It was a wednesday. She woke up early before many others, like many other days, and after preparing herself, went to her shop for the day's business (her shop is beside our house). That morning, she talked to people, washed her clothes, and attending to customers. In fact, when she finished washing her clothes, she was happy because the sun shone that day (the previous days were rainy).
Well, I was just recovering from malaria. I was inside and she called me. I answered her by coming to the balcony, while she was downstairs. She ask me to come and help her call those that will supply water for her tank, and I told her am coming. Before going to meet her, I decided to relax a bit.
Few minutes later, when I went downstairs to her shop, I saw her siting on the chair in her shop, in a posture that made me feel instantly that something is wrong somewhere. I was relutant going in at first, because I was feeling 'What if it's what i'm thinking? But soon, a young girl want to buy something and i use that medium to go in to where she is, telling her 'Mummy, they want to buy something.' But she's gone (though not totally gone then). But when we get her to the hospital, she's gone.
It's a painful incident. But there are lessons we all can learn from her death.
1. The Distance Between Life And Death Is Just A Step Away: You wouldn't know the real meaning of this if you haven't experienced it. Someone you talked to just few minutes ago, and in the next minute, the person is gone.
2. People Will Talk About You When You're Gone: My mum's death was a big loss to not only we her immediate family, but everyone that knows her. Why? Because of her good deeds. She's known by some as 'Iya Alaanu' (a mother who pity and help). She's a good woman. There are many people she had helped and still planned to help. When she died, everyone (ibos, yorubas) keep lamenting how good a woman she was.
What would be said about you after you are no more is determined by how you live your life today. If you want people to talk good about you when you're gone (in a way that will make life easier for your children you're leaving behind), do good always.
3. When Making Plans, Think Death: My mum's old mother died this year (during the elections) and the final burial ceremony is being scheduled to hold in early Septemeber. She's already making preparations for it (buying shoes and other things). But lo, she didn't even live to withness the final burial ceremony of her mother!! What a world!
Thus, in every plan you make, always think about death. And if you make plans and you live to execute it, thank God for it please.
4. Don't Hide Things From Your Family, You Don't Know When You'll Die: My mother rarely hid things from we her children. Infact, few days before she died, she do tell us about the types of dreams she do have (i wished i've taken them much serious) When my mother died, before many consolers and outsiders came, myself and my sister had cleared her money with some important documents of she have from where she keeps them.
In anything you do, let your family know about it- you don't know when you will die.
5. You Will Die, But Your Legacy Lives On: My mother trained me and my siblings using what i will call a 'classic approach'. There are certain things i see others do to their parents, and i wonder if i can dare try that with my mum. My mum trained us in a 'no-nonsence' way, making me and my siblings to be outstanding (though not perfect).
Now that she's gone, her legacy lives on. You know, even now, when doing something, i do think about her opinion
(like, 'Will she like this if she's around?)
Thus, everyone of us should strive to live lifestyles of good legacies so that when we are gone, our good legacies will live on. Parents should teach their children well; in a way that, when you are gone, your legacies will leave on.
6. Life Is Vanity: My mum is working on her own house project- she couldn't complete it. Many sees her as a 'big woman'; but she take none of her money with her. She had lots of clothes, shoes, bags (you trust women), but they were distributed. In fact, the one she put on the day she died was burnt with fire- she takes none along!
Life is vanity. There is nothing we bring to this world that we will take along while leaving. Don't make wealth and success a do-or-die affair. Don't look for money in wrong ways. Women, don't sell your body for money. Guys, don't do wrong fradulent things to get money. They are all vanities!!!!
Ha. Mummy, so you've left your boy alone. You really suffered for your children, but didn't wait to eat your labours. I want to make you proud. I have lots of plans for you. But if you are seeing me wherever you are now, by God's Help, i promise to make you proud. Ha. Life is not just fair. Ha. Good night ma.
Written: By TheCreativeGuy.
