Lilian Hope Mpiriirwe: You will Be Remembered

 

A tribute to a mother, whose life was an open book

Mrs. Lilian Mpiriirwe, fondly known as Mwinika, the mother of my friend Comfort has rested. It is a sad and dark morning. Two days ago, her daughter Comfort, whom she called Comfa (the Bakiga have a way for shortening every name) turned 42. Her birthday fell on the day her employer, Uganda Christian University was honouring distinguished staff for excellent service. Comfort was among those recognised for her outstanding contribution to teaching, learning and internship supervision. It was a good day. Their elder brother, Rev. Dr. Jasper Tumuhimbise graduated with a PhD in Education Management this same month.  This morning, her brothers Grant and Alex add another year. Yet the same morning, this family icon transitions to glory. What a month.

We have all lost loved ones, and sadly, there never comes a time when we can say we are now used to the ugly grip of death. Each time it hits, it comes with a fresh form of pain and anguish. Waking up to the sad news this morning was numbing. I was tempted to ask God why He couldn’t wait for at least the remaining two days to pass so that we could crown November in celebration as we started it. I quickly remembered that He is God. He definitely wasn’t taken by surprise that His faithful maiden servant Lilian breathed her last this morning. He doesn’t have the word Oops in His vocabulary. He has everything figured out. With that sobering reminder, even in death I choose to say, The Lord gave us, He has taken away – may His name be praised.

Mwinika leaves incredible lessons for us to learn. If you have interacted with any of her children, each of them has a series of Maama said life transforming lessons. She was a phenomenal woman. Like many women her age, she did not have the privilege to see many blackboards, but if you have studied with a Mpirirwe offspring in class, you know how intellectually gifted they are. Imagine Comfort coming from Rubaya Primary School, where she started learning English in Primary Five yet left an indelible academic mark at Kabale Trinity College and Kigezi High School respectively. Academic excellence was a family disease. According to science, women are more likely to transmit intelligence genes to their children because they are carried on the X chromosome and women have two of these. Since I did not go far in science, I will not delve further in the matter of chromosomes and who contributes what. All I know is that Mwinika gifted the world with very intelligent offsprings.

Mwinika was a virtuous woman. Proverbs 31:10 gives a detailed CV of who that woman is. The writer starts by asking a fundamental question; Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? Beyond any shadow of doubt, Mwinika was one. She thrived in a marriage that had both roses and thorns, like most of us do. The difference is that she wore resilience like a crown. Her Mothers’ Union membership was not a mere club membership. She lived out the values. Generous, kind, clean, hardworking, prayerful are some of the virtues she did not only live out but passed on to those in her sphere of influence.

Mwinika raised a virtuous woman

Mwinika did not know the maths of finding x, yet she excelled in the art of working with her hands, saving for the rainy day and investing. With the little she had; she multiplied and her net worth at the time of her passing is priceless. Look at her offsprings combined and you will appreciate the value of a wise mother.

Mwinika was a firm and present parent. One of those Maama said lessons that stand out for me are the common words of Comfort.

‘Haza mwana wangye otanshwaza.’ Mwinika always told her children. Literally translated, ‘My child, please do not put me to shame.’

Mwinika, I celebrate your life. I have more things to thank God for than cry about, for the life you lived. I am grateful that you were an open book from which we gleaned priceless knowledge. I am thankful that like your plea was, your children turned out to be a mega blessing not just to you but the world. I am grateful, that you have seen the goodness of the Lord in your lifetime. I will miss your warmth and neatness.

Grant and Alex, I pray that the Lord will minister to you on such a birthday – where the blessing of the addition of another year is starkly contrasted with the sad reality of how our residence status here on earth can change in a twinkle of an eye.

My prayers are with you Mzee Mpiriirwe, your children, friends and extended family.

Fare thee well, Mwinika!

Prim is a Christian, wife, mother and communications specialist.