
Ambassador Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
