Schooling Parents. you got one?

                I know! I know! The title of this post makes my ribs crack. Varsity is on vacation. I may get to work with UNDP or UNICEF or Vanguard Assurance as an intern but I’m still waiting for any to workout. I just think the UN one just might but you never know what God has in store for me. Why the heck I’m I talking about internship?   I’m supposed to be talking about my parents.

             It’s been crazy a bit with them lately. My dad is left with one year more on his MBA program and my mum is completing her degree in Entrepreneurship by next week. Yeah…my parents are all going to school. Being candid now; the whole house is. It is about exams time for them (my parents). Oh my word you should see them learning and cracking their brains and all. It is not what you’d expect normal parents to do. Usually they come back from work all tired and probably have dinner with the family and watch some tv and talk and people start getting into bed but here it is very unlike that scene. (Forgive me if I left something out…trying to make it general )

             You should see my parents all gathered around the dining table and mind you they are not eating…they are studying. Books are all over the place, papers and pens. The television is in the hall so then it becomes much of a problem if it is too loud which wouldn’t have been so on a normal day. It is no problem for me since I don’t watch a lot of television. I’d rather watch my collections of movies I haven’t seen yet and believe me, there’s always something to watch. No but seriously like this morning I was left with them at home; everybody else was in school. I was cleaning the kitchen and sort of like talking to them as usual asking unnecessary questions and my dad goes like ‘hey you are talking too much. I’m trying to get this thing into my head and every time you talk…you are distracting me’. My mum then said ‘you are talking too much’ dad responds, ‘he’s finished with his exams and he is here to worry us. Hurry up and leave the kitchen’. All this time their heads are stuck into the books. I was laughing and laughing. Not too loud to be annoying. :O I came back and found my dad standing by the window trying to remember something and writing it out. Eeeeeh! My father, cramming!!! lol

             Later on after dinner, I finished and came to meet my dad washing the bowls and stuff. Damn! He usually doesn’t do that. I mean he never does except probably only his and that one is sometimes but today he was doing the whole lot. My dad washing?!!! I was shocked. I heard the tap running from my room and thought my sister had gone to wash the dishes like I told her to but I should have known better. Davida will never do it until you pressure her. LOL. I got there and met my dad washing and I was like…omg! I asked and he said he was releasing tension. Anyways it was nice to se him do it. I think once a while fathers should let the mums relax for like a week or something so that they take over the kitchen. It’s funny seeing the dad doing it something. Like it said…it’s funny but cute though.

            Eeeeeeeeeeeh! I thought young people only said that during exams -releasing tension. Guess I was wrong but these last days have been CRAZY. Don’t get me wrong but having parents schooling like their own children is a funny sight. I understand them parents nowadays, if you don’t get informed you’re be left out. I wish them all the best in their exams. And daddy, enough with the Masters already. How many do you want?  LOL

 Any of you folks got oldies in the university? Tell me about it.

 

A Letter to Glen Pobee

Hello Cousin,

February 1989, the world birthed a fine young man so full of life and energy ready to light up our world but 3^rd March 2009 was too soon for the world to take you away.

The energies I know you carried went far and beyond your areas of jurisdiction, where you physically lived when you were here. Young, brilliant, up and coming you were and I know you were going to give a lot more to the world had it given you a little more time but we’ll remember the moments you shared with us all through your brief life with friends and family.

Some one once said that a man’s life is measured by those who talk more about him when he’s no more. I’m writing to tell you that friends and family all over are talking about you. They talk about the fine man you were, some say they never really had a chance to talk with you but loved your demeanour. Glen trust me when I tell you this you indeed left a big mark in so many people’s life, even those you may not have considered to be friends.

Cousin, friends and family are all mourning your departure and its hard on everyone, your mum and dad, your two lovely sisters and so many friends and families all together. Your departure was so sudden and unexpected that it has left everyone in a state of shock and pain.

Brother I came home this Thursday to help with preparations for grand-pa’s funeral and was told that the reason for which I came home -Aunt Nicole, your mum –to help with making slides for grand-pa’s funeral had rushed back to Canada on hearing of your passing away. I was dumbfounded and couldn’t speak. Glen tears wanted to stroll down my cheeks but I would not let them. Aggrieved and perplexed my state sat there in my seat for minutes that passed me by.

I write to tell you that we all deeply mourn for you and to promise you that we will be strong together as a family for I’m sure that’s what you wish for us now. We tell you that we will be the best in this world because you our brother let big shoes for us to fill in fulfilling what life wouldn’t give you time to.

I promise to remain true and faithful as a brother to your sisters and I promise to do everything in my power, God help me to care for them and watch over them even as you would do if you were here. To your parents I will be as their son and love them as you would. Not to say that anyone could replace you, of course no-one can’t but you being the first grandson of the family we know you will always be there. Whatever good you wanted you do, I will do. Whatever amazing you wanted to see, I will see. Wherever wonderful you wanted to go, I will go.

I pray for one thing that you are in a more peaceful and happier place you deserve to be. We say rest in peace! Opps! Cousin, before I end this letter, everyone wants me to tell you that they love you very much.

 

P.S. Reply soon…

 

 

Your brother & cousin,

Edwin.

 

GRAND-CHILDREN’S TRIBUTE

Grand-pa we always use to call you. The senior-most father we were blessed to have. It had always been fun when you were around. You lightened everyone with your contagious jokes especially with us children about your days of old and stories about our parents and the way they were sometimes troublesome and how you brought them up well. It was more fun when they told us about your youthful days in exuberance and manly exploits. Sometimes hearing about you made us wish you were our father but God knew why he made us your grandchildren and we say we love you so because you were the best grand-pa God could ever give to us.

We all take turns now to look up to the heavens where we know you look down upon us smiling at the wonderful life you gave us. We look now, not at the few times we shared with you but the little moments that look our breaths away when you had us in your arms. Your smile, your speech, your handshakes, your hugs and your love we will always remember.

We, your so many grandchildren and gorgeous great grand-daughter that life blessed you with take a vow, to be the best we can ever be so that the whole world will know that we had a grandfather who bequeathed his many good qualities (love, honesty, respect, hard work, integrity, truth, discretion, faithfulness, discipline and above all, humour) to us, made us who we are today and who we will be tomorrow.

We remember the many times when you told us that, “life’s opportunities come and go but those who make it, grab the best of them,” and so we will.

The last days of your life were sad because even by your bedside you could not share jokes with us anymore due to you deteriorating health. The fleeting nature of time took you away from us and deep down in our hearts though we know it brings us pain, we rejoice all the same because we know also that you are in a more peaceful place with the Father of this world who gave and who has taken away.

Grand-pa we say rest in peace. We love you!

Edwin Bonney

 

POEM TO THE MEMORY OF JOEL KOJO KOPPOE (My Grandfather)

This poem here wasn’t written by me…it was written in honour of my grandfather for his funeral.

DEATH IS ONLY A PART OF LIFE

 

We enter this world

            from “THE GREAT UNKNOWN”

And God gives each SPIRIT

             a form of its own

And endows this form

             with a heart and a soul

To spur man on

            to his ultimate goal…

For all men are born

             to RETURN as they CAME

And birth and death

             are in essence the same

And man is but born

             to die and arise

For beyond this world

             in beauty there lies

The purpose of death

             which is but to gain

LIFE EVERLASTING

             in GOD’S GREAT DOMAIN

And no one need make

             this journey alone

For GOD has promised

              to take care of his own.

 

 

Mrs. Helen Steiner Rice

 

Grand-pa’s in a more peaceful place

I talked to my mum last 3 weeks, and I got to know that her dad, my grand-dad passed on, on Tuesday to A MORE PEACEFUL PLACE. I remember the last time I saw him; he was in so much pain. It was a Sunday when my parents and I went to see him after church. He wasn’t able to go to church because of the pain. Grand-ma had been saying in the last week before the Tuesday that he acting unusually strange. Maybe it should have clicked but why would anyone think that his time was near.

            I remember my mother saying that when he was younger he claimed that when he was older he would prefer to die than be a burden to anyone. Well, words, words however much you refuse the power in it, they work. Warning people!!!

            If for nothing at all, I’ll forever remember the funny and humorous nature of the man. He was a really nice person who would joke about everything. The nice things my mind could form about the man was the way he related with everybody especially his in-laws. Many times when issues came up, he would agree more with his in-laws than his own children. I had seen it many times with my parents and the way he would joke about it would make you agree with him. There was one time (I don’t really remember the very details) but I think my mum, his daughter and my dad and the family went to see him on one of those Sundays (we almost always went there on weekends mostly Sundays) and my mum was drinking on of her concotions which she said would make her tone down and my dad was like, “you take this things way too much.” Thinking at least a father would go with his daughter, he would support my dad and say, “all these things don’t work, if you fat, you fat.” Yeah right! Even he didn’t believe that.

              It was nice growing up among my grand-parents, especially since they were the first couple I saw blessing their marriage in a church way when they were very old. I remember being a page-boy with my cousin Ben at that wedding. He had six strong, ambitious children with my grand-pa and they loved each other so much.

             Mum’s stories about grand-pa were mostly the stories he told them when they were young and that the man had so much hair all over is body. She said when they were children, she and her siblings would braid the man’s hair on his stomach or was it his back or both…hmmmmmm…the man was hairy. But then he lost all when I met him.

            You know the irony of his death. His wife, my grand-ma thought she would die before him but nope…God does is own things His way.

 

Grand-pa we love you. Rest In Peace.  

 

 

Adom the graced #2

If you have read the first script on my cousin, I told you I will fill you in more on stuff on the amazing stories on her. I remember so many people telling me that all I just wrote on her was mainly about her hair. I wonder what people are going to say this time.

Well you by now, you will already now, I’m in Abidjan staying with her, though I will be leaving back to Ghana in a few days. Now back to her.

She has been my closest friend yet still a family relative in this country I found myself in. I recall one time during the beginning part of this year; I told her she is my sister. Guess what she said? “No! We are only cousins, not friends” She said that laughing. I remember her elder sister also making the comment one time, when she said I was kind of like, in her own language, bothering her. She said making those female hand gestures, “you and Adom (the woman in question) are friends, but you and I, are family!” I just stood there stunned. Maybe it was true but I have never really taken the thought like that before. But then come on folks! We were all cousins! Why the distinction? (I didn’t ask you for an answer; I know! )

Adom, my cousin, sister and friend… of course she’s a growing teenager with all those moods swings, which is very interesting to oversee… I prefer to call her woman, not a girl! In the long run she’s going to be one, if not already! Going back a little into time, I know I have really been worrying her. How do I know? She always tells me, but apparently she tells that to almost everyone, I bet you will be on that list soon!

Well it was this one day as always when I asked her to make some food for me, being as polite as always. Oh my God! You know what she told me, “ Go and prepare it yourself.”

“Ohhh!” I can see you almost saying that! I told her that I could but I just wanted her to prepare it for me. Shocked to the core when she told me, “then you aren’t hungry!” So unfair, you think? No! Because in the end I still got my food, she prepared it! Most at times when she is doing stuff for me, mainly cooking, she tells me, she isn’t going to do it the way I like it and she is going to add all those things I detest. You know how times our sisters get and with Adom, there no difference. It makes you kind of want to get close to her and when you do get close to her she says, “Don’t touch me!”

Hmmmm, with the don’t touch me issue. I mean what’s wrong with touching your sister’s hand, is there a problem. Sometimes I think it is one of those stages of teen years because my biological sister, Edwina is just like that. “Don’t touch me! It is not for you!” The latter part of the statement firstly sends me into a laughing jamboree but then when the show is over. I ask her, in this context Adom, “Me, your brother I can’t even touch you and then someone who at this moment we don’t even know, can! Hey… I mean you have a sister, have you ever had the moment with her before (if you are a brother). The whole little things with your siblings can blow your mind off.

 

The Dream of Life

I had no reason to want to live

Happiness was not a consistent factor

I had no passion for life

Love came surely from family and friends

I had no purpose in life

I felt unfulfilled

In the nights I did not want to wake up

I prayed to God;

To prevent all my worthless living

To make me not see the light of day in flesh

But He never did

Then I had a dream

A dream that my creator wanted me

To be the leader of His people;

A dream that pushed me on

A dream that gave me a purpose for life

A dream that granted me the desire to keep on living

Now!

I no longer want to die

I surprisingly do not want to sleep for long

For there’s a lot to be done

I have a mission to fulfill

If I die without doing it

Then I would be useless

He did not give me a reason to only live on

I had a reason

To give my all

And now to die for the cause

A cause I will die for trying

My time is short

Three score and ten and a few more

I have a lot to do

So I pray for life each day

And He grants it to me