PEARL OF WISDOM...

Source: googleimages

Hello Les Amis :))

How you doing and how was your weekend????

No rock climbing for me this weekend. LOL...

Spent it with my family and an old friend from the university.

However, 3 weeks ago, I had an awesome weekend at the Old Peoples home in Yaba and apart from the beautiful brokenness I felt while I was there, I gained a lot of pearl of wisdom....

I tried capturing my experience at the home in form of a short story {It's FICTIONAL though to respect their privacy :)) }... 

Hoping you walk with me to each room as we meet the sweetest people in the universe each offering us a pearl of wisdom.....

PEARL OF WISDOM

Walking into her room was an air of fresh breath, unlike the other rooms we entered; it was decorated with pictures of Jesus and some angels. A huge flower vase stood guard by her door and her wall was draped with flowery wall papers. She sat on her bed, covered in white lace and a mass of snowy hair decorating her beautiful face. Her Bible peeked out beneath her Pillow and a birthday card stood on her stool.
Unlike the other rooms, there were no medications on her small refrigerator; instead they were replaced by perfumes and sweet smelling candles.
**********
Dr. Kola had told me about the old people’s home he runs in Sabo, Yaba. Though it was government run, he controlled the administrative duties involved in a place like that. I was committed to a lot of charitable duties and volunteering at the Old people home was something I looked forward to.

We had walked steathily from one white room to the other, having beautiful conversations in Yoruba with most of the house mates. We had met Papa Akpan, the man with one leg who had fought during the civil war. Wearing his big glasses and spitting out chewing stick remains from his mouth, he told us about the war, his comrades and his wife Sarah. Dr. Kola kept interrupting him as he spoke and I kept rebuffing Dr. Kola with ‘Let him talk na’ and he replied, ‘we can spend forever here. Papa Akpan talks too much’. His last words before we left his room were ‘Please tell Dr. Adelaje to bring my wife Sarah. Please find my wife Sarah’. 

We met Mama Banks, the Calabar woman, who owned a big restaurant in the 1920’s but lost it all to a failed relationship, with her big bulgy eyes and smiley face; she had asked Kola if I was his wife. Kola laughed and shook his head, ‘No Ma’. She smiled again and asked me to kneel down and laying her hands on my head, she prayed that I have a good marriage and good kids. I wondered where a woman her age found strength to pray like she did. Repeatedly, she said ‘Angels, give her a good heart’. I hugged her tightly, not minding that tobacco from her hands had stained my white shirt, and said ‘Yes ma’ as she gave me one last advice to be loving and prayerful when I get married.
We walked from room to room, with each room leaving a bitter taste in my mouth and gifting me with a pearl of wisdom, 'Celebrate the things and people in your life' one said, 'Make your time count' another said.
“What’s so special about this mama you want me to meet?” I asked Kola as we walked past 4 rooms towards her room. ‘You’ll see’ He said and kept laughing.
‘Ok, let’s talk to that man under the tree before we see her’, I insisted, veering off the trail to the big mango tree at the Centre of the building. ‘Good afternoon Sir’, I said. Good afternoon dear, he replied. A torn book was plumbed up on his laps and Kola introduced me as the new volunteering staff in the home.
‘Oh, well done. God bless you’, he said, ‘Thank you sir’ I replied, kneeling and taking his outstretched hands. We talked at length about his youthful days and he left me with this ‘I am thankful to God for all but having stupid children is the worst mistake a person can make’. I looked at him puzzled and he picked up his book and kept reading.

I asked Kola what he meant by his words but all he could say was that ‘Last year, he came into the home and have refused to contact his family ever since then. Most of them don’t have contact with their families anyway’.  He said in a matter of fact. I kept wondering what happened with his family as we walked to her room.
*********
She was looking out the window when we entered and spoke with a British accent, ‘Kola, it’s almost time’. I looked at them both, confused, but still knelt down and said ‘Maami, Good afternoon’. She smiled at me and asked what I brought for her. I looked at Kola and he quickly interjected and said ‘It’s at the main office’. She looked at both of us and said ‘You can’t lie to a Mama, you know’ and laughed. We both laughed and she said again, ‘I feel it’s time’ and looked at me and said ‘You remind me of me when I was young'.....and then as if in a trance, she continued 'Live your life for good. Be happy and Live it for God. So that when you are old and you look back at it all, you would die a happy woman, knowing you've taught or left something valuable to someone else’.

‘Kola, leave me alone now’ she said lightly, as Dr. Kola and I left her room.

‘Wow!!! I like her’ I said, ‘what’s her name?’ and He replied, ‘She’s dying’.
“What?!”

******
The sound of a loud thunderstorm woke me up as I sat up on my bed to see my grandma sleeping peacefully on my tiny white room. 

It was a beautiful mystery but gave me a lot to think about....

The End

*******

The walk was real though and I feel so honored/ grateful to God to have met them. Made me think about what I value most in life...

So back to you, What do you value most in life? What would tell your younger self when you are 60,70,80,90 years old? What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?

If you are in Lagos, please do visit the Old peoples home , it's a beautiful place to be in.

Source: marcandangel.com

Big hugs!!!! Lunch break is over...

Remember, when it's all said and done, would you have said more than you have done?

Thank you so much for reading..God bless...Mwahhh :)