ABIMBOLA - A PRECIOUS GIFT OF 39 YEARS
Aaaaa-bim-bi-ola, Bim-bi-ola, Bim-bi-ola,
We shall yet sing our songs together again.
It still seems like a dream that I desperately want to awaken from. However, I count this too as joy, not only for the endurance it is working out in me but for the comforting assurance that you are now with the Father and we shall meet again.
You taught me to handle life issues lightly and not to carry over a grudge until the morning. I saw this in your every gesture, uncompleted sentences and looks. You knew your God for yourself and held on to him to the end. Your faith was exemplary and infectious. His Grace was evident in your life.
I thank God for the time we spent together. The unserious weekends we spent together like seven years old girls watching TV in bed. My only regret is that we did not have enough of it. We cried together, laughed, planned for the future and hoped together.
It is still extremely difficult to bear, that you can no longer respond to my calls, that you will not just show up as you normally would at my door unannounced and say “antimi, ewo le se? You would call while out shopping to find out if I would like something interesting you had found.
My family called you for help on every thing, to baby sit your niece and nephew, bake a birthday cake, baking and cooking tips, ideas on the best product or deal out there, a family member's current contact details, IT and DIY matters, name it, you had the solution.
It is hard to bear, that I can no longer make those countless daily calls to you, whether important or not, we discussed it. Shortly before you departed, after getting an update about you, I would pick of the phone to discuss the matter with you, only to remind myself , “oh this is about her”, then I drop the phone.
You were my only sister, but also a daughter and above all a friend. No one can take your place in my heart. You left a void in the family, it is beyond comprehension. With grace and ease you kept the family and friends connected far and wide. We can only try to pick up from where you left. You left a mark on all you met and continue to live on in the bonds you created.
You cut across generations; you had a way with the young and old alike. You treated every child as your own. In your own way you made everyone's life special. You had "treats" for everyone.
I miss your gentle voice of wisdom and your smile, amazingly, I still hear that voice loud and clear in circumstances. You stood for peace and unity till the end, your legacy lives on.
I appreciate and treasure every minute of the 39 years I had the pleasure of spending with you and would not trade it for anything. I love and miss you so dearly.
Aburo, Abimbola, Oluwakemi, Odupitan, sun re o.
Ayotunde Popoola