Dear Mama,

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PS: If you are reading this, its not too late to appreciate your mama, or sister or girlfriend or wife or every other woman on mother earth. You know why? Its simply because they are very special creatures. Their specie is so unique that sometimes I doubt whether they were really created from a man's rib. Hmmm? Thats the story for another day.

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Today, I want to appreciate my mama; "The mama wey born me" if I'm to say it in Pidgin English.

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First of all I actually asked you to tell me the story of my labour just for this piece. And yes you did. Tears almost fell from your eyes as you reminisced on the pain and joy of childbirth. Damn! I was your first pregnancy so everything was kinda new to you. All the early morning sickness. All the cravings. All the kickings I gave your tommy. But you kept on strong and pulled through. No C/S. You laboured for almost 12hrs at a hospital in Benin City of Nigeria. Around 7am in the early morning, I crawled out of your birth canal to see the first light. You said, I cried immediately. Hmmm. Mama. You are just too much.

After that stage you still didn't give up on me. You started breastfeeding me. Oh! I suckled from your bossom the first drops of milk to ever come off your young breasts. No wonder I grew up with good brains because you fed me all the essential nutrients. Ahhh! Those nights that I would cry and wake you up. Did you complain? No! You will just slip the nip into my mouth and I'll keep quiet. Yeah mama, I cried alot because I enjoyed the comfort of your laps when you carried me or when you gently sang me songs till I closed my eyes and whoooshed off.

You watched me grow from that little infant to a toddler...to an adolescent...now to an adult young man with plenty beards. Lolx. If you had been careless would I have grown without deformities? Perhaps hot water would have poured on my delicate skin. Perhaps I could have fallen from your hands and shattered my soft skull on the hard floor. Perhaps I could have died of measles or polio or Tb. But you said "No!" You made sure I received all my immunizations as at when due.

Yeah! Mama you taught me how to cook too.

Now I'm a bachelor I'm reaping the benefits because no one can threaten me with food. If I want something, I make it. Even though some mamas would dissuade their son from philandering in the kitchen. Not my mum. She would tell me to pound pepper or this or that. All those days of passive and active learning turned into an awesome culinary skill. Try me!

I can never forget all the advices you do give. Example when I was about leaving for the university:
"Obi (that's what she calls me) I trust you will make us proud".
Thats all she needed to say to make sense to me. She didn't need long sermons because everyday I have spent with her in my childhood was a sermon on how to live right, respect others, help the poor, pity the sick, make friends and be happy.

Not to forget all the battles you fought for me. What about the day one of my teachers knocked my head at school. Though I was 8years old then, I can still remember the fiery rage in your eyes. You immediately warned her never to try such again. On all occasions, you have proven to be the best mama in the world. Whether it was when you were angry with someone for troubling me or when you were angry with me for troubling you- YOUR LOVE ALWAYS SHINED THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS.

You did whoop my ass one or two times. Ehen! About that...I have a very important question to ask "but mama how do you used to do it sef?" After flogging me, you will end up making me love you more. But if Dad flogs me, omo, I'll end up vexing for a long time. I'm suspecting you are a magician mama. Are you? Lolx!

I want to spend forever with you still alive mama. So don't go no where. Stay put with all of us your 5 offsprings. We promise to be here for you too. We pray God gives us abundance so we can shower you with gifts, expensive clothes, healthy foods, infact the best of the best of the best...is what you truly deserve. No one be like you in P-Square's Voice.

2 Pac's Dear Mama is playing in my head as I'm writing this... so I want to end with this line;

"There is no way I can pay you back...

But my plan is to show you that I understand.

I appreciate!"

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This story was born courtesy of @surpassinggoogle's mum's dance with life and death. She's in the hospital and needs our prayers. I use this opportunity to pray that our Heavenly father will heal her and every other woman in pain or fighting for life. Oh God! Show forth your power once more.

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If you enjoyed this piece, remember to write yours. What do you want to say to your mama? Say it now using the #untalented-mama.

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Thanks for reading! Cheers!!

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