The People I Can Never Forget!

By Kenn odida
 
There is nothing more gratifying than the simple feeling of intimate connection with the people who have shown profound kindness to your life and who in a way went out of their way to make you what you are today. This is what I feel in the middle of the night when I think of my sister Linnette, she gave me the name Kenneth, meaning handsome yet she knew too well I would never grow to have the perfect looks of a television star or maybe a sports celebrity. She simply believed that in a tolerant society, one does not have to be perfect to persue extra-ordinary dreams and that we can try out anything that looks realistic so long as they pose no threat to our persuit of happiness!

This feeling I get when I remember Hugh and Marty Downey sleep in a tiny grass thatched hut in Matoso, very far away from the comfortable life in Denver, Colorado. The feeling that service to humanity is worth any sacrifice we can ever think of making in our lives and that nothing in this life matters more than the life of a child. Hugh and Marty, you have been a loving parents to me. I may never have the the words to say thank you, but wherever I walk I always think of you, imagining what the world would be if we all had the same kind of hearts. I pray for a longer life for you!

If anyone ever taught me the value of hard work then it is my beloved dad. If anyone ever taught me the art of humility and kindness then it's my only mom. I love you more than ever imagined. But I also note that the only people who have ever come close to being what you have been are David and Wanda McLure. Wanda embodies the best of a public health worker, a nurse with a big heart and who gives her all to her clents. She made me have the first thought of ever being a doctor! And for David you always told me I could make it. A ten year old struggling with English in a remote primary school, you always had the heart to correct me and I had the rare privilege of learning straight from a mzungu. Your management skills with absolute strictness, principles and dedication has always formed the basis of my conviction that I can make it in leadership.

But all this is just a dream, unless we seriously pursue them, find them and bring them home. And my family that stood by me in my lows I love you so very much!!

Kenn Odida.