"REMEMBRANCE"

FRACTURED FAMILY         

                 "REMEMBRANCE"

November 19th and 23rd, 2025, mark the first anniversary of the passing of our beloved and benevolent matriarch, Dame Helen Nwauru Ijebuonwu, and patriarch, Chiabuotu Robinson Ijebuonwu,aka Bolingo respectively. In this remembrance, I reflect on their lives, legacies, and the impact they had on me and our family. May their memories continue to inspire and guide us.

Remembrance is synonymous with recollection, interconnected with reminiscence and memorial. It is all about having the imageries of the past which may be a mixture of good and bad, bittersweet, harrowing and distressing experiences which directly or indirectly influence and impact our lives in no small measure. In fact, it is a flight or travel into time capsule: a trip into history to throw up the past in quest of truth, knowledge and information. In sum, it is a flashback in our lives.

This commemoration helps us also in setting the record straight for posterity. The month of November comes and goes, a cycle of grief and remembrance, yet 2024's November remains uniquely, sorrowfully etched. November 2025 returns, a sorrowful echo, a month of bereavement, grief, and the shadows of forlornness that linger. Yet, amidst the sorrow, memories of joy, love, and warmth linger – stories shared, strength imparted, and the courage to persevere, all etched in remembrance.

It is precisely a year today, November 19th and 23rd, 2024, dates etched in grief, when death's cold hand claimed our loved ones: Dame Helen Nwauru Ijebuonwu, our matriarch, and Chiabuotu Robinson, 'Bolingo Ijebuonwu,' our patriarch, leaving us shattered, helpless witnesses to their passing. Both heaven and earth convulsed in turmoil, inhabitants weeping oceans of tears – inconsolable, unrelenting. The ground seemed to thirst for their sorrow, drinking deep the torrential outpouring.

Death transformed joy into deep sorrow, hope into hopelessness, and happiness into unimaginable sadness. The sky seemed to falter, nightfall chasing daylight into unnatural sleep. Death murdered sleep, and I wept till tears dried, and silence wept. Tears became my drink, my sustenance, pillows drenched, a testament to my grief.

The matriarch, heartbeat of our family's unity, like a migratory bird, flew beyond the horizon, leaving an unfillable void. Her exit sparked rancor, malice, and bitterness, the center could no longer hold, things fell apart. Today, November 19th, 2025, marks a year since the matriarch's demise. What lessons have we learned? She was a symbol of our unity, earning credit and distinction. Perceived, estimated, and valued by many, she was the quintessence of our family unity. Her shoes remain empty, a space unfilled, a testament to her role.

The matriarch is remembered for her love, warmth, humility, selflessness, determination, resilience, patience, and piety. Mama, you taught me unconditional love, determination, and resilience. Apart from God, you were my Goddess. What could I have done or accomplished without your succor and help? There was none like you, and there will be none like you. I will continue to tell your story, uphold the trust, and preserve the truth, though broken, betrayed, and distorted – your memory remains, enduring and persisting.

Your life was a testament to strength, a paragon of unity, shattering limits, and breaking barriers. The patriarch is remembered for his humility, honesty, vocality, piety, love for family, and crisis management finesse. A flawed husband and father, yet he tried, leaving a story to tell, a legacy to uphold.

In conclusion, may you both continue resting in perfect peace, in God's bosom, your memory a blessing, a guiding light. Amen."