26/06/2026
It is not easy to say goodbye, Grandma.
How do I let go of the woman whose words became the compass for my life?
You often told me, “If you marry while I am still alive, I will be grateful.” I held on to that promise with everything in me. I swore to you I would marry while you were here to see it. But God had a different plan. You didn’t get to see it, yet your only desire was to see your grandchild happy, settled, and at peace. That love, that worry for my future, I will carry for the rest of my days.
You called me your “husband, Ikipwenrikwen.” We would laugh, you and I, but behind that laughter was respect. It was your way of saying you believed in family, in commitment, in me. One of your hardest lessons still rings in my ears: “Stay away from whatever is not your own.” You taught me honesty when it was easier to cut corners. You taught me integrity when no one was watching. I have lived by your words all these years, Grandma. And I will keep living with them until my very last breath.
Your legacy is not written only in the family you raised. It is written in my heart, in every decision I make, in every time I choose what is right over what is easy.
Thank you for your sacrifices I could never repay. Thank you for the prayers whispered for me when I didn’t even know I needed them. Thank you for your laughter, your scoldings, your unconditional love that asked for nothing back.
Though your hands can’t hold mine anymore, your spirit will walk with me. In every hard choice. In every quiet moment.
Rest peacefully, my Grandma.
You are loved beyond words. You are missed in ways that ache. You will never, ever be forgotten.
May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace.
