To Ile- Ife, she is Yeye Apesin, a goddess.
To her husband, the sun rose and fell at her feet.
At every party she ever attended or hosted, her presence drew attention like the earth draws light from the moon at night.
To her sisters, she was the imperious voice of command.
To my mother's father, she was very mischievous and literally one of a kind.
All her staff remember her as, the madam that took absolutely no nonsense.
To her sons and daughter, she was the entire world.
but, to me, a shy little girl, she was only my grandmother. My grandmother who behaved like Queen Elizabeth and whom I loved and adored with all my heart.
As I grew and silently watched her though, I saw that she wasn't just my little grandma, I saw that she was a powerful lioness that no one in the country dared to cross.. The writing of this post began at the start of this year and I still have no words to fully describe her because of the sheer complexity of her nature and because the more I thought about her, the more I wished I had spent more time with her.
How could God have given me one of the fiercest women Lagos has ever seen and I didn't spend time with her? How could God have given me such a precious gift and I never opened it? Yet, as if telling me that we are not our mistakes, I feel her so strongly around me. All the time. Reminding me that she gave me all her names for a reason. Reminding me that she was me and I am her.
I feel her telling me that as long as there is life, there is hope. I feel her telling me that real family is everything. I feel her telling me not to make the same mistakes she did and find God early. I feel her telling me that I am a queen and queens never crawl. I feel her telling me to never lose my dignity and pride. I feel her telling me to never despair and never give up. I feel her telling me to live and learn, to love deeply and fight fiercely for what I believe. I feel her telling me that I must never forget who I am. These words carry me when I get weak and as I remember her on this day, I hope they carry you too when you get tired.
My phenomenal grandmother left us on the 9th of February 2013 and today, three years after her departure, my heart whispers that, Lagos might have lost its first Abimbola Elizabeth Rhodes but Abimbola Elizabeth Rhodes 2.0, an improved, faster, sharper and tad bit less ferocious version is currently in the works.
I love you forever and ever grandma and Lagos will never forget you.
With all my love,
Dara Abimbola Elizabeth Rhodes
