Seeing the new week's first edition prompt, the only two people that kept coming to my mind are my mom and paternal grandmother and since I already spoke a lot about my mom and what I have learnt from her here, I will focus on my Grandma. These two people mean a lot to me because of the lessons I have learnt from them. My late Grandmother left a big vacuum too, but we have learnt to move on while holding onto and cherishing her legacy left behind for us.
The 7th of July, 2023 was the exact date Grandma died, which means we would be celebrating her one-year remembrance next month. How time flies! I didn't even realise it until now because everything feels like it happened recently. I was preparing to go to camp last year when the news of her demise reached me. I cried so hard that I started flashing back to those sweet memories of her and what she has taught us. I never wanted her to leave that time, but you know, we don't understand how God works, so, we are left with no answers to questions like, why? How can she leave us so soon? Yea, Mama was old but her presence made the home interesting and fun.
Travelling home for her burial and entering the parlour, there was no one to smile at me with her white set of teeth being revealed and opening her arms while she sat on her favourite sofa, waiting for me to come into her embrace and shower me with prayers and welcoming words. She was always excited to see us come home and also, and we are always happy seeing her too because we know her words were always filled with lessons from her past, words of encouragement to keep us moving and staying united as one.
One of her memories was when we were kids; my younger sister and I. Mama was a retired teacher when we were young. She taught us how to read and write in the Yoruba language because according to her, our parents weren't doing well in that aspect. They saw how we were only taught to speak in the English language instead of our mother tongue, she took it upon herself to make sure we were taught well and did her part successfully, receiving incessant knocks on our heads was part of her teachings, and we dare not forget what she taught us the previous day when she asked us.
It was from her I learnt that no matter where we are, we must never forget our mother tongue but be proud of speaking it wherever we are. She didn't say we shouldn't speak other languages but we must never forget our source.
Another thing I learned from her was her consistency in serving God. Since I was born and I have known my Grandma till she died, she never missed having the family morning devotion. When she was still very agile and walked very well, she was the one ringing the morning bell alongside a song that said, "Come to the morning prayer".
Sometimes, I am always baffled when we travel home and still find her coming out to wake us up for devotion, then few years before her death, my Dad took over because of her age and there was no strength to walk around the house, but still shows up at the parlour every day. Grandma loved God so much that her time while on earth was to keep serving Him until death took her home. Something I learned from her — hold onto God till the end.
One last thing I also learnt from her was the true hospitality she showed to people. Every year when I go home and people are coming around to visit her, all I hear is, "Mama took care of me/us." I have heard lots of stories of how she took care of other people's children like hers and never maltreated them.
She showed great hospitality to them and I kept getting surprised when different people including the other religion, muslim would speak of her love and care towards them. Till she died, she never stopped receiving rewards for her effort and love shown to them.
Grandma would always say, "These are your family too. Show love to them. Don't hate anyone. Live together in love" and words like that. She lived her life preaching the value of showing love and being united to us.
Her life is something I will always remember and cherish because of so many things I have seen and learned from Grandma. Moving on with our lives while she is gone doesn't mean we have forgotten about her, but making use of those lessons we took from her, cherishing the good memories while staying happy and making sure those lessons do not stray away from our lives.
All images belongs to me
