Continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord

Here's to you and John Leonard! May your reunion be truly awesome! You are both in a great place now.

Remembering you 5 years on, with the conviction that you are at peace and at home, with God.
You will always be missed Ediye.

So many things are different now, and I can think of quite a few that you would have liked.

Almost five years on, folks whose lives you touched in different ways seek me from different places to share their amazing experiences with you. It is their last respect to you and I always thank them for honoring your memory with kind words. You will never be forgotten. Be at peace Ediye. It is well.

Kind prayers for your service and kindness to others will never cease
And you will always rest in abundant, triumphant and joyful peace.

You are honored in our thoughts, our words, our memories and our dreams.

Thinking of you. Rest in divine peace.

As I listen to the river running softly over rocks, and inhale every other sound heralded by the night,
I know you would have appreciated the enlightening serenity in it all, and feel so certain that right now, you are smiling and dancing with the stars.

You were my happy place, and most beautiful space.

On Father's Day and every other day, you are remembered, cherished and missed. Rest in peace.

Your passing changed my life forever. You will always be remembered with love and pride. Rest in peace.

You’ll always be remembered.
https://youtu.be/GfVd5x9W1Xc

Today would’ve been your 50th Birthday and it would’ve been great to have me celebrate my PhD graduation with you, but to God be the glory of your legacy. Rest on bro!

You would have been 50 today. Happy birthday with the King!

Today would have marked our 19th anniversary, and I know that it would have been another terrific experience with you. Thank you for the memories. I am blessed by the life we shared. Be at peace.

I remember you everyday, with love and pride.
Rest in peace, Ediye.

Continue to rest in perfect peace Prof.

You are home, and at peace Ediye. We all remember you with love and pride.

We remember you. Always.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iDxU9eNQ_0

It's been 47 months with God on our side. You are forever missed.

I will remember you forever.

"I first met Idy after his breakthrough
research on GSM technology, which I had the privilege of reporting
around 2012 or thereabout! He was one of us but his ingenuity
distinguished him. His departure was such a great loss for Nigeria
and Africa. But I think more than anything he was blessed to have you!
In life, when we find idols, people who either through dint of
personal efforts or life aspirations strive to leave their imprints on
the sands of time, we do well to celebrate them. These ones never pass
away because we carry a bit of them- through the inspiration they
brought to our lives and the path they ve paved for us to walk
through! I'm not a poet, I wish I was; else i won't be struggling to say a
few words in many lines! " ~ Hindi Livinus

Flowers for you, the beautiful soul who taught us all how to blossom no matter what. We remember you with pride and love.

Remembering you today and how beautiful you made everything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vv-BfVoq4g

You are at peace with the risen Lord. You are home.

Thinking of you...

I thought of you so much today, and wished that you were here,
To celebrate the day with me and share all we held dear.
Much love, today and always,
Ediye

You are...here; in so many different ways. And heaven is truly blessed to have you too.

You live in the light of the risen lamb, and there will be no more nights, pain or tears for you. Abide in bliss with Christ beloved. You are home.

I remember you lived, beautifully and well. Happy birthday with the King.

Remembering you and when you were laid to abide in peace.

Remembering this date when we said "I do", 18 years on. It was special then. It still is now. Rest in Peace.

Thank you for the good you sowed.

My angel, what a privilege it was to have you walk the earth with me;
I miss you, but I'm comforted that you are at home and in perfect peace.

Professor Akpan! Your spirit is still very much alive I am sure of it! You passed through my mind on the 3 anniversary of your passing. I went out and was not dressed well and I remembered your mantra. I felt lonely and I remembered how you always used to call me even after I graduated to check on me and encourage me. To this day I can never forget you set me on this communication path and I am enjoying it greatly. You are a wonderful man prof, I can’t help feeling it’s so unfair that such a good man left early but I know you have found peace with the Lord. I miss you so much! Thank you for being a daddy in every sense of the word.

When someone dies, people say its a loss. To me, it is not. It is a transition into another realm of existence beyond human comprehension.

Dean Akpan, though I have not met him, the little I heard about him gives credence as to how a great man he was. He was focused, intelligent and had a great sense of humor. Not to forget, he was a dandy - always dressed smartly.

Dean, your modus operandi has left indelible marks in our memories. Continue to rest in peace and tranquility.

I would like us to make a toast to an unprecedented legend:

You are home . Your memories are still speaking. For a believers, when we remember people like you, we are comforted that we will meet again. We can't denial the fact that you are truly miss. Keep resting...

Continue to rest in the bosom of the lord till we meet to part no more.
good night.

Continue to Rest In Peace. You’ll always be remembered and eternally missed:)

We can never forget you. We will never forget you. Rest in peace my darling. You are home.

How We Survive

If we are fortunate,
we are given a warning.

If not,
there is only the sudden horror,
the wrench of being torn apart;
of being reminded
that nothing is permanent,
not even the ones we love,
the ones our lives revolve around.

Life is a fragile affair.
We are all dancing
on the edge of a precipice,
a dizzying cliff so high
we can't see the bottom.

One by one,
we lose those we love most
into the dark ravine.

So we must cherish them
without reservation.
Now.
Today.
This minute.
We will lose them
or they will lose us
someday.
This is certain.
There is no time for bickering.
And their loss
will leave a great pit in our hearts;
a pit we struggle to avoid
during the day
and fall into at night.

Some,
unable to accept this loss,
unable to determine
the worth of life without them,
jump into that black pit
spiritually or physically,
hoping to find them there.

And some survive
the shock,
the denial,
the horror,
the bargaining,
the barren, empty aching,
the unanswered prayers,
the sleepless nights
when their breath is crushed
under the weight of silence
and all that it means.

Somehow, some survive all that and,
like a flower opening after a storm,
they slowly begin to remember
the one they lost
in a different way...

The laughter,
the irrepressible spirit,
the generous heart,
the way their smile made them feel,
the encouragement they gave
even as their own dreams were dying.

And in time, they fill the pit
with other memories
the only memories that really matter.

We will still cry.
We will always cry.
But with loving reflection
more than hopeless longing.

And that is how we survive.
That is how the story should end.
That is how they would want it to be.

Copyright © 2009 by Mark Rickerby

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep - Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

   ~  Mary Elizabeth Frye

When you feel like your heart is broken beyond repair, remember that nothing about this place is ordinary. You are uniquely poised, at this very moment, to share an intimate part of God's character. It's the place of the broken heart, and it's sacred ground.
     ~ Today's Christian Woman, March 2009

I miss you.

My hero.