Love is an act, and I've seen enough to gladden the heart this Valentine

Nicole Njeri of Pien Florist sells flowers at City Market, Nairobi, on February 13, 2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard].

Folks, Happy Valentine's Day! Love is in the air and so, in the spirit of the week, I decided to surprise one of the most important women in my life. She happens to be one of my three mothers-and the only surviving mother-and a solid granny to my sons. She has been a pillar in our lives, steadying us in times of upheaval, or celebrating with us milestones of merriment and joy.

This week's particular trip was at the instigation of the eldest man in the family, who dotes on the granny. He simply calls her Cucu. Cucu hasn't been home for a while now, grounded by the domestics in her own life, caring for her two parents, now both in her 90s. She has become their primary care provider, abandoning her career and urban living for the humdrum life in a village in Murang'a.