Day before Christmas

Tis was the day before Christmas, last minute shopping was franticly done and the first of the Christmas visitors arrived. No room in the inn could be cried as my brother and his wife Helene were bearing lovely gifts and who doesn’t like gifts.

It was a hot sticky type of day, thankfully Anthony and Helene brought their swimming costumes as we just had to jump into the pool, along with all the dogs. It was a good visit and we all enjoyed the day before Christmas except the shopping part.

Visit Brother

Well it is time to head east and pick up Matthew for the holidays but on the trip back we did a visit to see my brother and his wife, Anthony and Helene. Well I had to pick up a wood planner and some chisels to hang a door. Anthony has the tools I need even though he is wearing a t-shirt stating that "my wife says I don't listen... or something like that".

Happy Birthday Mom

Okay the day did end a little weird but it is my mom’s 69th birthday and sadly she had to spend it in hospital up in Pretoria. So off we went to spend the afternoon with her and make her day special.

Anthony and his wife Helene, joined us later and gave mother dearest a lovely birthday which ended in the weird part, Anthony dropping his pants to model the latest in men’s under garments. As you can see, you can choose your friends but when it comes to family well you can only love them.

Three Uncles

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me save that Thou art. Thou my best through by day or by night. Walking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

They say that things happen in threes which has a name, the Rule of Three. Well this rule has come true this year with death visiting this family three times for my pets Ally, Little Boy, and Patch, and now three uncles, Uncle Tony, Uncle Izak, and now today we lay to rest Uncle Ronald or as he is known to me Ronnie.

Now go away Death, ride out of here on that great pale horse of yours, Binky. You have visited us too many times this year already.

Today in Rustenburg, with my mother and brother by my side, we said our last goodbyes to Ronald Kümm, a brother, a father, a husband, a friend, and an uncle to join my gran and other two uncles.

One memory stands clearly in my mind of my uncle Ronnie, and that was of the incident where God clearly spoke and used me. Nearly ten years ago, I took Ronnie down to Durban to see his mother, my gran, on her death bed. To read the full incident go to Good people don’t go to heaven, saved people do.

And this is where I will end it, I hope Ronnie had heeded those words as the baton is passed onto his grandson, Elijah, who was born only a month ago. Elijah will not remember his grandfather and them two meeting but he will be loved. May his God be Yahweh as his name means, and may he be blessed to be a blessing to all those around him.

High King of heaven, when battle is done, grant heaven’s joys to me, O bright heaven’s star. Christ of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Reconciliation Day of the Vow

Today used to be called the Day of the Vow after a group of Voortrekkers form a group of 470 mostly men to go and revenge the murder of one of their leaders at the hand of Shaka’s half brother Dingane in the year of our Lord 1838. They were besieged along the Ncome River by a force of what was believed to number over 10,000 Zulu warriors. They made a vow before God that if he was to deliver them victory, that they would keep this day holy. God must have heard as the Afrikaners still hold this day holy.

But that was then, and today South Africans are in a new dispensation where not the victories of one group over the other is important any more but that all groups have made reconciliation by putting their past behind them and building a new better nation.

So on this Day of Reconciliation, while most of our country marches in #ZumaMustFall gatherings to protest that our President Zuma must step down after making a mess of things, we decided to have a traditional braai. My brother Anthony and his wife Helene, who by the way is of Voortrekker descent, joined us on the small holding next to the Jukskei River. It was relaxing reconciling while the meat slowing barbecued on the grill even though Zuma will never listen to the people but laugh at them "he he he".

Towards the end of this hot day, we took a walk down to the river with our dogs and took along the neighbours two Labrador puppies as they looked like they needed some relief from the heat of the day. I believe it might be their first walk and they found the water irresistible as Labradors tend to do. By the time we returned the pair, they were finished from all the fun, running and splashing.

The Big Fat Greek Wedding

Oh no Big Fats nor any Greeks but there was a wedding and a Greek Restaurant called “As Greek as it Gets” involved in my day.

My matrimonial day actually started three days ago when I received an SMS from my brother Anthony, “Hi Jerome, I’m getting married on the 4th, Friday, at court at 9:00am”, I choked on my tea, what, married this Friday! I then got him on the phone and asked him if this was a wedding invite or was he just being courteous and telling me that he was getting married.

So I left early this morning to get to Cullinan way to the north east of Gauteng. It was soon after I left that I had to toss my timings out of the car as I hit road works. Somewhere in Pretoria I realised that I wouldn’t make it in time. I arrived at the marriage court at 9:15 with my brother and his wife still waiting to get all their papers in order. About 10:30 we finally got shuffled into the marriage court.

Now today being Casual Day and the theme was Bling, I wasn’t expecting to see the marriage officer dressed in a red dress and silver chains hanging from her neck. At the end of one of the silver chains was a large silver marijuana leaf. Yes a large silver dagga leaf in court, nice move. Bling!

Okay back to the wedding at hand. After the formalities were over, rings swopped and spit, no sorry the kiss to seal their love, Anthony and Helene and the few guests went down to the old part of Cullinan for photos and lunch at the Greek Restaurant called “As Greek as it Gets”. The Greek proprietor, Stavros made us kalosorisate, most welcome and treated us like part of his family.

To Anthony and Helene, may your big fat Greek wedding lead to a blessed life full of love.

Helene and Anthony

I was expecting a relaxing weekend but destiny had something else on for me today as Anthony my brother suggested that he and his fiancé come over for a braai. So now all of a sudden a quiet day turned into a day of entertaining.

Here is Helene, Orion and Anthony enjoying the afternoon sun while the meat was braaing on the grill.