In 2015, after my mum passed on to be with the Lord, I had this deep sadness within my heart because her death came as a rude shock to me . Although my mum had been feeling poorly for a while after she had a very bad sore on her foot a year before when she accidentally stepped on a broken bottle. As a diabetic patient, it din’t look too good as the sore had become grangrene. Although she was advised to amputate the leg for avoidance of causing an infection to other parts of her body, of course she vehemently refused! She said that the foot would heal and truth be told, it eventually healed after using natural remedy of raw honey, her medication coupled with adding prayers and declarations. As a very spiritual woman, she held on strongly to her faith and trust in divine healing.
You see my mum had fought and overcame many battles in her 70 years of existence. Watching her face a few of those battles, I felt there was nothing she could not overcome and I believed she will be around for a very long time!
Well, one thing I am quite sure my mum never overcame was the enstrangement between her and my dad which happened pretty early in their marriage although they eventually had 5 of us children but it was indeed a turbulent marriage. My dad David, was a high ranking officer in the Nigerian army for 22 years before he retired as a Major General and my mum Comfort, was an enterprising woman who was into various thriving business ventures. My parents are very loving, caring and provided very well for us and a retinue of extended family and many others but they were also disciplinarians who didn’t spare the rod.
Both my parents held the first born positions in their polygamous families and this gave them natural leadership and responsibility roles which they handled effortlessly. This made them be in control of many things as they were both well accomplished in their own right. In the Nigerian culture, this commands great respect from siblings, family and the wider society. They both had very strong personalities that makes me compare them to a Lion and Lioness. Perhaps if there hadn’t been interference in their marriage, they would have taken time to understand each other better and be patient with one another I believe they both would have taken on the world as a strong team!
With the wind of life tossing them to and fro, my mother faced life’s struggles with such strength, audacity and courage and held the family together against all odds. Although my dad was the soldier my mother was a warrior who never bowed down on challenges and faced them head on She did everything humanly possible to keep her man, home and family but the tides were too strong. This took a toll on her.
Hearing the news of my mum’s passing on that very early morning through a phone call from my sister was like a dagger to my chest especially when I was thousand of miles away in the United States to support a childhood friend who had just lost her sister to cancer. The call came as a rude shock also considering we had a video call a few days before with two of my siblings although my mum appeared weak. On hearing the news, I felt like my cover was snatched away from my entire body. My friend was now the one one consoling me, what an irony of life!
My siblings and I felt that there were still a lot we needed to do for her and it wasn’t time for her to leave yet. We were looking forward to better times ahead with her and more grandchildren. But she was getting tired and had become so much into herself.
Intrestingly it was after she passed on that I had the thought of the idea to start writing. I felt I had to let her legacy live on and share my thoughts on the importance of the family unit through the life of my mum. WordPress gave me the space and platform to write. I started blogging on family matters in September 2015, 2 months after my mum passed. She went to be with the lord on the 22nd of July 2015. After three years of blogging, I decided to put the compilations of my writings into a book titled: FOR THE LOVE OF FAMILY in honour of my mother Comfort Adunni Jemibewon’s life. The book has just been released this September 2020, ironically five years after my mum passed and in an interesting year of 2020! The pandemic has made many of us realise the importance of family.
For The Love of Family reawakens the love for a solid family institution which will in turn affect the fabric of the society. The book focuses on the importance of family amidst the uncertainties and challenges we confront in this fast changing world. A must read for every family man and woman. The book is dedicated to my mother the warrior: Comfort Adunni Jemibewon Nov 16th 1944- July 22nd 2015
You can get a copy from:
ON AMAZON.COM!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HT567X9
FTLOF ON AMAZON.CO.UK! https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08HT567X9
FTLOF on http://www.bimbofamilyaffairs.com
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