Tribute

“Those whom we love and lose are no longer where they were before. They are now wherever we are”.

My beloved Big Mummy,
I cannot believe that I have to write this at this time. It still feels like a bad dream. I cannot understand it. This is very tough for me. There is no easy way to accept your absence. You were always here and you were always there; at every milestone and in every memory, as an anchor and now as an angel. Your voice still rings out loud in my ears, “Asake mi o! O tilọwaju. O kareọkọ mi.”, “Bawoni, Asake mi? Shotijeun? Ki lo fę ję? We will make it now.”, “Asake, yojusi mi. We haven’t seen you in a long while. We miss you o!” and your laugh. Oh your beautiful laugh! And your dance too! You have been so much and more for the past decades of my life and our lives, ever since I was born, really. I have not been able to accept the thought of the coming days when I cannot stop by to visit and hear “Asake mi, is that you?” while I’m going up the stairs in Cornerstone or see you walk in while you say “ęnlę o! Iky da? Asake, where is your mother? Call her for me. Ore’s daddy nko?” or receive a voice note and a phone call from you or give you correct gist

Oh my beloved big mummy Thank you very much for always having my back and for loving me intentionally. You scolded me without holding back on countless occasions and never failed to draw me even closer to yourself thereafter without ever bringing up my past wrongs, not ever. I remember you getting me my first ever (and only so far) iPad for my 21st birthday, my first cell phone which was a Barbie pink LG flip phone (omo! It was the best gift I’d ever received in my life at that time and it was LIT!) after my WASSCE after you heard that the pass me down one I had, had been seized by your lovely sister. I also remember you getting me that cute and sophisticated Littman stethoscope as my graduation gift from medical school. Many other gifts from you that I cannot begin to list. Oh! The Forever Living lip balm too for my poor lips that are always dry! You always gave the best gifts, my super thoughtful big mummy.

You were a mother to me and I had a friend in you. How blessed and fortunate am I! You had such a large and humble heart. Nobody was ever too bad and had to be cut off from you. No mess was too messy that you didn’t try to fix and you almost always succeeded at fixing them. Oh, how I miss you, my big mummy! Looking back now, I realise you were an angel all along.

I remember one time when you came to my rescue in 2015 and solved a problem that I had found myself in. I remember sometime in 2014 while I was in the university. You had somehow found yourself on Instagram and found my page. Omo!!! That day ehn!!! Your phone call came in, I picked up and the next thing I heard was “MofeOluwaAsake, tani glammy fox?? Ki lo n ba ka? Where did you go to with your friends? Kini meaning aşọti owọnibęyęn?? I am on your page right now. Change that name immediately and remove those pictures. And don’t block me o! Ko ma lọkabuku. You are God’s priceless jewel. Idon’t ever want anyone to view you as anything but that. Shotigbọọkọ mi? O karelai. I can see you have changed the name and removed the pictures. You will not be a fox in Jesus name. O kareAşakę mi. I love you! Don’t block me o!!!” Oh my big mummy

I remember with a heart of thanksgiving all the beautiful summers we spent with you and my siblings and others in the infamous 70 Harptree Drive. “Damola, stop stomping your feet! The neighbours will complain!”, “Eyin girls, who is sleeping on the “tente” tonight?”
My big mummy, premium Jesus girl! You never joked with anything that had to do with service to God, His kingdom and humanity. My big mummy, so selfless,thoughtful, kind, generous and very polite! A mother to all, the baddest driver! My big mummy, my favourite gist partner (besides my big daddy, of course) “Asake mi o! I saw and heard some great news that I like and endorse! I took some pictures too which I will send to you immediately after this call”. Our gists and your advice ehn, premium “Asake mi, trust me, I know what I’m saying. Ask your parents, your uncle Femi and aunt Tomi. They took my advice. I am not wrong. Please promise me that you will keep an open mind to this.” “Asake mi, aşọ yen ko bọsirara o. Why did you buy it?? O tun fi sori Instagram! Ko bọsi o!” “Asake mi, one million yards wife material, o karelai! Your light will never go dim.” “Asake mi, you are too lean. Feast jọ!” “Asake mi, radiology was a smart choice. There is a lot of money in it. O kareọkọ mi. Work hard o. Olorun a wapelu ę.

Oh dear Lord! So many beautiful memories that I cannot put down because it will exhaust the pages and I still would not have told it all, and if I were writing this on a paper, instead of typing it, the paper would have been ruined by so many tears by now.
I believe that what we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. And those that we lovedeeply becomes a part of us. So, I say THANK YOU for the privilege of enjoying your love as your daughter and the light you shared. Thank you for rubbing off on me and becoming a part of me. Thank you for the years of spending your resources, time, emotions and love on all my siblings and I. Thank you for never getting tired of listening and advising, loving and giving. Thank you for being a formidable rock for Iky! Your baby sister, my mother.
Looking at so many pictures of you and us over the last few days, I am reminded of the beauty and colour, life and light that you added to our world and to the world. So thank you, once again for living full and living well. I look around and I see you everywhere and in everything. You were everything, big mummy and I miss you terribly. I appreciated you then and I appreciate you even much more now. Heaven indeed has gained an angel.

For us, our lives are changed forever!
Good night, my most precious and most loved big Mummy.
Your darling daughter,
MofeOluwaAsake.
MofeoluwaLagunju.