Mom hailed from Texas and for over 30 years my parents lived in Kenya and Tanzania. They also worked in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and Malawi. While Dad's Swahili was (and is) fluid and effortless, Mom spoke KiSwahili with a distinct Texas twang. It mattered not to the Kikuyu or Luo or Maasai - Mom's smile reached to their inner hearts and she was clearly understood by Kenyans and Tanzanians.
Mum and Dad transferred many of their values and mindsets to me by both formal and informal teaching. I learned about the Christian faith from church attendance and daily devotionals at the dining table. What I didn't learn from them was judgmental intolerance of other people and other faiths. They did not condone or practice that. LOVE. That's what my mum taught every day of her life. Family was important. People mattered. Individuals had names, families and lives. I believe Mom's goal was to learn the name of every person who crossed her path. She very likely succeeded.
Molly Alice Rogers Houser passed away on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 8:38 a.m. I know because I stood at her bedside with my dad, my sister, my brother and my sister-in-law as she transitioned from her home in Waco, TX to the home she'd believed in and looked forward to for so very many years. Even in death she continued to teach. Courage son. Be brave. The last words my mother heard were from my father, "Tutaonana." "We'll see each other soon."