ForeverMissed
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Her Life
March 21, 2016

Last year, we decided among my sisters that it was time to celebrate our parents for all they did to make us who we are.We planned and gave our parents a very beautiful 40th wedding anniversary celebrations. It never crossed my mind that it would be my last time seeing my mother. The event went so well.I bade them farewell as they drove with me to the airport to see me off. I looked int my mom's face and promised to be back in June with her grand kids to have a proper bonding time with her and her grand kids and my dad. When I came back to the U.S, I kept constant communication with my parents. I called and spoke to my mother on March 8th and the only words she said to me was: "Hello".Wished I gave her time to speak but I went on and on. By the following day, i called again to check up on her.By this time, she was very bad and dad informed that she had to be taken to the hospital. Well, I prayed a lot for her but God had need of her more than we did. So on March 16, approximately 10:30am, my baby sister sent me a message that mom had breathed her last breathe. My whole world shattered since then. I will live with the memories shared in December and January and I am comforted to know that my mom is in a better place, free of pains and sorrow. I remember in December during my visit, she would talk to me with her fingers pointed towards me always saying: "Do not worry about me". How did she know I worried a lot about her? I guess she knew she will be gone and wanted me to know that ahead of time.She said the same thing at the airport when she and dad dropped me off. That makes perfect sense to me now. I know my mom is in heaven and watching over me and my sibblings.

March 21, 2016

When we relocated to Akwa Ibom State during the creation of state, dad had mentioned that he wanted most of our foods grown especially since we had the advantage of living in the country side.Mom ran with that idea.Mom grew vegetables, produced palm oil, planted yams, cassava etc. She was so into her oil production that she decided to go large scale with it and she had a lot of customers she sold her palm produce to. Everyone loved her palm oil because it was very fresh without any altercation like most people in the business did.Mom owned several palm plantation.She expounded her business and it fetched her a lot of money to supplement her meagre teacher salary. My mother gave me a tough love lesson when I was in high school.I remember when I asked mom for money to buy an expensive lotion. Mom looked at me and said if I was willing to make my own money for those "wants" I had.I called them "wants" now because as a mother, I perfectly understand the difference between "wants" and "needs". Well, I decided with my sister to take her on that offer.Mom gave each of us a plot of farm land to plant vegetables, cassava(the most lucrative) at the time.So when the the crops were ready for harvesting, we would harvest them and sell to her customers and use the money to buy our "wants". That lesson made me who I am today. 

March 21, 2016

This memorial website was created in the memory of my mom, Mrs. Mary B.S. Ekanem who was born in Nigeria on December 23rd, 1945 and passed away on 16 March, 2016 at the age of 70. We will remember her forever.

My mother, Mrs. Mary Ekanem was born into an industrious family. She was educated despite the fact that female education was not a priority back in the day. My mother furthered her education up to the university level where she studied Mathematics and latter became a mathematics teacher. My mother taught math at various schools and finally retired as a high school principal after serving her time. I hated math while growing up but my mother left me with no choice but to embrace math because she had a "no nonsense" approach towards learning math concepts. I remember as a little girl when I could not tell time.I had a homework to learn how to tell time but I could not. My mother carefully taught me how to do so but it did not come easy. Mom was very stern with me when she told me that if I couldn't tell time which was my homework assignment for that day, that I might as well just sit on the table till i was able to do so. My dad looked at me and at this time, I was drooping in tears. Dad shook his head and said:"well you have to do what your mom say". Well, that approach surely did it for me because before I got up from the diner table, I learned how to tell time by all means. That experience had lived with me till i became a grown up.