I first reported at Starehe Boys' Centre as a student on a Thursday afternoon on 17th January of 2002. Back then, I didn't realize how fortunate I had been to be admitted to the school whose senior students treated new students as brothers. It's only in recent years when I have heard of how some of my friends were bullied in their first days in high school by their seniors that I have thanked God for taking me to Starehe which had a buddy system of pairing every new student with a second-former who would orient him to the ways of the school.

My second-former was a friendly lad named Leon Osumba from the Luo community of Kenya. Leon was a bit hearing impaired but compensated for that disability by wearing hearing aids. He went out of his way to introduce me to other schoolmates in Chaka House that I was part of. His amiable demeanour explains why I have a visceral hatred for any sort of discrimination on the grounds of age, race, faith, tribe, gender, disability or sexual orientation. And it also explains why I wouldn't mind marrying from the Luo community, provided the lady is a person of fashion and sense.

The captain of Chaka House back in 2002 was Michael Mwangale who received the first-formers of that year amicably, including me. He used to hold regular meetings with us during the first half of Term 1 in which he would mentor us on a myriad of issues including the spread of HIV/AIDS. One night, he told us that it is unwise to ruin our lives with two minutes of sexual ecstasy. And on the night before we broke for mid-term holidays in that term, he organized a small bash for us. We feasted on biscuits and drank plenty of tea during that bash. Oh, how I miss those good old days!

I shall always remember Mwangale for a funny comment he uttered during one roll-call. It was a day before we broke for a half-term holiday, an exciting moment especially for us first-formers. After Mwangale was through with whatever important stuff he was telling us during that roll-call, he closed his remarks by saying, "And guys, do have a nice half-term. Go say 'hi' to your sisters!" I just loved Michael Mwangale.

But perhaps the Starehian who gave me the best reception in the school was Jesse Nyoro who was six years my senior and whose photo I have displayed above. When Nyoro heard that I could play the piano, he introduced me to Music teachers of the school. And he made some very congenial compliments about me to my fellow first-formers. Later on, he encouraged me to accompany hymns on the piano during assembly by giving me a music score of hymn no. 59 in Starehe Boys' hymnal: that wonderful old hymn in limerick form whose first verse goes as follows:

Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways;
Old now is Earth, and none may count her days,
Yet thou, her child, whose head is crowned with flame,
Still wilt not hear thine inner God proclaim:
Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways.

Nyoro treated me like a brother despite the fact that I was a confused new student while he was a famous senior in Starehe pursuing a technical course in the institute division of the school. He still remains my friend who has counselled me on several occasions in recent years.

The other day, for instance, he called me on phone to inquire how I was faring in life. I told him that I am still working hard and praying for breakthroughs, to which he replied, "What breakthroughs are you praying for Thuita? Don't you realize that your breakthroughs happened a long time ago? Do you know how many people wish they could own a website like you do and write as you do? Stop this business of saying you are praying for breakthroughs."

He proceeded to tell me of two disciples who walked with Jesus without realizing they were with Him until He gave them bread. The point he was trying to make in that reference to the two disciples is that God has already been with me and I only need to open my eyes wider to sense His presence. (For whatever reasons, I cannot remember reading about that story of two disciples walking with Jesus without realizing it in spite of having studied the whole Bible from preface to index.)

I however tried to clarify to Nyoro that by praying for breakthroughs, I meant earning money. And I wish I had told him like by winning a lucrative advertising contract for this blog but he cut me short when I mentioned the word 'money' and said, "Thuita, money only accounts for 10% of happiness. So long as you have food to eat, clothes to wear and good health - those alone are big breakthroughs."

After reflecting on that Nyoro's advice, I am thinking that maybe I should begin counting my blessings instead of focusing on what I don't have. Or maybe I need to forswear my foolish ways and proclaim my inner God by being grateful for the gifts of everyday life as that wonderful old hymn I have mentioned exhorts in its first verse. Actually, that's what I will strive to be doing. So help me God.

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I love reading mottoes of learning institutions, churches and nations because of the immense wisdom they carry. And I try to practice that wisdom in my day-to-day living. Let me share with you, my dear reader, the mottoes that have inspired me most and some reflections on how we can apply them in our lives.

First is the motto of Starehe Boys' Centre: Natulenge Juu (Let Us Aim High) that is beautifully engraved on the school's crest which is one of the things that inspired me most during my years in the school as I have pointed out in the caption of the crest photo above. I love the motto because it resonates with my ambitious nature that I have possessed for as long as I can remember.

Second is the motto of Rose of Sharon Academy in Nairobi where I taught piano for a year in 2015. The academy's motto reads: Nurturing Excellence in Spirit, Wisdom and Grace. It is borrowed from a verse in the book of Luke in the Bible. A wonderful motto, isn't it?

Third is the motto of Harvard College: Ve ri tas (Verity and Truth). I have tried to apply that motto in every area of my life which explains why I am always truthful in what I say and write. So even though I was rejected at Harvard College in the two times I applied for undergraduate admission, I am glad to be living the Harvard motto.

Fourth is the motto of Patrick Henry College: For Christ and For Liberty. I love that motto because it resonates with my belief in Christ and in respect for other people's faith: be they Muslims, Buddhists or atheists. And that explains why even though I believe deeply in the Bible, I have never tried to impose my beliefs on anyone.

Fifth is the motto of Liberty University: Knowledge Aflame. I have been inspired by that motto to acquire knowledge by reading, reflecting, socializing and listening to music as well as by occassionally watching movies and sports. Talk of keeping knowledge aflame.

Sixth is the motto of the United States which is poetically well-stated in her national anthem as follows:

Then conquer we must,
When our cause it is just;
And this be our motto:
"In God is our trust"...

So much do I love those lines of the United States anthem and their accompanying melody that I usually find myself singing them out loud when walking and showering. And that's why I trust in God a lot these days.

Last but not least is the motto of the Scout Movement: Be Prepared. I try to follow the motto by dressing well even when going to buy something in a nearby kiosk because I never know: I may meet my soulmate! That's why I also read regularly, why I carry three business cards in my wallet and why I am always striving to nurture my strength of spirit to shield me in sudden misfortunes such as the loss of a loved one. I advise you to be prepared as well.

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