One of the saddest realities of life is the experience of calamity at a moment of imminent success. It is like a man receiving a promotion at work only to come home to find a sick child, or getting pregnant after many attempts and be caught with a life-threatening disease. The good part is, you can always come out victorious if you do not give up.
In recent history we saw the joy and excitement when South Sudan became an independent country after years of fighting an unending civil war with the North. Everyone was happy but almost immediately, the new nation collapsed into its own internal conflict and lives of people were once again wasted at the altars of blood-thirsty warmongers.
How do you cope with such painful realities? How would one respond at such moments? At times, the solution is quite obvious and simple. For instance, I remember times in Nigeria when I came home from project sites with some cash, having been paid for my services, to find my daughter with high fever. I grabbed her immediately to see the medical team for treatment. After a few days of medications, she would be fine again. Other times, things are not just that easy, and you may see yourself fighting a battle for days, weeks or even years. The longest battles are the ones which pose the greatest challenges.
I once met a young family. Husband and wife were lawyers with four beautiful children. They were a delight to be with.
As a young undergraduate then, I felt it was wise to connect with them so as to
Life comes with twists and turns