Tilewa (Tilly), raised a toast to Dr. Bio Fadairo (SAN) at the graduation dinner arranged on her behalf and after pouring encomiums on him and handing over a gift, she proceeded to tell her story. Tilly lost her father at the age of seventeen, after her Senior Secondary School examinations. Her mother had two other mouths to feed and could not afford tertiary education so Tilly joined the workforce as a clerk in the chambers of Dr. Fadairo. Her employer, the erudite Dr. Fadairo was perceived as a taskmaster who could never be pleased but Tilly soon learnt that his bark was worse than his bite. He stretched her boundaries and pushed her to perform. Some four years later, Tilly gained admission to study Law (part-time) at one of the prime universities in the city and had just graduated with a First class. She was awed and realised that due appreciation had to be accorded Dr. Fadairo for pushing her to this formidable achievement. After God, he was next.

Tilly’s tribute reminded me of another, a personalised picture frame with words that I saw in the bedroom of my friend, Inemi. These were words sent to her by her then-18-year-old daughter when she turned fifty. I read them and was instantly emotional. I have her permission to share:

“MOTHER, MUMMY, MOM

These words never seem to leave my mouth and even when they leave my mouth, they never seem to leave my heart. Anytime I think of you a feeling of joy and sadness rush my heart. Joy for all the good you have done for me. Sadness that you had to sacrifice a lot for me, sometimes depriving yourself of luxury so that my sisters and I would not live in penury. I do not think there is a word that has been created to show how much you are appreciated. I do not need to look very far because in you I see the ideal role model. To say you are wonderful or awesome would be an understatement. My love for you cannot be overrated. Here’s hoping you have a wonderful birthday and many more years ahead.

Thank you for being there in times of need. Thank you for disciplining me – I turned out a lot better than I would have expected. Thank you for the love you showed to me and for showing me how to love. Thank you for teaching me to stand up for myself. Thank you for all the gist you gave to me: for being my companion when I was bored. Thank you for all the slaps you gave me when I was little…I just couldn’t resist writing that. Thank you for providing for me and my sisters. Thank you for giving us the best you can. Thank you for teaching me the virtue of patience. Thank you for always praying with me and tucking me into bed at night. Thank you for teaching me how to be independent and not depend on any man, by example. Thank you for juggling your career with motherhood and being able to help me with assignments. Thank you for showing me that I should not be afraid to express my emotions, but I should be strong enough to put them aside and move on. Thank you for teaching me how to be humble and to do things without expecting something in return. Thank you for teaching me kindness and the art of giving freely. ABOVE ALL Thank you for showing me the way of the Lord. I actually cried while I was writing this, I hope you like it.”

The yuletide is a time of appreciation. Appreciation of God’s gift to humankind…the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a time to appreciate each other, and Corporates do that well during the season. We should also ruminate over all those who touched our lives in the course of the year and appreciate them with words and gestures. Let us not forget the street sweeper, the trash collector, the janitor in the children’s school or our office etc. May the Lord help us to genuinely appreciate the impact we make on each other and SHOW appreciation. Compliments of the Season!

Love

Havilah