My birth certificate indicates I was born in a mission hospital in upper Murang’a, Kenya. Recently, I went to papa and mama to confirm how my birth took place. I’m told once I came out, extraordinary things happened. Even without strength, mum with tears from the labor pains held me up and said, his son would be a ruler, a great man, and that death from men who plunder would never come my way. She also said that there would be plenty of harvest in my fields even during famine years.
I was the first fruit of her womb. A child of my parents’
youth. When my father saw me for the first time, he raised his right hand and
blessed me saying, “Son, be greater than I.” Immediately my father said these
blessings, the heavens opened and a great rain like never before on February
fell. Stars appeared at 3PM. A voice was heard from Nyandarua Ranges confirming
that the Son of Muthoni would be a great warrior.
I know you people from my village will not believe this, but ask for historical records, it’s there. All these happened! In fact, I saw the recorded accounts that are preserved by my parents last year.
Papa and Mama
You see, my father, had found this kagirl three villages
away and started to wow her to be his wife. I hear he was a jobless young man
who was very ambitious. Unlike todays’ slay queens, the kagirl had a kind
heart. She was graceful.
My mother says she saw a future in this man. In deed a
bright future where they would bring up kids with or without a job. They were
just determined to start a family and trust God with their life story. For
them, they would farm and do other “small jobs” to raise up a happy family. Finally,
the kagirl accepted to be with the young man and the rest as they say is
history and the process of making me begun.
They say a woman can see a man with a great future. Girls can
smell a potential in a man without wealth, job or car. They know that this man
would eventually be a great father, wealthy and prominent. But not all of them
do. We will talk about them later. Mum knew this was the man she would be
sticking with the whole of her life.
And they have managed to stay together. They have managed to
bring up for adults in a closely knit family. Papa and mama are now raising up three
warriors and one beautiful queen. The amazing thing is that she has never gone
back not a single day to her people.
Watch my Video: A warrior fighting in another Heart
Papa and mama just love each other even when it’s the
hardest. Despite the fact that dad never went down on one knee to propose in a
mall or put a ring on her finger like some of you girls, they are doing well. They
have managed to stay together in poverty and riches for close to 30 years now.
Mum has made dad proud to be her husband just like dad has crowned her for
being his wife.
No Great men in my village
Back to how I was born. In my village there were less great
people unlike Rwathia which is two valleys away that produced the ultra-wealthy
individuals post-independent Kenya. Actually, the only two great men were my late
grandfathers. Jeremiah Jr. who I’m named after who served the chief mau mau spy
master but they did not recognize for his role during the war.
My second grandfather from mum’s side five miles away served
as a soldier during the second world war in Italy. I would be told stories of
how he walked all the way to Italy through Egypt and Libya, fought and came
back alive by my grandmother who went to be with the Lord almost 3 years ago.
That is my village. Though isolated, it has beautiful great sunsets.
It is fertile, serene, and productive.
When I was born, the gods rejoiced. Behold a great man had
been born. My grandmother confirmed that when I was born, all cows in our
village refused to eat or produce milk for a week. The calves were running around
the village like mad people. Actually, on that day the sun did not go down until
after 9PM.
And so after my birth, I started life like any other
ordinary child in the village. While being the first born in a family you
expect to be treated with preference, that was not in my home. I was soon
joined by kid brother two years later. The attention of my mother now shifted
to him and later to another great sister and later to another kid brother. I
guess I didn’t breastfeed enough. I must have stopped breastfeeding within a
year. My siblings came too soon.
I started to graze our cattle when I was 4 years. Yes, I
would leave our home at 8 in the morning, head to our extended family forest
and spend the whole morning until midday when I would go home to water them and
take lunch.
I loved the forests and grazing lands. They were a beautiful
part of this side of heaven. I really enjoyed the sounds of the birds, the many
variety of birds, trees and shrubs. Most of the time, I would spend my days
hanging on trees like the monkeys. Once on the top of a tree, I would have a
better view of the cows as they grazed.
Then in the afternoons, I would go home to find my mother
having prepared lunch which we would all share. Mum is a hardworking woman.
Don’t listen to the slay queens who claim to be proverbs 31 women on Facebook
and Instagram but do nothing on their own. Perhaps mum never claimed to be one,
but she is. While my dad was the breadwinner and provider, mum cooked every
meal with love.
Dad put a roof on our head and mum stitched our torn shorts
like that was all that mattered to her. We did not grow up having a lot of new
clothes or shoes, but we were grateful we had warmth and love from our parents.
Mum is a hero but dad is a superhero. That was all we would ask for. Papa and
mama live their life so perfectly just like what the bible says so that people
may praise the Lord.
When my brother was four, he joined me in the grazing
vocation. That was what boys would do in our village. But that was the best
vocation. There was much fun, more learning.
Also Read: 4 Important Lessons about money to teach our kids
Occasionally, our friends would join us but when they did,
we would end up forgetting that we were supposed to take care of the cows and
they would end up in the farms. When they did, we would get a taste of our
medicine from mum. Januarys were the best for us because we would go swimming even
though mama had said that should never be done as she feared we would drown.
Then Aprils because we would slide on the mud.
At 4 years, I joined nursery school together with my cousin.
I thought this was a punishment but I loved to read. And I was a bright kid. Actually,
I only attended half the classes in nursery. It was because I was sick half the
time. Nonetheless, I passed with flying colors and joined primary school.
Jeremy in Primary
I think papa and mama always prayed that one of their children would become a doctor or nurse, another an engineer or teacher, another a preacher or lawyer, and another a journalist, accountant or architecture. Maybe she expected me as the firstborn to be one of them when I joined primary school. So unfortunate I never become any of them. I followed my heart and eventually ended in ICT. Today I’m an ICT Specialist and a writer.
Then I started reading. I think I read my first book when I
was six or seven. Papa would “force” me to read English novels when I was in
class 2. I read “King Solomon Mines” an awesome children’s book. Then I read
“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”. I loved to read. I would devour books while I
went grazing.
Later on, I was introduced to newspapers when I was 9. For
some reasons, papa would collect all daily newspapers at work and bring them
home every end of the month. And I would read them page by page. You would
think I will be tested on them. I would sleep past 10pm reading them. My
favorite writers were Whispers, Carole Mandi, Carol Njunge, and later Mutahi
Ngunyi. They inspired me to write.
I guess I did not have issues like scandals with girls
growing up. For some reasons I considered reading a better vocation than chasing
girls. While my peers were busy “disturbing” girls, I was busy reading. And I
read always being among the top performers in the school. Not a single time did
papa and mama come to school to deal with indiscipline issues concerning me.
You see, I was a brighter kid. I won all the certificates
and awards there were during my primary school days. I brought home
certificates, umbrellas, cups, plates, books, pens, pencils, water buckets and
such. That was all our school could afford. Anyhow, I felt motivated and would proudly
show my classmates the pencils and exercise books I had been awarded. By the
way we have a nice basin that we still use today in our kitchen that I was
awarded in standard 6 for being the second best student.
My efforts were later rewarded when I was offered a
scholarship to study, in a private school. People called this poaching. I guess
I agree with them, I was poached so that I could shine and put the school on
the map because they were desperate to have one of their students top the
region.
Why Did I graduate
From the early beginning, I had set up my mind to graduate
with a degree because I became envious of a relative who graduate when I was 9
years. This is the first graduation ceremony I ever attended in our village. I
made up my mind to graduate like him and I graduated 12 years later with a
bachelor’s degree in Business Information Technology.
Why did I graduate? Was it just to fulfill my childhood
dream of having a degree certificate and wearing the graduation gown? Or was it
because I wanted to make a point? Did I graduate to impress my parents because
I was bright? Why did I graduate?
I think it is because of all of these reasons. While I’m
grateful to God I went to the university, I never feel entitled to anything in
life because I have the certificate. I don’t feel entitle to a job because of
it. Yes, I don’t feel entitled to wealth, fine wife or good house and car
because I possess a degree certificate. I don’t feel entitled to a pulpit
because I have a degree certificate to preach to the “uneducated”.
In fact, I should become humbler. I have to work hard to get
a job, wealth, car, or house like anyone else out there. To be “greater than my
father” like he blessed me, I have to roll my sleeves up and get my hands
dirty. While I pray and know papa and mama are praying for me to be successful,
I must be ready to work. I must be ready to work as hard as an average kid. I’m
happy about it. Work is never a punishment, it’s a blessing.
If I ever get tempted not to work because I have a degree or
because I’m a “Christian” may the earth open and swallow me. So long as I’m
healthy, it is wisdom to work!