The devil likes to fill people with doubt and make them derail their plans, thankfully, I come from a family that prays and so does my husband. Our wedding had its fair share of tests and trials, that I am sure were meant to cause us distress.
I hadn’t seen my mom Mazet in a long time and between that time a lot had happened and had been happening, some of it I was aware of and some of it I only got privy to learn upon my arrival back home. Daughters are their mother’s best friend, well in our case I’m definitely my mother’s girlfriend. On the 22nd of September, a day before her birthday my mother’s handbag was snatched by the new wave of criminals who have been snatching people’s bags and using Honda Fit cars to get away. There was a significant amount of money in the handbag, her phones, bank cards, rings and license in that bag. I still remember her cries over the phone on that day and how I had to ask her to park her car on the side of the road because she was so hysterical I was scared she’d be involved in a car accident if she continued driving. Whilst I was still trying to calm her down a lady who stays in the same neighborhood came and saw her, she prayed with her and they drove home together.
Some people thought it would be wise to postpone the wedding after that incident incase finances would not be recovered and or acquired in time. Some were direct and others would simply ask, “kusazaphumelela/will you still succeed?”, for a moment even I was starting to worry but I quickly shook it all off. I am a strong believer of the fact that when God has declared that something is to happen, no matter what the devil tries to do, the Lord’s plans will always prevail and it is true, when God shows up, He truly shows off. What that money was intended for was done and it was done so beautifully it was beyond my mother’s expectations.
Just when I thought no more winds would blow our way, another wave came and tried to sweep us off. In the first week of October all three of us fell ill, I had a running tummy and I was vomiting, I couldn’t keep anything down and each time I tried to eat I’d end up on the toilet seat with a bucket in front of me. Mdu had a running tummy and a headache and Thando’s body would heat up until he was drenched in sweat. We were ill for a full week, the medication was seemingly not working and with how I was feeling, I did not see myself lasting another week. Our friend, who is also a pastor, Leenze, came to see us and hold us through prayer. At the end of his visit we were all laughing as he made a remark that on the wedding day he was going to dance so much as a way of thanksgiving to the Lord because He had once again showed the devil that HE IS LORD. And when the wedding day came, he surely danced his heart out and it was beautiful to witness.
The bridal team was in different places, Harare, Bulawayo, Triangle, Beitbridge and Gweru so there was no way for us to practice any bridal party dances. We chose songs that we would dance to and Mdu and I tried to find dances that everyone would be able to pull off especially for the reception entrance. For the other dances we agreed that people would just freestyle and sent them videos of people dancing to the songs.
Everyone met the evening before the wedding at my aunt’s place and after we had supper we then started practicing our entrance dance as well as the freestyle dances for the other songs. I think we spent about 2 hours under the moonlight and outdoor lights until everyone was satisfied that they had grasped the moves. They were simple moves so I was certain that if anyone was to forget, they’d quickly remember once the music started and they saw the rest of the team dance.
Mdu is a great dancer, well I am too but let’s just say he dances way better than I do where some dance styles are concerned. I love him, when we’re on the dance floor together he’ll never out dance me, according to him it’s one of the ways to say “I love you”. When we got to the freestyle dances he was in his fullest element and danced so much until the MC, Praise, asked him to dance again which he gladly did and even took his jacket off to do.
There is a song by Samthing Soweto entitled “omama bomthandazo” which my husband dedicated to both his mom and mine because throughout our entire love and life journey they have been the anchors through prayer. They played the song for the three of them and it was heartwarming to watch, especially with the recent theft.
If you know me very well then I think you know that I am petty, so petty that some of my sisters call me “the queen of pettiness”. If ever there was a doubt that I inherited this character trait for my dad, then the father and daughter dance was evidence of that. He sent me all three songs and asked me to merge them according to the lyrics, with the highlight for everyone who was present being the song with the lyrics, “I loved her first”, which daddy sang along to as he twirled me around before giving me away to Mdu for the first dance.
Now, my dad and I have been dancing together since I was a little girl and we didn’t practice, when it comes to ballroom dancing I trust him to lead and I know we’ll always give the best performance.with Mdu however it was an all together different story. Whilst I am versatile in dance styles he is more attuned to pantsula and afropop dances so that meant I was going to have to lead the first dance. To my surprise, all I had to do was whisper in his ear on when to turn and when to twirl me around, I bet those who did not know also believed that he led that dance in his own entirety because he did it beautifully.
The shackles the devil tried to place on our feet in terms of finances and health did not hold and when our wedding day came we danced until our hearts were content ngoba sasanelisiwe ngomusa langothando lweNkosi. Our feet were aching for a few days but it was all worth it.
Novelty Ink 