12/05/2024
To my mom,
Today marks the forth Mother's Day without you here. It is a day I would honestly rather avoid, a day where it is impossible to ignore the hole that your absence has left.
It is hard to believe that it has almost been four years that you have been gone. I will never forget that day; 28th December, 2020 at 10:40pm; the pain of it forever etched in my memory.
I cannot put into words how much I miss you, mom. There's not a day, a minute, a second where you aren't on my mind. I was fleshy 23 when you died at a time I had completed my National Service. I still needed my mom then, and I still do now. You thought me everything I know, except how to live without you. Now I must figure that out myself.
The truth is, mom, you were one of the strongest pillars that will offer advice and tell me it was going to be okay. Without you, I feel as if I am living in a world of delusion, something I still cannot accept to be true.
I was raised by you to be a strong, independent gentleman, and in your absence that is what I have been trying my best to do. Somedays it is hard. Somedays I am so consumed by my grief I have no way to escape it. Somedays I just want to call my mom- all to be reminded I can't. Somedays it is even too hard to look at a picture of you without bursting into tears.
I want to thank you, mom,for everything you gave me and our family. I want to thank you for everything you thought me, all the sacrifices you made, all the advice you gave me, all the times you did things for me without me even knowing or with me being ungrateful; I want to thank you for everything. Because that's what you were, mom: everything.
And not just everything to me, but to everyone. I hope I can one day be a parent you were to Ishmael, Millicent, Rose(late), Gloria and me and the husband to my wife as you were to dad. You thought me everything I know, and I would not be the gentleman I am today without you. I am who I am because of you. People often tell me I resemble you, and even if I cannot always see it, that is forever the best compliment I can receive.
I will forever hope I can turn out to be half of the amazing, selfless, kind, loving, intelligent that you were. A lot of people are not lucky enough to have a loving mother like you were to me. I am so grateful that I was able to not just have a loving mother in you, but also a best paddy.
As much as I wish you could be here so we celebrate this amazing mom you are on this Mother's Day, I will instead rejoice in your memory and be grateful I had the 23 years I did with you, even though I so desperately wish I could have had more.
Thank you, mom,for everything. For being the best mom, my best paddy and the best mentor in life. Your memory will forever be my greatest gift.
Happy Mother's Day, Obp. Esther Arkoh (Aunty Akomah Gyaah). I love you more.
Love Always,
Kofi Sekyi.
