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Winifred Ogini: Let’s Learn to Give Our Loved Ones Their Flowers
One day, I was converting a handwritten tribute written by my mom for my late grandmother to a soft copy, so I could send it to the man in charge of the funeral brochure. As I was typing, this particular line in the tribute struck me: “I do not think there is a second type of you on earth as I would always remember the role of a mother you played in my life. Mom, your smiles would be missed, and the way you always ask me how my business is going makes me feel calm.”
I paused and asked myself if my grandma knew that her children think there is no better mother for her children other than her. Or how much her smile was loved and how my mother used to feel less alone when my grandma asked about her business.
It is quite natural that we appreciate people for what they did for us when they die. I put myself in my grandmother’s shoes and curiosity started to build in me. What would people think of me? How have I been to people? Have I been loved?
Well, my grandmother’s shoes didn’t fit me because I don’t know when I would be in my grave. What I know is that I would love to be told how annoying I can be or how one act I did has helped someone feel better, or how my gists or showing up for a friend made them better.
Imagine how my grandma would have felt if she knew how her little acts of kindness made others feel. It could be her knight in shining armour from death. I thought to myself: how many of my loved ones know how much they mean to me?
We live in a world where people get little appreciation for the effort they put into something. How often do we appreciate people that have an impact on our lives? Some people say numerous things about how much we mean on their birthdays but should it be only on that day? When is it exactly expected that we show how much we love each other? It should be as often as you remember how they make you feel, what they have done for you or their impacts on your life. I usually call or text people to thank them or to reminisce about a sweet moment we had together and how they make me feel.
Recently, I saw a tweet that said something like “with friends, it’s just solutions.” Instantly, a friend of mine popped up in my head. I told him about how he’s the first person that came to my mind and he responded, “awwn💓.”
I believe we should let people know how much they mean to us. We should appreciate them for who they are, and what they did or do for us before it is too late. My grandmother might have been happy when she was alive but if my mother had written that note to her when she was alive, I am it’d have made her happier.
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