To Our Loving Big Brother: Adieu Mazi Ijoma “Kosoko” Onyima Obioha
All is well that ends well. Though we mourn your physical departure from this world, you will remain ever present in our hearts. You won our hearts by being yourself and who you are even at the point of death. In the fight against death you thought us to cherish what is and what can be if we unflinchingly believe in what we know will be. You somehow knew that God created you as you are and will take care of you in any situation, in His own way, and you took life in a stride or so it seemed to many of your friends and family.
You trusted that things will work out one way or the other without much ado on your part. And almost always it did work out for good. You had God carrying you through many rough times, or Aunty absorbing the shocks of Dede’s impatience with you, or Udoh finding a lasting solution to your misunderstood problems or Obasi and Kanu acceding to Aunty’s pleadings to assist or little Iheatu “Akpunwa” maneuvering all odds for your sake. Somehow you took all bashings, all the criticisms and mislabeling with equanimity and ever smiling heart. You never argued or quarreled with your family. You showed deep remorse though we mistook it then for insensitivity.
Ijoma, your death has opened our eyes and hearts. God allowed us many years with you and we now better understand the essence of your life. God uses the weak to confound the great and powerful. He has used you to confound us all. Your profound love for Aunty, Dede and all your siblings is unflinching and unalloyed. Your weakness, not by choice, your gentleness even as the first son, your eagerness to give wise counsel, your love and pride in your roots are qualities more powerful and endearing. We see in you the strong bond of love that loves unconditionally. You fought bravely to live many years after the doctors gave you six months. In those few years you showed us that your love for us was unconditional because you knew our love of you was unconditional. You knew that your wife and children you devoted your life to will be loved no less by the Adure and Onyima children. You understood the legacy of Adure and Onyima Obioha – unconditional love rooted in service to one another and humanity. You saw it in action, experienced it fully and died a happy man.
On behalf of the Adure and Onyima children I thank God Almighty for your life. Again, All is well that ends well. Adieu Ijoma “Kosoko” Onyima Obioha. Rest secure in the Bosom of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
We will miss you dearly. Your siblings; Nnenna Adaeze, Obasi, Kanu, Udoh and Iheatu.
