I was thinking this morning.... I was at the airport waiting for my flight to Lagos days ago when my phone chimed. When I checked, I saw a message from a member of my university class, who seldom reaches out. Her first line message 'Not sure if you are already aware' caught my attention. She was still typing when I called her line, just to be informed that one of us had lost her husband in a ghastly motor accident along the Benin-Ore road. 'Our friend is terribly devastated,' she concluded.
Being the coordinator for the class alumni group, I immediately informed the class of the sad news and commenced planning for a team to visit her the next day. Four of us agreed to pay the condolence visit between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm.
I set out early the next day to be able to keep to the agreed time. Unfortunately, due to the unpredictable Lagos traffic, it wasn't until past 12 noon, that we eventually went in to see our friend. She was all tears when she saw us and told us how her beloved husband is no more with her. We mourned with her and did our best to comfort her amidst sobs.
Less than 30 minutes later, I was itching to leave because I had a 2 pm meeting I was to facilitate. As I sat beside our sobbing friend, apologising for having to leave so soon to keep an appointment, I heard a voice in my spirit saying, 'dead men don't keep appointments.' I was yet to fully take in the message when my friend said, 'Hmm! All the appointments my husband had now amounts to nothing.'
As my other friends walked me outside, I finally understood the Togolese proverb that says 'the only woman who knows where her man is every night is a widow.' The message finally sank. Dead men don't keep appointments. As we walked, one of us, who I hadn't seen since we left school 34 years ago, brought up the issue of having periodic re-unions. He had said, 'It's 34 years since we left school. We couldn't find time to come together to celebrate, but have now found time because of a tragedy.' We nodded in agreement even as I again came to the realisation that dead classmates don't do re-unions.
Stay connected. Live happy and give thanks in all circumstances. 1st Thes 5:18.
Stay hopeful. God's got our back.
Happy New Month!
......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey