Author: Agaba Jim Patrick 07 July, 2024
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Photo credit: Image courtesy of the Patrick family. Henry at 5 months, 1998. Based on a true story.
SUMMARY
The pain, grief, suffering and living an unworthy life never stops rolling up in our minds. The tears we shade, the days we spend hoping to see them coming back to us, but it’s all in vain. Henry believes that life would have been completely different from what it is now only if he had at least seen, known about, shared moments or even received guidance from his father. “Truly to say, it hasn’t been easy, sometimes I questioned myself whether this suffering was worth it” said Henry. “Was it the price that we had to pay?” he added. Realizing his point of strength , was one of Henry’s turning points and because of that, he is building the World around him. Sometimes even a penny of belief and acceptance left within our hearts, that things will get better usually makes a difference.
BACKGROUND
Introduction
The pain, grief, suffering and living an unworthy life never stops rolling up in our minds. The tears we shade, the days we spend hoping to see them coming back to us, but it’s all in vain. It’s a moment of trial, a time when one feels like giving up all they have toiled and sweated to have in their life time.
Losing a loved one is almost equivalent to losing one’s self, the good and bad moments you shared together now being memories you will always long for but never have them again. Sometimes it seems like a dream but to wake up and its reality.
Nuwagaba Henry believes that life would have been completely different from what it is now if he had at least seen, known about, shared moments or even received guidance from his father. An event in life can change and mean a lot within our lives but surely never determines our fate. For Henry never believed that his fate would rotate around this tragic moment, rather it was all about him to either build his own World or tarnish it.
A devastating loss.
Just only two months after Henry’s birth, his guardian, family’s sole provider and above all a father, was being laid to rest. Demise of a 35 year old, hardworking, courageous, ambitious and caring father shocked everybody. With no known chronic illness or a fatal accident, this death was so unexpected and unbelievable moreover in less than a weeks’ time of illness! Everybody wondered, “How will these 5 children live?” “Who will even care for them now that he is gone? ” Questions were indeed so many but as always, with no answers. By this time, Henry’s eldest sibling was only seven years old.
In life, Sometimes there are days when we wake up only to find means of surviving and not caring about what happens tomorrow. For if we didn’t live today, then it makes no sense to think about tomorrow. Perhaps even if we minded about tomorrow, what would we do to change anything about it? This was time for Henry’s siblings and him to survive no matter the means.
Growing up
“Truly to say, it hasn’t been easy, sometimes I questioned myself whether this suffering was worth it” said Henry. “Was it the price that we had to pay?” he added. To Henry all seemed like they had earned the suffering and maybe it was destined to them. He never understood why this had happened to them. Did they really deserve it? Is it even upon us to decide what happens and what doesn’t?
Most times them getting a meal for the day was hard but still they had to keep going. At times they wondered whether they had a purpose to live, that one reason to keep them toiling and endure the every situation. May be there was, who knows.
Self-recognition
Realizing his point of strength , was one of Henry’s turning points. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, our strengths make us better, self-reliant and innovative. Whereas our weaknesses bring us down in whatever we do, the point remains if we could recognize and rely on our points of strength, neglect our weaknesses.
His strength was in Education though there was no money for school. Luckily enough he got a couple of scholarships to support him through because of how good he was. For the Bible says, no one lights a lamp and puts it under the bed rather on a raised platform so as to shine for everyone. This is to say, the good in him was no to be over shadowed but rather to shine out for everyone to see. He had dreams that pushed him to do anything and never to rest or let go until he gets there. It is self-satisfying if we could get to wherever we want to be or become that, that we have always dreamt about just like he always did.
The End justifies the means
Henry always knew that it’s not going to be an easy journey but it will be worth it. Indeed it was not, he is currently a newly graduated Doctor from one of Africa’s medical University. “I am happy for what I am today but it’s not enough, there is still a lot more to do” he said. “If we could never settle for less, then perhaps we could build and rebuild the world around us and make it what we want it to be, for our abilities are limitless” he added.
The course of our existence
We have all ever lost loved ones or people we knew or cared about most and it’s never easy to start off again without them. Learning how to live without them is at times impossible, but a likely solution. It doesn’t mean we are over because they are gone! For if we cannot change the fact that they are no more, then we have to accept and live with it. The course of our existence is that we live and then go. I wish I could change this! Have you ever imagined the same?
Many of us have gone through the same lifetime experiences just like Henry or even worse, but for whatever it is, there is always a way through. If we only knew that whatever situation that we are going through, someone else is even facing a more worse situation, then we would never give up on trying. The only difference is our mechanisms of coping up. What doesn’t kill us actually makes us stronger. Sometimes even a penny of belief and acceptance left within our hearts, that things will get better usually makes a difference. Even the little hope left will enable us thrive, we just have to cling on to it and keep moving no matter the circumstances.
METHOD
This story was obtained from Nuwagaba Henry as he shared about his complicated past experience with an intention of motivating anyone else going through the same or even worse.
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