My dearest beloved Mother, Madam Fatu A. T. H. Kamara, on behalf of my family, I your eldest son Retired Major Mathew S. Kamara would like to take this opportunity to tell you that we sincerely missed you dearly especially the kids who are always making funny of the way you put your mascara in your face. You left us at a time the Kamara family in USA would have loved for you to see you observed how your grandchildren go through the stages of their respective educational achievement but God has His purpose for your sudden death. Subsequently, it is sadden that the Kamara family could not travel to say the final goodbye to our dear mother and grandmother’s lasting departing on the shores of eternity due to the current situation on the traveling conditions in the USA. However, it is been said that a mother’s heart is the child’s classroom. I thank God for all that my mom, Mrs. Fatu A. T. H. Kamara, has taught me through the years. She is a portrait of a godly mother, and I am proud to be her son.
I want to share a few things I learned from my mother that have influenced me greatly. I trust that as you hear this, you, too, can reflect and remember things your mother taught you. And I pray that all parents can learn from my mom’s example and impart these same truths to their children.
To me, Mom was my guiding light. She set the example of what a good wife, mother and friend should be. She always did her best to be patient with all of her children, and there were five of us, so that was no easy feat. She tried to carve out some quality time with each of us, and believe me, we were all jealous when it was someone else’s turn. However, that just shows you how much we all loved her and wanted that one-on-one time with Mom. When it was your turn, you found out that she hadn’t really missed out on anything that was going on in your life; she just hadn’t talked with you about it yet.
Additionally, Mom taught me the importance of having a relationship with God. She told me, “Son, without God, you’re nothing. Oh, you may run fast. And you may make good grades and do a lot of things. But He’s everything you need. You’re nothing without Him.” There isn’t anything more important for a mother to teach her children than to teach them how to have a relationship with God.
Mom taught me how to endure. She told us to never quit—no matter what. Growing up, we endured some hard times, but through my mom’s example of endurance, we learned to keep going even in the hard times. This has yielded a great dividend today with the respective Kamara families.
As for her life with Dad, she set a shining example of the kind of unconditional love required to see a marriage through good times and bad. . I remember when Dad was striving very hard to sustain the family with his little teacher money and he felt he was letting Mom and all of us down because he could not provide as much as he wished. Mom promised Dad always it would be better one day. Mom took up a job at the Under-5 hospital at Masuba to help sustain the family in conjunction with the Dad’s teaching money. That was Mom; always an optimist, always willing to pitch in and do whatever was needed, all the time truly believing that things would work out in the end.
Mom was also a fantastic friend. She always saw the good in people, and if she saw the bad, she certainly didn’t gossip about it. If you needed her, she was there and asking what she could do to help. I remember how she worked closely with her friends in aspect of her life. Mom was there for all the highs and lows of her friends lives, and I think the size of the gathering here is a testament to how much they all loved her.
So, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Mom told me to tell you not to mourn. For the ones I left behind, I want you to know what I had in mind, I thought of you all before I died. I loved you so much, I could have cried. He put out his hand for me to go; I had not time to let you know. Mourn not for me today, nor sorrow take; however, love each other for my sake. Weep not love ones, but be content. Our lives, you know, are only lent. The grave is but a bed, you see; prepare yourselves to follow me. In love we lived, in peace I died. You asked for my life, but God denied. Whatever you do, just please be kind. “He Welcomed Me Home,” with open loving arms. To my family and friends, please do not worry about me, because I am home with God and there is no better place to be. Time Is… Too slow for those who wait. Too swift for those who fear. Too long for those who grieve. Too short for those who rejoice. But for those who love…Time is eternity.
By Retired Major Mathew S. Kamara
USA
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