Zacharias, an elderly African catechist, was laid to rest after a long life of serving his church and the people of Kenya. Afterwards, as I was walking back with another catechist, she remarked, "We'll miss him. He went ki-sabuni (Swahili for 'like a bar of soap").

Confused, I asked, "like a bar of what?"

She repeated, "Ki-sabuni. You know. In the house the bar of soap sits next to the basin, available morning, noon, and night to all — children, adults, the elderly, family, and guests alike. It never discriminates or complains of being used and reused. It is taken for granted as it slowly disappears, until someone exclaims, "Gosh, the soap is gone!" Zacharias was that kind of man. I'm sure the God he served so well will grant him eternal rest."

Gerry Nolf, Once Upon A Time in Africa by Joseph G. Healey