Two Ow One One

I love the sound of horses trotting over paved streets.
I find the firm muscles in their hind legs very captivating, a connotation of strength and power. Just!

Yesterday I was listening to I choose by India Arie off her album Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship. Something in there kept me bobbing my head; it was more than just the beat, I was feeling the lyrics.

(And I choose) to be the best that I can be.
(I choose) to be courageous in everything I do.
My past don't dictate who I am. I choose.

(And I choose) to be the best that I can be.
(I choose) to be authentic in everything I do.
My past don't dictate who I am. I choose.
Because you never know where life is gonna take you and you can't change where you've been.
But today, I have the opportunity to choose.
I used to have guilt about why things happen the way they did cuz life is gone do what it do
And every day, I have the opportunity to choose.

Sam, Mich and I are loving our little bundle of Joy and energy. We added to this incredible mix by naming her Amani (Strength) and so now we have a little mukiga on our hands. Curious George has got nothing on this girl. She would give him a run for his money.
She melts her daddy's heart like butter in a hot frying pan. Monday 6:30am, daddy is on leave and turning over to catch the sweetest end to his sleep, he is pulling the blanket closer when she yells(to cry out with a strong, loud, clear sound) for attention. All groggy and red eyed, daddy turns to give her a sharp look, she wears her cutest, biggest, “Am-I-glad-to-see-you-Daddy smile". He can’t help but explode in laughter. She does it every single time.

Ever heard a baby break into a hearty laugh just before breastfeeding? That just kills me.

Thinking about the New year, I can almost feel grey hairs pushing their way out of my scalp; and the wrinkles, they apply themselves steadily around my eyes. Oi! a girl is growing older, hopefully wiser too.

So, what does 2011 have in store? That my friends’ is the gazillion dollar question.

Took a trip to Jinja for a change of scenery, where I was attacked with writer’s bout. Noto Bueno: A writer must always carry a pen and a note book to avoid the embarrassment of having to use napkins.

Anyway, since the dreaded CC (cost cutting) is still on our lips we took a humble aboard. I’m talking broken toilet seats, cracked remote controls, stained floors, squeaky doors - change of scenery alright. But I loved the fresh air, the sound of birds cooing and chirping; the sound of wind tickling the leaves and the vroom of cars way out in the distance. I could hear Mich playing with bottle tops on the stair case right outside our door. Sigh!

2011, is it just a continuation of 2010? Or something new and exciting?

No matter what, have an Anchor. That steadfast, immovable, all powerful, all knowing, supernatural, I-will-always-be-there Anchor. My personal favorite is the One who knows your life's middle from its beginning,your life's end from its middle and everything in between.

Make your plans, dream big, aim for the sky. Just know satisfaction can’t be fully achieved without His sovereign Lordship in your life.Work hard, give Him your plans, work harder and leave the rest to Him.

HAVE A FANTASTIC 2011

Naturally

Mama Mich

(And I choose) to be the best that I can be… can’t get the song out of my head

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I woke up that cold November morning in 2006, made a few additions to my luggage and started my journey to the Grey hound bus station – I was going to celebrate my first Thanksgiving with some friends in Washington DC. In the Thanksgiving tradition, families gather at a parent or older relative’s home to share in a sumptuous meal. The bus station was crammed and busier than an ant colony. Ticket queues were so long and the lines leading up to the gates where crisscrossed, it was hard to tell them apart. The Philadelphia highways were clogged for miles, somewhat like Kampala on a rainy afternoon only on a much larger scale and more organized. The journey I had planned for 10am eventually started at 1pm. Everybody was making their best effort to get home in time for the holiday. I saw a mother with several kids all under the age of seven and on their best behavior. In case anyone got wiggly, she gave them a look that made whatever was bothering them magically disappear.


The Thanksgiving holiday in America is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November - a tradition that started centuries ago. Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution, left England in search of a “New World” one where they would be free to worship God as they saw fit. They arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 but because of a harsh winter that year, they suffered and many died of disease and starvation. The Native Americans welcomed them, taught them how to farm and the next year they had a bountiful harvest. To show their appreciation, the pilgrims cooked lots of food and invited their Native American friends to join in the celebration – to thank God for bountiful blessings. In 1789 George Washington made the first Presidential proclamation declaring Thanksgiving a national event. Then in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November a national day of Thanksgiving.

It’s not Thanksgiving without a turkey, so while chicken die like a problem on Christmas and Easter in Uganda - turkeys suffer the same fate over Thanksgiving. They stand a better chance in America because every year some turkeys are pardoned and left to die of old age. The turkey is traditionally served with cranberry sauce which is the one thing I didn’t quite appreciate on the Thanksgiving menu. Cranberry sauce tastes like sour jam, so eating it with turkey took getting used to.
When I was told we were having pumpkin pie for dessert my insides cringed, I never imagined pumpkin as a desert but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s really tasty and nothing like the pumpkin I was thinking about. So, baked turkey with stuffing, a little cranberry sauce on the side, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn (maize), pecans, and marsh mellows and it’s a Thanksgiving feast for sure.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, parades march in procession on the city streets. The most famous being New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade presented by Macy’s department store. It attracts some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and draws an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.

After Thanksgiving there is an eager buzz about Black Friday. Judging from its name I thought something terrible was going to happen - apparently not. Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days in America. It’s considered the unofficial start to Christmas holiday shopping and department stores slice their prices. From about 4am, parking lots are filled and endless queues of people brave chilly temperatures outside the stores of their preference. When the doors are opened there is a mad dash for items - customers literally shop till they drop. So, Friday is only black for the police because they have to deal the large crowds of traffic moving in and out of shopping malls and department stores.

Even though the events surrounding Thanksgiving are commercialized and the reason for the season is lost in the feasting, it is good to have an attitude of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please, not tonight

When I go to bed at night
I cannot sleep
There are words hanging over my head
Words, phrases, statements, topics, themes;
Cluttering, whizzing, hooting,making lots of noise
I cannot sleep

It’s 2am, my family needs to sleep and so do I
Words, please come back to me in the morning
When I’m fresh and ready to waltz
When I can give you my undivided attention
Don’t hide from the rising Sun
Stay a while so we can truly dance
But please, not tonight

My miracle

It's been a long journey up till this point and a longer one yet a head.
Some of you may have heard about my little miracles Nziiza and Kwizera God decided they would be safer in heaven so He took them back.
But on July 22, 2010 at 11:05 am, He gave Sam and I another miracle to keep for a little while.

I take this moment and many others to thank God for being real good to me. He has answered countless prayers and seen me through some dark dark valleys.

I look at this miracle and my heart dances wildly.
Like Mary said in Luke 1:46 -

"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name".

My boys came too soon, at 24 and 20 weeks respectively. I was later diagnosed with a weak cervix. When they got heavy, my cervix would just give way and there was no way to save them. To get the full story look out  for the November edition of African Woman under Real Life Stories.
End of kalango.

Anyway, I went to hospital thinking I was carrying a boy because some eager radiologist let her mouth run without request. Sam and I were not keen on the sex, we were thankful already, a healthy baby was all we wanted.
When the baby was handed to me, I was freakin' electrified.
"What?! it's a girl? It's a girl!" "Oh my goodness, it's a girl!"
The doctors had a good laugh.
I mean, who does that these days? Who goes into the labor ward not knowing what to expect? (I know, it's either one or the other -thank God) but I was supposed to have checked and double checked.

"Oh the joy that continues to flood my soul.
Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole"

Amani Keeza Ongwen is now 4 months old. She is a strong and beautiful girl - just like her name suggests.

Her favorite person in the whole world is her big brother Mich. Nobody makes her light up and kick like she has a bee in her bonnet - the sound of his high pitched voice and his perky personality set her on fire.

Her favorite cartoon characters are Elmo (Sesame street) and Bob the Tomato (Vegetales), these two make her smile, but not as much as Mich does.

She loves stories with lots of pictures - big colorful pictures.

So, what are you asking the Lord for? Is it taking long? Is the pain more than you can bare and the yearning unfathomable?
Don't despare, God will meet you. Make sure not to leave the place of appointment (prayer closet) and don't forget to say thank you - remember the story of the ten lepers.

It hurts.

Have you ever made a decision that you nearly regret?
At first it seems the obvious thing to do but things go wrong and regret sets in. Why is it simply done by others and when my turn rolls around I face obstacles?
I know it’s not nuclear physics, it's life, but right now, it hurts.

I had Amani’s ears pierced on Saturday. I was told this was the perfect age, she would heal a lot quicker - I thought yeah! This is the thing to do.
I gained the courage to pierce mine at about 22 years of age and I didn't wish I had done it sooner but I thought she would thank me for this.
Took her to the salon and within a few short minutes we were done. Only problem was the guy who did the job didn’t mark the spot so the ear holes were not anyway near identical. One was much further up than the other.

Now, I stand at cross roads;
Should I let it pass? - this would be her special mark. She would be different:-)(I’m not sure I would be in her good books though).
Should I go back immediately and have her pricked again?
Should I allow time for this one to heal then do it again?
My insides are boiling. Why should my little girl suffer because some guy did a crappy job? But again, I exposed her, so he is not entirely to blame.