A November to Remember!!!

This year’s thanksgiving holiday, is definitely different but, most importantly, special to me.

Hmmm!, take a quick guess! Certainly, it is not  what you think it is, lol!

Before I tell you the “what”, permit me to walk you down, the memory lane, of my childhood.

My parents’ marriage ended, when I was 11 to 12 years old. This was not a surprise to many,  due to prior recurrence, of malicious events. Ironically, it’s safe to say that the split up was actually a good thing.

However, it was one of the worst feeling ever for myself and my siblings. Now, as I reminiscent those dreadful years, I shiver with goose bumps, at the same time, I marvel at how the good Lord shielded, us from the terrifying claws of wickedness!

I’m not trying to be dramatic, but if you’re familiar with the outcomes of separation in places like my motherland, plus the trials of being raised by various stepmothers, you’ll understand me better when I say these words :

“If it had not been for the Lord on our side, we would have been wasted like chaff, blown away by the wind. So I say, thanks be unto God, who has kept our minds and has not allowed the evil one to prevail, but he continuously ordered our steps unto victory! “

Ok, guys! That was my praise break! Lol! Every now and then we ought to take a pause, and reflect on our milestones and how the good Lord has been truly good!

Now back to my story, lol!!

We basically grew up in my dad’s house, it’s  just traditional that it would happen that way. As far as I can remember,  there wasn’t a lot of homes raised by single parents, most people got married again.

Apparently, we never had a solid relationship with my mother’s side of the family nor did we know any of her  childhood friends.  As strange as it sounds, this pretty much sums up the extent of  the  discord between both parents , even after the split up. What a shame!

True story guys!

Fast forward,  few weeks ago I was relaxing at home, when I received a random text from my sis, asking me to call some number. Apparently, this was  my mother’s best friend during their high school days. She and her family moved to the States as soon as she got married – pretty much a longtime ago. I was invited to New Jersey to meet her family and to also attend her daughter’s bridal shower.

See, I’ve pretty much lived in the States, for almost 9 years, without a knowledge of a close relative or family friend. It’s been quite a journey but, I will not trade my relationships, with those that have embraced me, irrespective of our cultural differences for another.

I accepted the invitation and prepared for my trip to  New Jersey.  I arrived Newark liberty international airport safely, on Friday evening. Thank God! The drive from the airport to where my mother’s best friend,  lived was approximately 1 hour. The good thing is that traffic was moving the whole time. If you reside in  Atlanta, you’ll definitely appreciate a moving traffic..lol!

My mother’s best friend’s reaction was priceless, when she finally met me in person. According to her, I was a reminder of my mother’s childhood days. We spent the rest of the night listening to lots of childhood memories and remarkable stories of my mother and her.

What is so spectacular about these childhood memories?,  one may ask!

See, I  grew up seeing my mother struggling to make her marriage work. I saw her endure emotional,  physical,  verbal abuse, and progressively loosing her sense of humor and joy. Daily, I watched the pain of an abusive marriage, gradually turn my mother into a nagging, unhappy woman.

Y’all know the familiar saying “when mama is not happy;nobody is happy” That was the state of our household before the split.

Listening to my mother’s best friend, gave me a sneak peak into my mother’s youthful days. The “little girl “in me felt peacefully and satisfied. Now I know where I got those crazy wild dreaming  traits from,lol!!!

I spent the rest of my mini vacation,  bonding with her children and their relatives as well!  We literally talked throughout Sunday  night ,and did not realize that it was almost 0500 am, Monday morning, lol! Certainly,I wouldn’t have it any other way! Cheers to many more New Jersey trips!

Without a shadow of doubt, my God has made everything beautiful, in his time! (Ecc3:11)

*******this nigerian_chic*******

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