Josephine has been in my life for as long as she has been alive. That is so because she is my cousin and her father was my father at a point when my own biological father couldn’t be physically at the same location to be my father.
As all children do, we all grew up, got married and started our lives; and if you know anything about how life can lead you, after a while the relationship gathers some dust because of distance or just life happening. And with Josephine it wasn’t different. We grew and we went dream chasing.
My dream kept me in Nigeria but her own dream took her to the United Kingdom. Once in a while, we will reconnect and we always could have a good conversation and as they say life goes on.
Then came the day when as parents to our teenage son, we had to make a decision for a school for him in the United Kingdom. For me it was a major agony just thinking that my son who mostly only ate the kind of food his mother cooked and didn’t even eat some of the food I cooked was going to have to go off to a place where the least of his problems would be the kind of food.
He would need to contend with the weather, culture and so many other things. I started to pray… what else will a mother do but pray and it was in that state that God whispered her name to me; call Josephine and ask her for school suggestions that you can pray about and I will show you. The rest as they say is now history.
Because of that one telephone call, and Josephine swung into action, we went to check the school we settled on her suggestion and from September 2014, her and her husband became guardians for KK in the United Kingdom. Today as I write this, the A Levels journey has been completed and through it all; the midterms where she would provide boarding and feeding for KK, and sometimes for us his parents as well. For the Parents/teachers meeting she stood in for us and reported diligently. For all the times she drove to and from Durham school either to pick up KK or drop him off. For the resources she committed to the project of KK’s destiny.
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you. Josephine, we may never be able to tell you how lending your power to this journey made us able to sleep more nights than we would have. Thank you for never complaining, even when I could see it wasn’t convenient. Thank you for the times I worried and you stepped in and ensured I could rest. Thank you for the many plates of food a growing teenager and his parents consumed in your home.
More importantly, thank you for using your grace of hospitality to make sure we never lacked anything when we came calling. Two years are all done but we know we couldn’t have come this far without your support and power.
I am praying today that your sacrifices will count before the King of heaven and that when it is your turn, help will be available to you in even greater measure all the way.
Kenechi is grateful, my entire family is grateful. And I thank you for being my Sista Power.
You are loved and appreciated, and I celebrate you today and always.