How time flies. Already 8 years. Well, that route is meant for everyone and has to be
#firstcomefirstgo so now mami Mary kindly receive your son Ni Alf. The Angel that you are, constantly singing those lovely hymns. Continue to rest in peace.

Mami may your gentle soul continue to RIPP. We thank God for the life you lived here on earth, and I hope you have already met with your sisters my mother etc who left many years ago. I really admired the way you people interacted with love always. We are trying to pick up in that same footing. Bye for now till we meet at again as this song says. We love you.

For ever in our hearts. RIP mami Mary

Mami, may you continue to rest in perfect peace

Below, picture not here, (but the picture page )my last son, at burial in Baforchu.
This kid was with my mom, like our proverb in Cameroon, that says someone is like, finger and nail, working together.
He love my mom soo much, and he steamed at the burial ground, saying aunts were going to eat her grand ma, because the casket was a little open.
Poor child, not realizing whether the casket was a little open or not, his grand mMa was returning to dust.
I am great ful my mom had Grand kids who made her life very happy for the close to 15 years that she was abroad with us.
Rest in perfect peace, And Happy birth/death day.

MY VERY SPECIAL MOMMY, ANGEL MARY ANGEH KWENDE: and I in this PICTURE here. REST IN PEACE IN THE LORD, MOM !!!!

My dearest mother, Mammy Mary Angeh Kwende, I cannot believe that today, January 1st 2021, New Year's day, is already a 5th anniversary of that dreaded day on this same New Year's day, when you stopped breathing, (presumably, around 5;30 am, European time, which was around midnight getting into new Year, American time); and went to meet your marker, God, over Brussels, in Belgium, just about 2 hours hours before we landed in Brussels, to transit and catch our next flight to the USA, where you and I had left and were in Cameroon for 3 weeks.

How time flies, my Dearest mother.!!!!. How are you ; My dearest mother???? I know you are one of the angels in heaven, taking care of both my grand mothers, and my dad, and our son, Fonkwa, just as you took care of them here on earth.

My dearest mother, we miss you and need you as we have never before. Nothing is going well in the family since you left us. Mommy, please, intercede for all our sins and may be, just may be, one day, we shall live a pure and blessed and happy life that you did live, despite all the horrible things done to you on earth here, by some very evil persons who vowed to make your life miserable. You were of course a very happy person, and even those who did things to mess your health, were shocked on how happy you always was, regardless.

Your grand kids miss you a lot, and all of us miss you especially today, New Years day, which is the day when all wish to see, in order to move into an up coming year. But you did not have that luxury to move into 2017. Your life ended on New year 2016., and that was your birthday.!!!! What a. coincident!!!
Again, you told me that you delivered me all by yourself, and even cut my navel all by yourself too, and when I gave my first loud cry, that is when my dad came into the room, after the fact. What a coincident again, that I came into the world just the 2 of us, you and I, and you left the world, just when it was the 2 of us, you and I, no other family member around. .
What can I say?

I wish you the best where you are, for you suffered a lot on this earth, at the hands of others. I know you are rejoicing now, while your haters are seeing you as a lesson for them, so much so that if they were to come back on earth, I am sure they would have treated you differently. It is exactly 12 mid might, now. New Year, 2021 has arrived, and I will remember you from this moment until the next New Year, 2022, arrives.

Rest in peace in the boson of Christ our lord. I love you so much Mommy. The kids love you so much, your family miss you and love you and miss you so much.

The best mom any one can ever ask for, rest in perfect peace, Mom. Please, I am not happy since you left. Pour some Grace on me, and bring happiness in my life again, Mom. Here are some pictures I took from your grave, and I know you are lying in your comfortable bed, the very beautiful CASKET THAT I BOUGHT for you from Dallas Texas, USA, for I wanted you to return to a lot of Comfort (your soft casket) each time that you finish your chores with Jesus Christ our lord, return to your casket yo rest.

Mom, I cannot forget how you were the most loving mom anyone could ask God for. You were selfless, always helping the helpless, and taking care of mad people in Santa market, and even removing their "jiggers", a parasite that was a very big health risk to mad persons, when we were growing up.

woah, you gave food to every teacher that came working under my dad, who was headmaster of elementary school. you feed the poor, and worked very hard all your life, and showed us, your kids, the importance of "hard work".

All kids were treated equally, weather they were your biological kids, or not.
You had a lot of step kids, from your many co-wives that were brought into your marriage, you being the first wife, but you treated them with love and grace, even though you were not lucky enough to have your kindness, reciprocated; but according to you, that was ok, and did not stop you from treating your detractors, kindly, and sharing all you had with them, and still loving them.

WOOOAAH MOM, it takes only a special mother like you, to keep on loving your enemies, until you took your very last breath, sitting, "elbow-elbow-with-me", your last daughter, over a strange land in Europe.
What a day, it was for me? You never gave me any clue you were going to leave me, because you ate a piece of Candy bought by your grand daughter Fr-Atsoh, while we were on that plane, and you ate with very good appetite, and after we started sleeping, and that was it; for you never talked to me, nor did I ever had the grace to look again in your very beautiful eyes.

You will be fine, while waiting until we meet you to part no more. I LOVE YOU VERY VERY. VERY MUCH, MAMMY MARY ANGEH KWENDE. MY ONLY LOVE ON THIS EARTH. No, I am empty and with no one to live me any more.

That's alright. With your love for us, we/I will survive.!!!!!!!!

Today, January 1st, 2021. The Great New Years' day; a day that everyone on earth awaits; and count themselves very LUCKY, to have been given the Grace by our Almighty God, to see this Great day; as we await the midnight ball to drop in the Time Square; as known for us in; the U. S. of A.

I am no different. I always await this day, and is always very Thankful for years now, that I saw this great day, Starting a new year, signifying a new beginning.

But now this day, January 1st, New Years say, has become a BITTER/ SWEET, for me, since the early hours of January 1st, 2016, when I mom SHOCKED me, and took her last breath mod flight on a plane, over Brussels, Belgium.

Again, a very "rear occurance". This famous day, January 1st that I was awaiting for in 2016, also happened to be my mom's birthday.

So, when I use the word, "REAR" I really mean rear.

How many persons do we know who have left this world on the same day that is, their birthday?

The great day that God ushered you into this troubling world, happens to be the same day, God calls you home to have erternal REST in His boson?

Very rear indeed, I will say. That is my Loving Mom's Fate.

She went on the exact same day that she triumphantly entered this world, through her blessed mom, my grand mom.

Wooaahh, Mom, you know you are really a God's child, like I have always known; watching you and your seflessness; giving all you had to others, beyond human understanding, as I was growing up.

There is no doubt that you are one of God's Angels since the day you left me, stranded on that Air Brussels flight, over Belgium, a very strange land, cold and lonely, and very dreary, but who was I to argue with the Lord.

I/we are not sad because you left us, but because of the horrible place and time, and surprise of where it happened.

No doubt, the bible tells us, God is going to snatch us back to His Kingdom, like a thief in the night, so we have to be ready at all times, and in all places!!!.

Waoh, what a first hand lesson of my Bible study!!!!!

lord, you, definitely made this bible verse come to life and more vividly to me, in a way, no other lesson could have taught me!!!!
I mourn for you, mom, not because I challenge God, but because the experience I had with you is still overwhelmingly painful and still stressful to my inner core, even years after. I can NEVER be the same.

I promise you that I will work on getting my emotions to NORMAL, again, if at all, the word NORMAL, will again exist in my vocabulary, and in my life.
So, Sister/brothers, you may see me laughing, but you may need to LOOK for the TRACKS of my TEARS, UNDER, DEEP UNDER MY SKIN, that NECKED EYES CANNOT SEE.
My tears still continue flowing years after, again because of the way the SO- CALLED-WHITE-MAN in whose country my mom passed on, treated my mom's, body, and I.

We were treated like dirt, and I had to take that all alone, with no one to lean my shoulders on for comfort; while I was being discriminated on, along with my mom's "Remains" in that dreadful airport.

I now hate Brussel airlines, and never wanted to fly it again, but how can I stop flying it, when flying with Brussels garranteed me; every time I am going to Cameroon, that I am going to get closer to my mom, by transmitter for a few hours in the city dreadful city where my left this earth.

So, even though I hate Brussel, and Brussels airline for the disrespect my mom's "Remains", and I had from them, I still have to keep riding their airlines, so as to have those few hours of transit time, to reconnect with my mom, each time I have a stop over there, waiting for the next flight either going to Cameroon to visit her grave, or coming back to the USA.

I am working on moving on mom, for I have kids to take care of, so, I cannot afford to keep breaking down.

I thank the Lord, for you were very ill when I was only 5 years old, and was almost dead, for some haters on earth, who poisoned you with a pregnancy, and after the miscarriage of that pregnancy you became very vegetatively sick, for more than 5 years that you were ill, and I was turned into a slave, and I was happy 5 years after, when I was around 10 years, when you finally came back to me, after living your life from hospital to hospital.

I thank God for your life.
I know there are also a lot of family, friends, Sisters Brothers, here who were not so lucky to even know their Loving Mom's, for they left too soon; some, just as they were bringing them into the world, dying at giving birth.

So, I am sorry if you are reading this, and had your mom left you too soon, and do not think I am selfish for morning a mom whom I am lucky to had had for years.

I do apologise if I sound offensive. A lot of us have lost loved ones, like me, but what you may not see with your necked eyes on me is thatv I am struggling with a lot of painful EMOTIONS, of this very LONELY, AND HORRIBLE Experience I had on the plane in no man's land, and with no shoulder to lean on, and where no one understood my DEEP PAIN; and WORST, my mom's dead was treated with a lot of DISRESPECT.

On "Mothers-Without- Borders", here today, the Anniversary of my Mom's last day on earth, I want to honor her memory hear today, for it was her "great and exampolary life" that inspired me to have us on this forum, with the main purpose of carrying on in her foot-steps and taking care of the helpless, and poor, and orphaned persons, in Cameroon; in particular, when the time is right.
So, I want to share a few of her memories since she left me, with you, here

Thank you, family, friends, mothers for your great support in this forum. Your support has been keeping me going.

All the pictures were during Wake keeping and Burial in our village Baforchu. Thanks again, all on our forum for your support.
I am still in therapy, and with God's Grace, I will be a little "whole" again, some day.

Amen, and Happy New Year, 2021; oday's date.!!! ‍❤️‍

Again, thank you all, and happy New Year, and Happy birthday, and "grateful death anniversary" January 1st, 202, for my Great mom, Angel Mary Angeh Kwende. Amen

"Please, excuse minor typing errors".

Queenn Kwende.
.‍‍‍‍❤️‍

Mami, we miss you dearly. Continue to rest in peace!

Mabel Mbelli

Mami,, rest in peace

RIP Mama

HOW MY SWEET MOM LEFT THIS WORLD, SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME ON A PLANE, BRUSSELS AIRLINES, WITHOUT SAYING A WORD TO ME; IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!!!

Shared by Lizzy Kwende-Achirimofor on 01/24/2016

My dearest mother, my best friend, my confident, my adviser, my best Nanny, my best chief-whip to the grand kids. I left with you in Dec. 2015 for a three-week vacation in Cameroon where I thought it was a good idea for you to touch base with your family, after staying abroad in the USA with us for more than 10 years. Two years ago, we took this same trip to Cameroon, and all was fine, and I thought this was going to be the same. You were very happy to go on the trip. On our way to Cameroon, we played and made fun with each other on the plane until we arrived Cameroon. You were very happy in Cameroon, and I do not know what suddenly happened, and on our way back on Brussels Air lines, close to when we were to land in Brussel to catch a connecting flight to the USA, you left me, you left me, mamma without a word, so that I could get and feel your last thought and voice. You left so quietly and went without a word. Now, I am wondering if you were in pain or not. I wish I saw your last moment. But just as the bible says, death sneaked on you and got you like a “thief”. No sound or noise for me to turn and see you go. Mammy, I wish you gave me some notice so that I could have given you one last kiss to wish you farewell on your journey to see our Lord.

  I know you were every happy with me in Bamenda, and we drove around Bamenda buying groceries, and you made me buy all the foods that you loved to eat. You loved your house that I had built for you, and you were very happy that I honored you by carving your name on the house. For truly, I had always wanted you to be comfortable and I know towards the end of your life, you were happy.

 I just wish I knew that you were to leave us, Mama, I am still suffering the pain and night mares of having to give you good bye on the plane. I find myself asking a lot of questions, WHY? Why? Why? The whys are too many. Why did mammy had to leave me in this way? Why did it have to happen on a plane? Why did I not see some signs? Mammy fooled me by eating her last meal very well. Mammy you love Sneakers, and your granddaughter Fri-Atsoh AchiriMofor had bought you a lot of it when you were going to Cameroon, and your last meal was one of these sneakers on the plane. You ate with very good appetite, and drank water, and that kind of gave me good hopes that you were every comfortable and well. So we started sleeping for we were at the cruising altitude when light was turned off in the plane, and everyone was sleeping. You and I were sleeping and I thought all was well, just for me to suddenly wake up, one and a half hour to arriving in Brussels, and I saw you sitting with your chin, drooping on your chest, and I thought you were just in a bad position; but when I tried to adjust you, I realized that you may be in trouble, and I screamed for help.

Air Hostesses came and announced for a doctor on board to come help. Two healthy men lifted you from your seat and lay you on the floor of the plane, and CPR started by one Dr. Benedette Atanga from Cameroon, (thank God for her presence on board), and stayed on for about one and a half hour until we landed in Brussel. All along, some nice woman was praying for you. When we landed, I heard that an emergency crew came on board and declared you gone. Before I knew it, you were taken behind the airport, and then I was escorted to you.
Cruel people on Brussels. No one told me officially that you were gone, I had to figure it out myself that you were gone. The so-called emergency doctors who came on board to attend to you, knew that you were travelling with your daughter, but none of them cared about you enough to ask to talk to me your daughter, in order to pronounced you death, to. I cried out there in the middle of nowhere thinking that it was a joke, but it became all real in my face in a few minutes. Oh Mother, why did it have to happen in this way? In the middle of nowhere, I found myself calling Cameroon and the USA to inform your children and grandchildren that you had just left us. What a difficult phone call was that. My brother in Cameroon Alfred Kwende who had just been at the Airport the previous night to see you off, screamed like a baby when I broke the news to him, but I had no time to moan with him, for I had still another difficult phone call to make. Yes, yet another very difficult phone call to the USA to your other kids and Grandkids, to make the same dreaded announcement of your passing on. I could hear my son, Akehnji, who was named after your father, mom, and happens to have a special bond with you; screaming uncontrollably in the back ground after my announcement. Oh death, why did you come in this way?

Now I find myself in the middle of nowhere shopping for a funeral home to keep you, mamma. That was my next step, after delivering the horrible news to your kids/grandkids. How did I do this? Kept my mother where there was not bed for her to sleep in. Kept you in ice. Kept you among strangers, Kept you in the middle of nowhere. Mammy must have been wondering where her daughter, Lizzy, was, when I kept you in the funeral home, filled papers, releasing your body and passport to the Funeral Home attendant. Mammy do not worry. The ice on you is going to be just for a while, I know Jesus already welcomed you and gave you the best of everything. Warm bed, nice cloths, etc, I found myself in the middle of nowhere shopping for a tight casket for you. I had no choice. But I told myself that the casket in Europe were too small for you, and so I promised myself that I was going to get a bigger bed for you; an AMERICAN CASKET; your eternal bed with a lot of room for your comfort, and I have kept my promise by shipping one from the U.S.A, to Brussels.

How could I have left you behind and boarded the next plane to the USA. I do not know how I boarded that Plane, without you. I was crying silently until I reached the USA. How did I make it to the USA alone without you. There was no more laughter, like the one I had with you when we were flying to Cameroon. You were gone, gone like a puff of flower that just got released into the air by the wind. I did not know I was going to make that flight, but I did. God took me across the Atlantic Ocean in one piece., for that flight over the Atlantic seemed to be an unending flight. But it did end. Thank God.

Mom, you left me without me recording all those nice Mungaka songs that you used to sing in your troubled days when some people on this earth acted like they owned you, and tormented you. You would sing these sings and bounce back to happiness. I watched it all at age five, and sometimes, I used to cry along with you when you sang those songs. I promise you that I will look for that Mungaka hyme book, and will sing all those songs in your glory, and make you happy where ever you are.

Or sweet mom, mother of all children. You did not discriminate on any child. It did not have to be your biological child for you to take care of. All the children of all the teachers who worked in all school campuses that our dad worked, will testify that you fed all children in the school yard. You put from the fire was so big about three persons had to come help you to put it down. And then after that everyone’s dish was filled up, and even those of neighboring children, and visitors. You fed all new arriving teachers to the school campuses where my dad was school Principal, who did not have food for their children. You were really a Godly woman. I think we, your children should consider ourselves very Blessed to have been assigned to you by God. You have always been an angel in my eyes. I have no doubt now that you are one of the ANGELS IN HEAVEN.

You always kept family together, you never got upset. You always forgave all, and you let people trample on you for the sake of peace, and I am very happy that you slept in the house that I built in your name. You suffered all your life at the hands of those who wanted to play God on you, but your long life is a testimony that no one is above God. I remember when I was 5 years old, and when the torment on you was too much to take, you would get outside in full moon and lift your hand up to God and prayed your honest prayer, asking God to bring you peace. And God sure listened to you, and made us grow big and responsible enough to take good care of you. I remember I did not have hair on top of my hair when I was young for I had to sell everything that you ginuiosly fried or baked, from puffpuff, to cake to chicken for sale, so that we could survive. And the tray that I carried these things for sale and move around to sell, eroded all hair from the top middle part of my hair. 

You were almost 90 when you left us, but we still morn for you, for you were still functioning as a 60 years old woman. Your strength was that of a teenager. You were the family adviser, you were my best friend, you still did dishes every day. Even before the trip to Cameroon. You still cooked for us at the Thanks Giving feast that just passed in November, and even all the guess that were with us during that Thanks Giving, and had some very meaningful and fulfilling conversations/times with you, were most shocked that you had left us. My In-laws, Ivo Mokom, Tembei and Lum chiawah who spent Thanks Giving with us, and enjoyed your conversations, and prayer, blessing our food for that day, are in disbelieve. You were the chief wipe, for the kids listed to you and your wisdom. You were still braiding our hair, still stitching the kids cloths, Oh Grand Ma. How the grandkids miss you. So when we morn for you, people out there may say, “oh she was old”, so according to them, you are old and withered, and so deserve to die. Yes, you were old in age, but not in spirit, and physically. you were still very variant and was our entertainer. All my friends who visit will be happy they met you, mom, for you will offer then food, and hold wise conversations with them, until they would want to come back to see you again and again, especially my friend, Martha Ngwainmbi.

Oh mom, where are you? I still feel your gentle breast as you used to feed me and protect
me from danger. The grand kids miss you too much. Even our White neighbors miss you. You had friends of all colors even though you had a language barrier with some of these American friends, but that did not stop you from communicating with them. Oh MOMMY, where are you?

  I am missing you when we have not even lay you to rest. Mom, I in Particular need you very much. Where are you? Please, give me some sign to show that you know what is happening with me, your baby, right now. I am in so much pain, and please, mom, give me some sign that you know what I am going through. The pain of being by myself when we lose you will never go away. I am trying to do all to make sure that you rest in peace, but things are not working. Please, mom, come take care of me. I break down last week and was in the hospital. Please, I need your support as you used to do when you were here. You are not even gone, and I am in so much pain? Please, mamma, give me a sign that you know my heart and know what I am going through. I love you so much mamma. I cry for you are not there to tell all, that you know my pure heart, and that I am doing my best to honor you, right know until you are put to rest.

Mammy all your friend miss you. All of them miss seeing you sit in front of Silver Spring Church after service, as you greet everyone. Mammy, Akehnji still morn for you. He goes to your room every now and then, and try to put on the T.V on the FOOD Channel that he always put for you and that you liked so much. My husband Richard misses buying your drinks and putting under your bed as usual, and you would jokingly tell him that he is trying to make a drunkard out of you and your daughter, (ME). You will usually continue and say, “My pickin and me no be de drink, but you dong make my pickin start drink”. We all miss this peep talk mamma. Rest in perfect peace, mamma. There is trouble in the house, mamma. Send a sign to solve this. I love you my best friend, my adviser, my story teller. The best MOTHER/NANNY to grand kids.

 I wish I had listened to you when in Bamenda, you tried to give me some clues about leaving us. You told me this dream where you were in some place where all was clean and white as snow, and that you were part of this very happy group, but the difference was that you had wings, and since I thought wings means death, I quickly told you to stop telling me the dream. I wish I had let you finish your dream. I could have been better prepared that you are going, and so could have given you the appropriate “BYE”. Again you tried to tell me and Ni Alfred that your time is near in Bamenda, and we again stopped you from talking, and your response was, “alright, if you all do not believe me, then when it happens, I will be laughing at you”. And all of us busted laughing and asking you where you will be, laughing at us? We wish we had listed again to you. May be you are truly laughing at us now? Mammy you are truly an angel for you could see your end coming, a thing that we humans cannot see.

 And you again, told Akehnji, your best friend, that you were going to die on your birthday. Akehnji just laughed at you, but you again ended up laughing at Akehnji. You have Jan. 1st as your birthday on all your documents, and you ended up dying on Jan. 1st, as you had told Akehnji. Why did we not listen to you, Grand ma? ANGEL MARY KWENDE, rest in perfect peace.

 I have so much to tell you, but I am going to stop for now. I promise you that I am going to keep my render-vous with you every day, and keep talking with you. I love you, ANGEH MARY KWENE, the GREAT woman who is my MOTHER. PROUD that you were my mother. YOU maintained your integrity right to the end of your life. A lady like no other. Gentle and meek as a lamb. Thank God for all the years he gave you to us, REST IN PERFECT PEACE, ANGEH, your middle name, which I understood I could address you by as if you were my age mate, when we were in the best of moods with each other. Talk to you later, MOMMY. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, AND EVER WILL, TILL I COME MEET YOU. SAY HI TO MY GRAND MOTHERS, and DAD, who went ahead of you, for me. AMEN.

HOW MY SWEET MOM LEFT THIS WORLD, SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME ON A PLANE, BRUSSELS AIRLINES, WITHOUT SAYING A WORD TO ME; IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!!!

Shared by Lizzy Kwende-Achirimofor on 01/24/2016

My dearest mother, my best friend, my confident, my adviser, my best Nanny, my best chief-whip to the grand kids. I left with you in Dec. 2015 for a three-week vacation in Cameroon where I thought it was a good idea for you to touch base with your family, after staying abroad in the USA with us for more than 10 years. Two years ago, we took this same trip to Cameroon, and all was fine, and I thought this was going to be the same. You were very happy to go on the trip. On our way to Cameroon, we played and made fun with each other on the plane until we arrived Cameroon. You were very happy in Cameroon, and I do not know what suddenly happened, and on our way back on Brussels Air lines, close to when we were to land in Brussel to catch a connecting flight to the USA, you left me, you left me, mamma without a word, so that I could get and feel your last thought and voice. You left so quietly and went without a word. Now, I am wondering if you were in pain or not. I wish I saw your last moment. But just as the bible says, death sneaked on you and got you like a “thief”. No sound or noise for me to turn and see you go. Mammy, I wish you gave me some notice so that I could have given you one last kiss to wish you farewell on your journey to see our Lord.

  I know you were every happy with me in Bamenda, and we drove around Bamenda buying groceries, and you made me buy all the foods that you loved to eat. You loved your house that I had built for you, and you were very happy that I honored you by carving your name on the house. For truly, I had always wanted you to be comfortable and I know towards the end of your life, you were happy.

 I just wish I knew that you were to leave us, Mama, I am still suffering the pain and night mares of having to give you good bye on the plane. I find myself asking a lot of questions, WHY? Why? Why? The whys are too many. Why did mammy had to leave me in this way? Why did it have to happen on a plane? Why did I not see some signs? Mammy fooled me by eating her last meal very well. Mammy you love Sneakers, and your granddaughter Fri-Atsoh AchiriMofor had bought you a lot of it when you were going to Cameroon, and your last meal was one of these sneakers on the plane. You ate with very good appetite, and drank water, and that kind of gave me good hopes that you were every comfortable and well. So we started sleeping for we were at the cruising altitude when light was turned off in the plane, and everyone was sleeping. You and I were sleeping and I thought all was well, just for me to suddenly wake up, one and a half hour to arriving in Brussels, and I saw you sitting with your chin, drooping on your chest, and I thought you were just in a bad position; but when I tried to adjust you, I realized that you may be in trouble, and I screamed for help.

Air Hostesses came and announced for a doctor on board to come help. Two healthy men lifted you from your seat and lay you on the floor of the plane, and CPR started by one Dr. Benedette Atanga from Cameroon, (thank God for her presence on board), and stayed on for about one and a half hour until we landed in Brussel. All along, some nice woman was praying for you. When we landed, I heard that an emergency crew came on board and declared you gone. Before I knew it, you were taken behind the airport, and then I was escorted to you.
Cruel people on Brussels. No one told me officially that you were gone, I had to figure it out myself that you were gone. The so-called emergency doctors who came on board to attend to you, knew that you were travelling with your daughter, but none of them cared about you enough to ask to talk to me your daughter, in order to pronounced you death, to. I cried out there in the middle of nowhere thinking that it was a joke, but it became all real in my face in a few minutes. Oh Mother, why did it have to happen in this way? In the middle of nowhere, I found myself calling Cameroon and the USA to inform your children and grandchildren that you had just left us. What a difficult phone call was that. My brother in Cameroon Alfred Kwende who had just been at the Airport the previous night to see you off, screamed like a baby when I broke the news to him, but I had no time to moan with him, for I had still another difficult phone call to make. Yes, yet another very difficult phone call to the USA to your other kids and Grandkids, to make the same dreaded announcement of your passing on. I could hear my son, Akehnji, who was named after your father, mom, and happens to have a special bond with you; screaming uncontrollably in the back ground after my announcement. Oh death, why did you come in this way?

Now I find myself in the middle of nowhere shopping for a funeral home to keep you, mamma. That was my next step, after delivering the horrible news to your kids/grandkids. How did I do this? Kept my mother where there was not bed for her to sleep in. Kept you in ice. Kept you among strangers, Kept you in the middle of nowhere. Mammy must have been wondering where her daughter, Lizzy, was, when I kept you in the funeral home, filled papers, releasing your body and passport to the Funeral Home attendant. Mammy do not worry. The ice on you is going to be just for a while, I know Jesus already welcomed you and gave you the best of everything. Warm bed, nice cloths, etc, I found myself in the middle of nowhere shopping for a tight casket for you. I had no choice. But I told myself that the casket in Europe were too small for you, and so I promised myself that I was going to get a bigger bed for you; an AMERICAN CASKET; your eternal bed with a lot of room for your comfort, and I have kept my promise by shipping one from the U.S.A, to Brussels.

How could I have left you behind and boarded the next plane to the USA. I do not know how I boarded that Plane, without you. I was crying silently until I reached the USA. How did I make it to the USA alone without you. There was no more laughter, like the one I had with you when we were flying to Cameroon. You were gone, gone like a puff of flower that just got released into the air by the wind. I did not know I was going to make that flight, but I did. God took me across the Atlantic Ocean in one piece., for that flight over the Atlantic seemed to be an unending flight. But it did end. Thank God.

Mom, you left me without me recording all those nice Mungaka songs that you used to sing in your troubled days when some people on this earth acted like they owned you, and tormented you. You would sing these sings and bounce back to happiness. I watched it all at age five, and sometimes, I used to cry along with you when you sang those songs. I promise you that I will look for that Mungaka hyme book, and will sing all those songs in your glory, and make you happy where ever you are.

Or sweet mom, mother of all children. You did not discriminate on any child. It did not have to be your biological child for you to take care of. All the children of all the teachers who worked in all school campuses that our dad worked, will testify that you fed all children in the school yard. You put from the fire was so big about three persons had to come help you to put it down. And then after that everyone’s dish was filled up, and even those of neighboring children, and visitors. You fed all new arriving teachers to the school campuses where my dad was school Principal, who did not have food for their children. You were really a Godly woman. I think we, your children should consider ourselves very Blessed to have been assigned to you by God. You have always been an angel in my eyes. I have no doubt now that you are one of the ANGELS IN HEAVEN.

You always kept family together, you never got upset. You always forgave all, and you let people trample on you for the sake of peace, and I am very happy that you slept in the house that I built in your name. You suffered all your life at the hands of those who wanted to play God on you, but your long life is a testimony that no one is above God. I remember when I was 5 years old, and when the torment on you was too much to take, you would get outside in full moon and lift your hand up to God and prayed your honest prayer, asking God to bring you peace. And God sure listened to you, and made us grow big and responsible enough to take good care of you. I remember I did not have hair on top of my hair when I was young for I had to sell everything that you ginuiosly fried or baked, from puffpuff, to cake to chicken for sale, so that we could survive. And the tray that I carried these things for sale and move around to sell, eroded all hair from the top middle part of my hair. 

You were almost 90 when you left us, but we still morn for you, for you were still functioning as a 60 years old woman. Your strength was that of a teenager. You were the family adviser, you were my best friend, you still did dishes every day. Even before the trip to Cameroon. You still cooked for us at the Thanks Giving feast that just passed in November, and even all the guess that were with us during that Thanks Giving, and had some very meaningful and fulfilling conversations/times with you, were most shocked that you had left us. My In-laws, Ivo Mokom, Tembei and Lum chiawah who spent Thanks Giving with us, and enjoyed your conversations, and prayer, blessing our food for that day, are in disbelieve. You were the chief wipe, for the kids listed to you and your wisdom. You were still braiding our hair, still stitching the kids cloths, Oh Grand Ma. How the grandkids miss you. So when we morn for you, people out there may say, “oh she was old”, so according to them, you are old and withered, and so deserve to die. Yes, you were old in age, but not in spirit, and physically. you were still very variant and was our entertainer. All my friends who visit will be happy they met you, mom, for you will offer then food, and hold wise conversations with them, until they would want to come back to see you again and again, especially my friend, Martha Ngwainmbi.

Oh mom, where are you? I still feel your gentle breast as you used to feed me and protect
me from danger. The grand kids miss you too much. Even our White neighbors miss you. You had friends of all colors even though you had a language barrier with some of these American friends, but that did not stop you from communicating with them. Oh MOMMY, where are you?

  I am missing you when we have not even lay you to rest. Mom, I in Particular need you very much. Where are you? Please, give me some sign to show that you know what is happening with me, your baby, right now. I am in so much pain, and please, mom, give me some sign that you know what I am going through. The pain of being by myself when we lose you will never go away. I am trying to do all to make sure that you rest in peace, but things are not working. Please, mom, come take care of me. I break down last week and was in the hospital. Please, I need your support as you used to do when you were here. You are not even gone, and I am in so much pain? Please, mamma, give me a sign that you know my heart and know what I am going through. I love you so much mamma. I cry for you are not there to tell all, that you know my pure heart, and that I am doing my best to honor you, right know until you are put to rest.

Mammy all your friend miss you. All of them miss seeing you sit in front of Silver Spring Church after service, as you greet everyone. Mammy, Akehnji still morn for you. He goes to your room every now and then, and try to put on the T.V on the FOOD Channel that he always put for you and that you liked so much. My husband Richard misses buying your drinks and putting under your bed as usual, and you would jokingly tell him that he is trying to make a drunkard out of you and your daughter, (ME). You will usually continue and say, “My pickin and me no be de drink, but you dong make my pickin start drink”. We all miss this peep talk mamma. Rest in perfect peace, mamma. There is trouble in the house, mamma. Send a sign to solve this. I love you my best friend, my adviser, my story teller. The best MOTHER/NANNY to grand kids.

 I wish I had listened to you when in Bamenda, you tried to give me some clues about leaving us. You told me this dream where you were in some place where all was clean and white as snow, and that you were part of this very happy group, but the difference was that you had wings, and since I thought wings means death, I quickly told you to stop telling me the dream. I wish I had let you finish your dream. I could have been better prepared that you are going, and so could have given you the appropriate “BYE”. Again you tried to tell me and Ni Alfred that your time is near in Bamenda, and we again stopped you from talking, and your response was, “alright, if you all do not believe me, then when it happens, I will be laughing at you”. And all of us busted laughing and asking you where you will be, laughing at us? We wish we had listed again to you. May be you are truly laughing at us now? Mammy you are truly an angel for you could see your end coming, a thing that we humans cannot see.

 And you again, told Akehnji, your best friend, that you were going to die on your birthday. Akehnji just laughed at you, but you again ended up laughing at Akehnji. You have Jan. 1st as your birthday on all your documents, and you ended up dying on Jan. 1st, as you had told Akehnji. Why did we not listen to you, Grand ma? ANGEL MARY KWENDE, rest in perfect peace.

 I have so much to tell you, but I am going to stop for now. I promise you that I am going to keep my render-vous with you every day, and keep talking with you. I love you, ANGEH MARY KWENE, the GREAT woman who is my MOTHER. PROUD that you were my mother. YOU maintained your integrity right to the end of your life. A lady like no other. Gentle and meek as a lamb. Thank God for all the years he gave you to us, REST IN PERFECT PEACE, ANGEH, your middle name, which I understood I could address you by as if you were my age mate, when we were in the best of moods with each other. Talk to you later, MOMMY. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, AND EVER WILL, TILL I COME MEET YOU. SAY HI TO MY GRAND MOTHERS, and DAD, who went ahead of you, for me. AMEN.