{"id":45313,"date":"2022-02-20T08:32:31","date_gmt":"2022-02-20T08:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/it-was-always-about-love-an-odyssey-of-faith\/"},"modified":"2022-02-23T16:24:21","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T16:24:21","slug":"it-was-always-about-love-an-odyssey-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/it-was-always-about-love-an-odyssey-of-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"It Was Always About Love: An Odyssey of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

{Yet it is the infinite number of shades in between,
\nthat hold a mirror to the similarities,
\nBetween love and life itself.
\nLove, at its dawn, is as soft and delicate as the newborn,
\nwhose mother would rather not consider,
\nthe trials which, to grow, her angel will have to conquer.
\nLike the DNA of its bearer, Love is unique to the lover.
\nLove moulds itself to the singularities of its subject,
\nBut its core remains intact;
\nA transcendence of the self,
\nBeyond the confinements of ego,
\nLove is what you are willing to forego,
\nFor the ones you wish to see thrive.<\/p>\n

Maya Angelou wrote:
\n\u201cWe dare be brave
\nAnd suddenly we see
\nThat love costs all we are
\nAnd will ever be.
\nYet it is only love,
\nWhich sets us free.\u2019\u2019
\nLove, is a commitment,
\nthat grows weightless,
\nWith the wings of joy.<\/p>\n

On dit d\u2019ailleurs que l\u2019amour donne des ailes ;
\nEt de la perspective d\u2019un bleu ciel
\nEn survolant les travers d\u2019un quotidien laborieux,
\nLa vie peut \u00eatre si belle.<\/p>\n

Naho Rugamba w’u Rwanda ati:
\nUrukundo ni nk’imvura
\nAhakomeye nk’urutare
\nIyo rukomeje kuhogera
\nHaratinda hakoroha
\nNoneho rugacengera<\/p>\n

Love is the invisible thread,
\nThat joins the fabrics of strain,
\nEffort, delight and hope,
\nAnd thus together we cope,
\nTogether we conquer pain.<\/p>\n

It matters not the type of love;
\nWhether affection for a friend, or the support of a partner,
\nLoyalty for a nation; caring for a departing father
\n\u2013 love, a filament of pure gold,
\njoins the fate of individuals and their families,
\nOf families and their communities,
\nand of communities and whole nations.
\nLove fulfills duty in patriotism, in friendship, in family or in union,
\nBut the regard and trust one is rewarded with in return,
\nShould never be weaponized to hold hostage or bond,
\nThose that on your protection and love rely,
\nFor to dominate rather than protect,
\nIs to render any said \u201cI love you\u201d, a lie.<\/p>\n

Love does not enslave; Love empowers.
\nAnd love is faithful, for love cares.
\nLove liberates; love perseveres.<\/p>\n

As for to belonging to a nation,
\nAnd contributing to its advancement,
\nSome may borrow Tina Turner\u2019s words \u2013
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s love got to do with it?\u201d
\nBut to this, we raise lyrics of our own,
\nThat speak of a love we shall not forfeit.
\nKomeza imihigo Rwanda dukunda
\nDuhagurukiye kukwitangira
\nWowe mugongo mugari uduhetse
\nDukwirwamo twese tugasusuruka<\/p>\n

To love Rwanda is to refuse to see her offspring,
\nFailing and falling, or starving if there is feed;
\nOf loving the fellow Rwandans we must make the vows,
\nNot to overlook any child of Rwanda in need,
\nBut to love and assist as long as capacity allows,
\nFor only love can heal a world ravaged by greed.<\/p>\n

Indeed, love allowed Rwanda to brave trials unmatched,
\nTo become a nation of trust and faith,
\nThat while heaven\u2019s eye has pierced through the clouds,
\nTomorrow\u2019s light will be brighter still.<\/p>\n

We sang to the flowers that grew,
\nFrom a soil others once claimed barren,
\nWe saw the power of forgiveness through,
\nThe bliss of peace newly given.<\/p>\n

Qui aime bien, ch\u00e2tie peu,
\nCar l\u2019amour \u00e9coute, l\u2019amour pardonne, l\u2019amour rassemble,
\nEt m\u00eame sous la pluie de nos avrils nuageux,
\nL\u2019amour, nous offre chaleur b\u00e9nissante.<\/p>\n

Love is the invisible thread,
\nThat joins the fabrics of strain,
\nEffort, delight and hope,
\nAnd thus together we cope,
\nTogether we conquer pain.<\/p>\n

Every one of our nation\u2019s families,
\nWhich together form brave communities,
\nWill likely face the hardships,
\nOf every life enriched by relationships.<\/p>\n

But to love boldly and intentionally,
\nIs to trust that the journey will provide,
\nDiscovery and growth which,
\nWill assemble rather than divide.
\nTo my dear and brave family and friends,
\nWhom I love to wit\u2019s end,
\nMay the lessons you engraved in my heart,
\nAllow me to do, in love, my part.<\/p>\n

L\u2019amour entre nos familles,
\nQui furent un jour d\u00e9chir\u00e9es par distance et trag\u00e9die,
\nL\u2019amour d\u00e9fendu en temps temp\u00e9tueux par notre pays,
\nEngendre aujourd\u2019hui,
\nUne jeunesse forte et courageuse,
\nDont l\u2019affection offrira un jour \u00e0 m\u00e8re patrie,
\nDes enfants aux r\u00eaves nouveaux,
\nQu\u2019elle aimera tant ch\u00e9rir.<\/p>\n

Solomon sang:
\n\u201cWhen I found him whom my soul loveth;
\nI held him and would not let him go\u201d.
\nL\u2019amour est un appel du coeur,
\nQui ne laisse place \u00e0 la ranc\u0153ur,
\nCar celui qui veut aimer longuement,
\nDoit s\u2019engager \u00e0 comprendre,
\nQue l\u2019amour a besoin de temps,
\nPour \u00e9voluer, pour s\u2019adapter, pour s\u2019\u00e9tendre.<\/p>\n

Love asks that you drown wounding words,
\nIn a sea of deliberate comprehension;
\nResolve resolvable qualms, in spite of anger or hurt,
\nIf it will allow a worthy love to move forward and on.<\/p>\n

The life cycle of love isn\u2019t always kind,
\nBut it is fair when your love is humble,
\nAnd will endeavour not to leave behind,
\nAny bond worth the struggle.<\/p>\n

If you dare to love boldly and bravely,
\nWith consideration and intent,
\nYou\u2019ll make of life, with faith\u2019s aptness,
\nA journey of love, a heart\u2019s canvas.<\/p>\n

\u00ab On ne voit bien qu\u2019avec le c\u0153ur.
\nL\u2019essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. \u00bb<\/p>\n

Urukundo nirwogere.
\n}<\/p>\n

{{This poetic essay was written by First Lady Jeannette Kagame to engage the public on love following the celebration of Valentine’s Day.}}<\/p>\n

\"First<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

{Few subjects have been explored as passionately,
\nin art and discourse, in history and philosophy,
\nas love.
\nLove, for all its complexity,
\nis unfortunately often reduced,
\nTo unrealistic absolutes,
\nWith just enough detail to feed a story
\nOf either pain or glory.}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[519],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-45313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-jeannette-kagame"],"bylines":[{"id":519,"name":"Jeannette Kagame","slug":"jeannette-kagame","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":519,"name":"Jeannette Kagame","slug":"jeannette-kagame","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45313\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45313"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=45313"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=45313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}