Farewell, Rest in Peace Ntate Sam

My thanks to my soul-sister Moroesi Akhionbare for this picture taken today at the funeral of our good friend Ntate Sam Sehloho, in Lesotho. He was the embodiment of kindness, gentleness, and warmth, always able to put a good spin on bad news.

Ntate Sam and Moroesi Akhionbare met me at the airport when I arrived there in 1992, and I know now how very lucky I was that they gave me my introduction to Lesotho. Ntate Sam helped me find what I needed to set up life in Lesotho; he became a good friend and advisor; we made numerous trips together, and he loved to talk about the history and culture of his country. He remained my friend after I left Lesotho and moved to South Africa for four years before returning to the USA.

I admired Ntate Sam for his wisdom and his generous heart. He weathered terrible losses, and he claimed that each time trouble comes, it brings a gift that helps us to understand each other. "Because no one doesn't know trouble," he said. Moroesi conveyed my deep sympathies to his family. My life is richer and better for knowing him. He belonged to the Lesotho Evangelical Church at Ha Mabote. This picture is of the men of the church as they escorted his casket from the church to the graveside, singing all the way.

My last photograph of him, taken in 2010 at Moroesi's house, is here, along with a little more detail about his life.