Rose with her girlfriend Gladys Maduako photo taken  in 1963 , Old GRA Portharcourt when both lived with their uncle Chief J. A. Ibe.

I recall always seeing a dark green sweater with holes mom kept in her memory basket  for years. I remember pulling this sweater out one year and asked mom why she kept "that ugly sweater with holes in it all these years".
She told me that the sweater meant a lot to her and she would keep it as long as she could.  This is her story:
During the civil war, so many Biafrian and Nigerian lives were lost. There were so many children with "Kwashiokor" due to malnutrition, she opened up a food court at the main market place "Orieagu Market" to help provide food with needed nutrients to the locals, soldiers and travelers.

This sweater she said, came from a Biafran Soldier day, One day during the war, a Biafran soldier came to her restuarant and asked for food. He had no money to pay for his food and mom fed him anyway and sent him on his merry way. The following day, this soldier came by her restuarant with some of his soldier commrades and presented her with his only possesion, the Biafrian Army sweater he was wearing. He asked my mom to accept the sweater as gratitude for feeding him and to keep it to remember him. The soldiers would always stop through for their daily meals. The following week, noticing the young soldier was not with the group, mom was saddened to hear from the commrades that the young soldier had been killed and they wanted my mom to know.  Mom kept this sweater for years until the sweater fell apart and her eyes would fill up with pride yet sadness whenever she talked about the "Biafrian sweater". 

Mom would always say, "in life we all have a part, do your part because you never know. Always help people out when you see the opportunity"  From that moment on, as a 10 yr old, I saw mom as an enigma, an extraordinary angel who was sent to positively change lives forever.

The special years will not return when we were all together, but with the love within our hearts you will walk with us forever. 

Mummy
My source
My strength
My Inspiration
Always in my heart.

gege