A Memory I Will Never Forget

By Khutso J. Sithole

A true story of loving sisters who shared a past and lost a future that beckoned but was cut short prematurely. We are never prepared for the loss of a loved one. No person should ever bury someone they truly love. This book is a dedication to my sister, Lerato, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour and sadly passed on. Her fighting spirit was an inspiration to experience and see. I know it takes everything in someone to fight a dreaded disease. I firmly believe that with every pain,there is something valuable to learn. Inspite of my painful loss,I hope my book will bring complete peace one day for myself and help others to deal with the loss of their loved ones. I have become a better person because of my grief that has kept and continue to keep me on my knees, and as a result,my need for God is stronger than before. We are never alone in any process. God will guide us through every step. It’s amazing how everything can fall apart but you still fell God is by your side. Life will never be perfect and safe place for us. No matter how the world hurts, we guard ourselves and go on.
Ask yourself challenging questions! How well can I stand it? How much joy, abundance, fun, health and healing will allow to pour into my life today?

In this book,I share:
Our sisterly bond.
Her battle with a tumour.
How do you bury someone you love?
And my determination to keep her legacy alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Khutso J. Sithole
• Release date: Aug 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005140588

Khutso J. Sithole

Khutso J Sithole a South African born, wife, mother, author and entrepreneur. A self published author, with the first book named A Memory I will never Forget "How can I say Goodbye?". The book is dedicated to her younger sister, Lerato Faith Ndaba, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour and sadly passed away. I hope publishing this book will be a stepping stone towards other great initiatives I am planning for the future.

Book preview

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Copyright © 2022 Khutso J. Sithole

First edition 2022

Published by Khutso J. Sithole at Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Khutso J. Sithole using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Laura Grey for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.org

E-mail: [e-mail]

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Khutso J. Sithole

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Acknowledgements

Writing a book is not as easy as reading it. It took me years to pen and complete this book, and it would not have been possible without the help of those I acknowledge.

Firstly, I would like to thank those who contributed to this book. Thank you for the time, patience and love. To all my family and friends who stood by me, thank you all for your support and encouragement.

To my husband, Vezi Sithole, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading the first draft, your advice, and for being my sounding board. To my prayer warrior group for always sharing the Word of God, I am fully inspired and let’s continue standing on the Word. To Pastor Naledi Moralo for helping me to overcome my pain and presiding at my sister’s funeral. You are truly a woman of God and on a mission of spreading the true gospel.

Thank you to Tieho and Buhle for giving me encouragement to carry on with the book. To my sons, Thando and Lungi, for our night prayers and inspiring me to do more in life, thank you my lovely boys. To my mom Betty and my sister Tebogo, both for your support and love at all times. To my uncle, Kgomotso, for always being there for us, especially when Lerato was in the ICU. To my uncle, Norman, for making your home our second home to run to when we are burdened. To John for your mentorship, support and encouragement. To aunt Nenkie, for listening to my cries after Lerato’s death. I have gained knowledge in such a personal way for you. To Lollita for showing your love and support for my family, and always saying the things I want to hear. You are much appreciated, sis. To my gran, Mma, for always knowing what to say to all of us, your wisdom is not left unnoticed.

A very special thanks to the Most High God, you are my source of inspiration towards a fresh life and for qualifying my life. Without you, Lord, I fall short and I am nothing!

Dedication

This book is a dedication to my dearest sister, Lerato Faith Ndaba, my Pride, my best friend, my angel. Lerato, you will forever be on my mind and in my heart. My sister in this life and eternal life. May your love and memory live on through the things you shared with and taught me. Our time together taught me to put God first in everything and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.

In this book, I look back at the incredible life that my sister lived and her lasting legacy. During her life, she had become my Pride and joy. Lerato suffered extensively due to a tumour discovered in her brain and I respect her strength and will to live. She taught me humility and great values in life that I will forever cherish. You will come across some of these values as you immerse yourself in this book.

I will forever treasure you, your tender love, your friendship, and respect.

Lerato, you left prints of love in our lives and your legacy resides in every life you have touched and transformed. You will always be remembered and never forgotten. The world has lost a brave and selfless woman.

May your amazing soul rest in eternal peace. Fly free, Lerato. We have lost you, Heaven is rejoicing to have gained you. Your life was a blessing to us.

Lerato succumbed to a brain tumour and sadly passed on, on 2 April 2014.

I miss and love you so much, Lerato.

Introduction

How do I even begin to upload what I am feeling and what I felt before I took the most demanding and difficult decision to write a book dedicated to my late sister? There was a tension in my mind about whether or not to celebrate her life or to focus on regret, grief and her battle with cancer and how it affected her.

Therefore, this is not a biography but rather a recollection of the little I have learnt and gained from Lerato in the short time we spent together as siblings in this world. To the best of my understanding, I will try to dig into the lessons learnt about my sister’s life and in so doing, try to articulate and drive through what was in my heart when I thought of penning this piece of writing.

The truth is, none of us know how long we have to live or what condition our health will be in when we get older. You will never know the right time if you do not take a step towards your plans and use it wisely when you get the chance. My advice to all the dreamers out there is simple: pursue whatever you want while you are still breathing and dreaming. There is no excuse not to go for what you have always wanted to do. It’s never too late even though sometimes it feels like it. Do not let time slip through your fingers and watch it go. There is no reason to waste your time as you will regret it.

God gave us all unique gifts, but the key has to come from a desire and the ability to reveal your gift. It will be a waste not to realize these gifts in your life. What God has put in you, you need wisdom and encouragement to bring your life’s purpose to pass. Only God can give you the tools through others in order to bring out the best in you. We need each other. It’s time to be wide awake as God may not bless our circumstances beyond the level of our spiritual maturity. The deeper our faith, the stronger our hope.

To get the job done, we need God, the desire and the gift. Desire speaks to our level of faith and determination while a gift will ensure you pursue your dreams. Anything is possible so you just need to decide. Never limit God and always know that God’s intention is to ensure all is right in our lives!

In life, we go through things that cause us to question everything. Some of those things will leave you as hard as stone. We all have our share of sad moments in our lives but we need to go through them and carry on. If I go through difficulties, then I have to accept them but not allow them to change me. If so much power can come out of pain, I only need God to see me through. When you are at peace, it’s a position of power. When you are at rest, God is fighting your battles.

Difficult times have helped me to better understand what I already know. No person and nothing can prepare or exclude you from tragic situations. This is what life is about and it is what it is. We stand against distress in every season in our lives and we keep moving on. Pain is part of our lives not because we are doing something wrong, but because we live. My pain, my story!

Indescribable power comes out when we accept the things we personally go through and get a chance to share with others. Never allow life’s lessons to change you. Be bigger not bitter. Live in the awareness of everything around you. You must always notice everything happening in your life so that you are fully alive in the here and now. Know who you are and the pain of the past will be so much more acceptable to change the way you feel. Change happens as a result of your thoughts. I had to dig deep to find the strength to put this together so here we go.

A dream without a plan is just a thought.

Chapter 1

Who was Lerato?

Lerato was like any other normal child who could truly achieve anything if they put