The 3rd of January last year happens to fall on Sunday and it was a thanksgiving Sunday just like yesterday. My dad travelled on the 1st to his hometown to have a new year with his brothers, he left my mom behind and us too to stay in the house and enjoy ourselves.

I was jokingly telling my mum a day before that day that she should have followed my dad and both of them will enjoy themselves, she laughed and I laugh too but it was as if I knew that something will happen. I kept repeating that same statement till evening jokingly and my mom was just laughing, had we known that something will happen, my mom would have travelled and prayed with him.

Like I have said that it was on a thanksgiving Sunday, I and my brother were in church already, only my mom was still at home doing the normal ladies stuff, trying to fix her headgear ( gele ) and other looking good stuff. Suddenly my junior brother receive a call from my mom, I didn't know how the conversation goes but he came telling me my mom was crying on the phone, I was like what could have happened, he went to tell my elder brother too and we all ran home like we were a horse, cos it was the first time hearing my mom cried over the phone. We got home and she was there, she has gone to her friend place living closely, she left the door open.

Fear begins to set in for us and we ponder on where she might be, we quickly conclude and went there, I saw my mom crying and I asked her what happened, she said my mom brother called that my dad won't be able to come home today because he is still sleeping. My mom was like which type of sleep is that, that they should wake him up but they hang up. My mom concluded that he might have died and they are trying not to tell her. I couldn't figure everything out and I started crying too including my junior brother.

My elder tried calling them and they told him everything is fine and that they need to come over. My brother went without giving us full details too, maybe he doesn't want to bother us with all that is happening or he wasn't cleared properly on the matter too. He left with my other senior brother to my dad hometown. It was after several hours when they got there that we were informed that my dad was attacked with a stroke. The sickness fell on him very early that morning and his brothers quickly rally around him and tried their best to make sure he is fine till they will get to the place where they will take care of him.

It was that day I cried myself out cos I didn't believe such a thing will happen to my dad. He has never fallen sick ever since I started growing up but this one baffles me, it wasn't a normal sickness but a stroke😭😭😭. It was when we knew what happened that I and my mom travelled in the afternoon to join them where my dad was. We left our last born at home to go to church that everything will be fine when we got there and I saw my dad, I busted into another heavy cry cos the situation I met him wasn't comfortable at all. I couldn't stand seeing my dad in that state and the tears were just rolling off my eyes.

Resumption of school was near, so many plans that we had but all were thwarted. We started making another plan on who will be with my dad, how he will be taken care of. 2021 started badly for me and my family but what we can we do? Nothing but to give thanks. We thank God the stroke didn't affect all his body, it affected just half of his body and the other side was working perfectly.

That's how we started to nurse my dad sickness till this very year, so much money has been spent, all kind of drugs has been used, prayers and fasting has been done and still doing. We thank God there's an improvement cos when it started, he couldn't walk for weeks, but with God and the proper care of my mom and those taking care of him, he was able to walk but not as the former. I give kudos to my mom, she is really a good mother and wife at the same time. I owe her a lot and I give kudos to my brothers too, they have really tried all their best.

I believe this year will be a year of restoration for my family as a whole, I wouldn't lie, it affected me a lot and it affected my brothers too, I could sense it but all glory was given to God cos we are still alive and was able to overcome and didn't allow it to weigh us down.

I am sorry for boring you with my story, I couldn't help but write about it cos today make me remember. Thanks for reading and God will bless you all.

3rd January 2021.

Bye for now 🥰🥰🥰.