Down To Earth...


My wife just had a baby. It’s our first child, I’m scared and I’m happy. I want to be a great father to my baby. I don’t want to disappoint her. I want to make her feel like a princess that she is, read her stories and take her for recitals. I want to be her hero, the one she runs to. I want to be all that to her… I know my wife is mad at me for not being there for the birth. It was a deal we made, but our deal didn’t include an unexpected arrival. Princess came two weeks earlier than planned. I was in London for a meeting with my biggest client. The three-day meeting was cramped up to two days and the first available flight for me was to Abuja… I was going to head straight to catch a flight to Lagos and be with my girls by the time they woke up, but dad insisted I spend a few hours with him before leaving for my princess, I stared at her picture every minute, she’s the prettiest baby I’ve ever seen. All I could think about as dad discussed family business was my two babies and how I’d hold them and hope not to pass out with joy from being with them. I got to the airport pretty late, they almost wouldn’t let me check me… it took showing them pictures and a sob story to get me through the gates. I located my seat, and I felt like fate was tapping me on the shoulder and teasing me when I saw my seatmate, a beautiful and tired looking lady holding her one month old baby girl. It's going to be a great flight, I just might practice fatherhood before I get to the real thing.
**********
It was Aisha’s wedding. We’ve been best friends since we were in diapers. Even living continents apart has not severed our closeness. Whatever social network is available, we are there catching up, from skype to twitter, bbm and facebook. Only difference is, she’s not physically there to clean up my apartment like she loves to. Aisha’s engagement was one of the happiest days of my life; my friend deserves love more than everyone I’ve known. She’s been through the lowest of the lows when it comes to love, and what joy to see her in the highest of the high places in love. Jide is the man!!!!

Coming back home for my friends’ day was a sacrifice worth making. She got me all teary, seeing her in the gown we labored to find, looking so gorgeous and happy and all grown up got images of us in prams flashing through my head. Look how time flies. The one-week I have spent in Nigeria has been so exciting; I even met a man, who kind of looks like the MAN. Too bad I have to rush back to work and too good he’s promised to stalk me online. He dropped me off at the airport for my flight to Lagos… Mum and dad left earlier in the day, i wanted to have brunch with the MAN, so they left without me. I’m going back to obodo oyinbo tonight. I refuse to give in to the temptation to stay back for a few more days… my bosses wouldn’t have it so easy when it comes to passing me over for the promotion I so deserve. It has been a great few days.
**********
There’s an event tonight, Lagos always manages to host the best parties… It wouldn’t hurt to appear on the social radar this weekend. I know I should stay back and help Ada with moving to her new place, but if I do, I’ll be moved out from the social scene. I’ve lobbied for this invite for ages, the crème de la crème will be there. I’ve had this Tiffany Amber dress that has been crying to be worn. It’ll definitely give me the much need attention; the fashion blogs wouldn’t dare ignore me…  I can’t wait to rock Lagos down. I’ll catch the first flight back to Abuja tomorrow.
**********
Spending the weekend with my grandkids has been such a blessing. Lately I’ve been feeling worn and my soul has been torn, not the sort I felt when I lost my husband, this is different and a bit eerie. I prayed and I fasted, but peace evaded me. I’m glad I listened to the voice of my spirit to spend this weekend with my children and grandchildren. Seeing them all together gave me a sense of satisfaction, it gave my soul the peace that it cried out for. Last night was glorious, we all went out for dinner and I told each of them how much I loved them and what they meant to me individually and collectively. I am thankful for my family. I am at peace within, and ready to go back to Lagos and business as usual. I smile even in my sadness as they drop me off at the airport. I made it just in time for my flight.
*********
We stay home on Sundays, the one day we get to rest. No one is going to the market, and no one is going to work. We eat rice and we catch up on the sleep we are starved of during the week. Even without power supply, the heat is bearable... Even the sound of aircrafts flying overhead is tolerated today. Anything is bearable as long as we can rest before getting into the hustle of the week. I know things would get better. Papa Bisi starts a new job with better pay tomorrow, he has promised to get me a bigger shop and more money for my goods.I hear the children playing with the neighbors son in the living room... I can hear them arguing about something, a loud sound drowns their voice out as I feel even before I see the wall crashing down on me. I know it's a plane, i don't know why or how... this is the closet I've ever come to an airplane all my life. The sound of the aircraft trespassing on our flat drowns out my scream just before I pass out.
**********
source
Different people, different lives, different hopes, different plans, different dreams... all lost in one mishap.
I can't imagine what their last moment was like... I can't imagine how they felt at the dreadful realization that the end had come... I can't even come close to imagining how their families feel at the moment. It's such a horrible feeling.
Death creeps in unexpectedly... it doesn't give you time to finish your cereal and wash up your bowl, it just comes in the cruelest way ever. Like a mean lecturer giving a surprise test. Only a few students are somewhat prepared to write. My friend lost his wife in a car crash a few days ago... Many are mourning in this season.
Just how prepared are we?
God bless all those who lost loved ones in the Dana Air crash yesterday and all those mourning deaths with his peace. Only he can comfort them in their sorrow, and strengthen them in the midst of their pain. No one knows why, but we know one thing is certain in all these... GOD is still GOD and he is good.
My Prayer is "For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17

Comments

  1. Wow! Wow! Your piece is giving me goose pimples, it makes it so real, I am in the office, so I cant let the tears fall. Wow, wow again. The sound of silence

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, this depicts that these people are everyday people, like you and I. Not just names on a website.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so touching. They were indeed real people. It could have been any of us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. this makes it more real.

    thanks

    so sad.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You brings tear on my eyes. best heart touching and inspiring story. fantastic written.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Succinctly captured.

    There's loads of greatness in you being unleashed through writing. I pray for the patience, endurance and wisdom for you to stay the course till the full unleashing of all your potentials. (This is coming from the one who calls you "blonde").

    After the 1st story one thing came to mind. This life is beautiful but unfortunately imperfect. There's gotta be something much better, a place and time way much better...no matter what we think we enjoy or stand to gain on this cursed ground.

    ...And that's what we live for, that's what we preach. Before we we're saved we lived like we had to enjoy it all here, but being truly saved opens your eyes, & you start to build up treasures over there, that time and place where we get to explore worlds and things previously unknown...and the funny thing is how now living like this is even what makes this life bearable and enjoyable with all it's imperfections. The grace that's unleashed from the true salvation in Christ is too deep for words.

    Let's continue to pray for and try to reach all who still believe that we gotta have it all here and live for only what we can gain from this fallen world. Having been there previously, we know it's pretty hard to see any gain in leaving who you think you are, the things you think will make you happy, friends, social status etc...to become someone else. That's why it takes FAITH to do this. Faith to believe that the new "someone else" in Christ is greater than who & all you could ever have been on your own terms.

    With salvation at times it's actually the case of the grass looking dryer and rougher on the other side, until you decide to let go, step out in faith and try it for yourself and see what you've been missing.

    I pray everyone on this post gets to experience the untold joy of living for something greater than self and yourself...a life lived strictly for the glory of the Saviour of the humans.

    Stay strong.

    ReplyDelete
  7. this makes it all the more real, they were real people who had real lives and hopes they were....... *tears*

    ReplyDelete
  8. So sad..... Lots of loved ones gone in the twinkle of an eye partly cos of greed.

    May their souls rest in peace.

    ReplyDelete
  9. WOW.. Icouldnt even finsh the Piece.. My eyes clouded over... This is soo sad. but yet so true.. So many stories, so little time...partial and whole families gone...
    Lord protect and watch over us and their families :-(

    **Beautifully Written

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts