A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to talk to a group of young children and told them the story of going away to boarding school in the early 1990's. 

Remembering about going away to boarding school brought a memory I had tucked away. Shortly after getting married, during one of our visits home in Ibadan, Papa handed me a binder. He always had a binder for each of us, filing away our school results/reports from way back when. So if any of my sisters ever told you, "I always took 1st position when I was in school", come ask me to check Papa's library (very useful info for my nieces and nephews hahaha). 

Anyway, back to my story, Papa handed me a binder and upon opening it, it was a chronicle of my life - copies of my birth certificate, baptismal certificate, receipt from the hospital where I was born (yeah, I was born in the hospital for real), to notes asking me to be excused from school because of measles, signed by Papa (yes, he kept copies of notes he sent to my kindergarten teacher!). As I continued looking through the binder, I came across a lined sheet of paper with "chicken scratches" on it...lol. the handwriting was terrible. I flipped it over and saw it was signed by yours truly, MOI! It was one of the letters I had written home while I was away at boarding school, 11 or 12 years old at the time. My sister Doc and I were missing home terribly and unhappy with boarding school. I had written  so much and included this sentence which Papa underlined - "we are like sheep without a shepherd". Haaa...heartbreak! 

We were already blessed with LadyFi at the time I came across this letter again and I could only imagine how he and Mom felt, reading that from their very young children in far away Bida, Niger State. Needless to say, we were soon "repatriated" back to schools closer home after that and I doubt that any of us really went that far from home again until we were young adults.

I recall that letter and always wondered why Papa kept it, filed it away securely and gave it to me many years after. We laughed about it at the time, but the more I think about it, the more I think it revealed another layer to the personality of the man I am always proud to call my Father, my Papa and the one and only Grandpa Ibadan to my kids. Even though he was stern and firm, we always knew we could be true about how things were with us, even at that young age. 

Today marks the 6th year anniversary of Papa's transition to glory and according to LadyFi this morning, "is it really 6 years already?" Indeed, the past 6 years have been like one year, our grief is still there, but time indeed is healing our wounds and sorrow at your departure,  Papa. You are one unforgettable man, really our hero in more ways than 1. Your memory is forever cherished, forever loved, forever missed.

As Papa got older, he became extremely generous (he had always been but as I got older and became more aware i recognised it more and more). Since we cannot bring you back, we decided to celebrate Papa's life and times by visiting a place he is known to have a special affinity for - The Motherless Babies Home. Until i visited, I didn't understand fully the depth of kindness my father embodied. I am grateful that you left a legacy of humility, gratitude and generousity - towards God and mankind. Today my heart blesses my Papa again for real life lessons he taught me in words but most epsecially in deeds.

Rest in peace my beloved Papa.