Although 99.5% of our relatives live in Nigeria and have therefore never been around for us to hang out with on a regular basis, I can’t say we don’t have family around us because everywhere we have lived, we have always managed to find a Nigerian community and become close to families who treat my parents like siblings, and who treat us like their own children. I remember one woman who had two sons back then who used to take my sister and I out because she didn’t have any girls of her own (yet). Even though this was almost 20 years ago and we haven’t even heard from them in at least 15 years, I remember thinking it would be cool if the older boy and I made a match of it (Afamdi: if you’re reading, look me up!). Anyway, one of the many families we became very close … Continue reading →

For me, this week is all about being thankful to God for life because it can be so short. A friend sent me a his story about a girl, Katie Kirkpatrick, who got married despite being so very sick with cancer. She died five days after her wedding, at the age of 21. Here is a link to the forward…it is hard to read the captions and see the pictures without getting choked up. To see their love and her joy on her wedding day despite the difficulty of their journey is truly priceless. They could have decided that since her prognosis wasn’t good, it wasn’t worth her using all her strength to have a wedding, that she should not overexert herself like she did. It makes me think of all the times where I have let something minor affect my enjoyment of something. For example, I was hosting a … Continue reading →

I am so thankful that my baby brother lived to see another year of life and turned 21 years of age this week. He’s the biggest pain in the neck (no joke) and he’s used to the fact that as the baby of the family, not much was expected from him so he’s lazy and thinks he can get away with anything. I can still remember when he used to be this tiny plump baby, then a super plump toddler with the cutest little belly, then a super skinny pre-teen and teenager who could eat the entire contents of the house and still claim to be hungry. Now he “works out” so he’s no longer our stringbean. I thank God for his life and for the joy he’s brought to the family. He was the one who completed our family and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m thankful … Continue reading →