Bereavement: A Shared Experience (Part 1)

After the death of my brother in October last year one of the means that God used to comfort me and help me handle the grief of losing my brother was through reading of books. One such book that I read was "Bereavement: A Shared Experience" by Helen Alexander. This book was recommended by Reverend Joe Simfukwe during a webinar that he and Reverend Joe Kapolyo facilitated on Handling Grief. I have taken the headings from the book and written my own thoughts based on the chapters under the headings below.

'So Alone!': The Fact of Death

When I heard the death of my brother Kenneth, I felt that he slipped away from us too suddenly. The evening before around 21 00 hours my brother in law Matthew and I were with him and said bye, the next morning around 02 00 hours we got a call that he was no more. Seeing my brother in the mortuary as we identified his body made my tears flow and made me realize that my brother had passed on for real. Seeing his body in the casket after it had been prepared by the funeral home made me come to terms with the fact that my brother’s death was indeed a reality.

Saying Goodbye: Acknowledging Reality

The service at the Cathedral of Blessing in Emmasdale was such a blessing and helped bring comfort to my grieving heart. The hymns we sang (some of which we had chosen) as well as the preaching of God's word (interestingly from Revelation 13 which I had also quoted in the Funeral Programme flyer) were comforting. The photos that were projected on the screen in church helped in reliving some of the precious times we had with my late brother. The body viewing though it caused me to cry a lot also made me be at peace as my late brother looked peaceful. The contribution of the church and the police towards the funeral church service and burial were helpful in giving Kenneth a fitting send off.

'It's Like My Heart is Breaking!': The Truth Sinks In

After we buried Kenneth and got back home the following day, the truth set in that he was no more. The chair he used to sit on at our home was vacant. The bedroom he slept in was empty. It felt so unreal. The times I went to his Ndola home to sort out things, the house looked like he had planned to come back after his hospital appointments. It felt so unbelievable that Kenny was not coming back to this home.

Gabriel Konayuma

Comments

Micahel Eaton: Biographical Sketch

Michael Eaton was the fourth pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church from 1976 to 1977. He was a good expository preacher/teacher and prolific writer of many Christian books including commentaries on a number of books of the Bible. Michael Eaton was born in 1941. He came from a very ordinary family in London. He became a Christian (late 1950s) when he was a teenager through a youth group in an Evangelical Anglican Church. The Billy Graham campaigns in London may also have played some part in his salvation. He did his Bachelor of Divinity at Tyndale House Cambridge. He then entered the ministry as a curate (assistant minister) at an Anglican church in Surrey, England. In 1967, he resigned from the Anglican ministry on theological grounds and joined an Evangelical Free Church in south-west London. In March 1969 he moved to Zambia where he and his wife Jenny joined Lusaka Baptist Church and later became a deacon and an elder. From early days in the church he taught an adu...

Joyous Celebration

One of the "to do things" I have always wanted to do since I started going to South Africa in 2004 was to watch Joyous Celebration perform live. Who is Joyous Celebration? Joyous Celebration is a gospel music outfit of local South African and international artists that have produced gospel CDs and DVDs since 1994. Joyous Celebration is a dream that was born when Jabu Hlongwane, Lindelani Mkhize and Mthunzi Namba who had met in concerts and conventions in and around Durban toyed around the idea of collaborating. In 1994 a show dubbed Joyous Celebration was held to celebrate the peaceful transition of South Africa when it became independent. Each year since 1994 Joyous Celebration has been releasing an album as a CD and DVD around March/April. The release is followed by tours in various South African cities. Since 2004 I have made sure I have collected all the CDs that have been released to-date, the last being Joyous 17 (a triple CD offering) and double DVD offering. T...

Remembering Oliver Mtukudzi  

My first encounter with Oliver Mtukudzi’s fondly known as Tuku was in the late 90’s. My workmate at Mpelembe Secondary School, Kanyampa Manda would speak highly of Tuku’s music. This made to start buying his audio tapes and video cassettes and later his CDs and DVDs.     My Favorite Tracks   Tuku’s music was simple, clear and direct. He loved to engage with various social issues affecting communities in his own country and in Africa. Some of my favorite tracks are:    Todii: (What shall we do?). In this song Mtukudzi reflects on the challenge faced by communities as a result of the scourge of HIV/AIDS. The song gives cadence and sympathy to those who provide care. At the same time it magnifies how despicable those in positions of authority are for violating their responsibility. My other favorite tracks are Mabasa which talks of the anguish of losing a loved one, more so when not only you but even others have lost their loved one. Who will help the ...

Reflections from the Zambezi

Search This Blog