Stella Damasus’ Beautiful “Tribute” To Her Mum

She actually published the post on her blog and it was kinda touching so I decided to share it with you all…enjoy!
It’s my mother’s birthday today the 9th of may and I am so
grateful to God for her life. I call her my Amazon queen because of who she is and what she stands for.
“May” as my late father would call her and  “M.T” as
her siblings would call her, is a very strong willed and determined woman, who
through her life stood up for what she believed in.
I remember the stories of the Biafran war she told me. Hmmm that made my
respect for this woman sky rocket. Hers was so inspiring and amazing that I had
to think of ways to preserve her story.
She was one of those women who were told that her husband had died during the
fight in another state but refused to believe it or back down. Instead, she
carried three children on her body, one flask, one wrapper and walked from the
east to the mid west in the middle of the war.
Her love for her family kept her going and gave her hope that no matter what
the soldiers told her she refused to accept the information they gave her so
she walked and kept walking till she got to his own village from her own, in
the middle of the war.

My mum has a way of making you feel that you can achieve
whatever you set your mind to.
She worked in the bank from the time I was born till the time she retired and
one thing that always got me smiling every morning was her dress sense. I don’t
know if I have ever said this before but I used to beg her to come to my school
for very silly reasons just so that I could show her off to my school mates. I
don’t know how she got her own clothes but they always looked custom made. Her
skirt suites and extremely classy high heeled shoes. Different colors and
designs and plenty of it too. She would never wear an outfit twice.
May was too beautiful to be ignored when she walked past anyone because she was
very light skinned and her hair was so looooonnnnnggggg, thick and dark (color
1). Her eyeballs were lighter than that of the average African and the way she
walked with her heels was so eye catching that I would put a book on my head
just to see if I could walk like her. Church and God, she never joked with
regardless of what your personal beliefs or preferences were. She would let you
do what you want to do but only after you have gone to church and prayed to
God.

My parents were married for forty years before my dad passed
and throughout their marriage she was a strong pillar of support to my dad and
all of us. They understood each other so well because my dad was also a banker
from the time I was born to the time he retired.
One thing we all knew was that if you want to win a battle in my family you
better get my mum on your side o hmmmm if not it will not be easy. Lol!
I am grateful to God and my mother as well for who I am today.

You see, my mother was the first one to recognize my talent
and made sure I was a part of all the school plays. When we travelled to her
hometown, she would make me sing in front of a crowd. One of those times after
singing, her own father, my late granddad called me, I think i was five years
old; he said “Oby my princess, you will be my star please don’t stop
because I want to see you up there when you grow up”. I ran to my mother
and told her what he said and she smiled at me and said ” he sees what I
see all the time”. I was so excited that when I got to school I could not
wait to tell my music teacher to sign me up for the school band.

My Amazon Queen is my number one fan and I love her to bits.
When I have issues and can’t talk to anyone, she is the first one i call.
Strange as this may sound she has been my best friend through the years. I tell
her things that other people will never tell their mother’s but that is because
she never judges nor condemns me. She speaks to me like her friend most of time
and tells me where I went wrong and how I can fix it. She used to call me CC
which meant constant companion. I love that name so much and I miss those times
that I would stay with her and chat with her all day.

Growing up and moving on has changed a lot of things in a
lot of lives because now we have responsibilities our own homes and families
and work. Pphheewww! Where did the time run to?
I could go on and on with fun things to say but I can’t end without saying
“I love you mummy and I am so grateful for all you did for me and taught
me. I know I am not perfect but you have loved and supported me through my
trying times. I pray that God will keep you in good health, so that you will
enjoy the fruits of your labor to the max. You have been an inspiration to me
and a prayer warrior. The best mother anyone could ever ask for. Daddy is in
heaven now smiling at you and saying “May thank you for keeping the family
together and for keeping the fire of love burning in our home”. God bless
you mummy, Happy Birthday, my AMAZON QUEEN.