It was another beautiful week recently to celebrate mothers, especially the good ones. My mother is one, and that explains this tribute and celebration of her.

Mama, you were born as Roseline Ukwuoma into the family of Mazi Dike and Mrs. Agbachionwe, Umuonyeze, Umuokirie in Okuku, Owerri West Local Government Area, Imo State decades ago. The level of enlightenment was low, and keeping proper records was not given top priority then. This affected important records on the exact dates of your birth, marriage and other significant landmarks. That did not deter you from being the special mother you were to us.

Legend has it that you married our renowned father, Mazi Luke Oke Azuwike of the Umuezenwerenwa kindred, Obosima, in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, Imo State, at a tender age, and God blessed your union with five boys and five girls.

Not long after the children came, your dear husband, our father, departed this world in 1966, laying you under necessity to nurture us alone with God?s heavenly intervention. While you mustered courage and worked socks off on how to cope with this enormous responsibility, the civil war broke out in 1967 to complicate matters. Yet you remained focused and dedicated to God for direction and support.

It was not easy to cope with the daunting challenges but you stayed focused and firmly held on to God for grace, mercy, leading, favour, direction and support to navigate the unfolding odd scenarios. We, your children, deeply appreciate you and your legacy of love, caring and dedication to godliness. Yes, mama, we still do. It feels good and remains cheery that you delivered on this core responsibility to the best of your God-given ability.

You may not have been privileged to receive much of formal education but you and your husband saw great value in education and made inestimable sacrifices to send your children to school.

You and your husband were accomplished great farmers who though did not have much money, had farm produce sufficient to pay school fees for your first son, Mazi Innocent Anoruo Azuwike, a telecommunications and Lighting engineer with global exposure. You were also a petty trader.

The wise decision and choice you made has paid off to give Nigeria, and indeed the world, the services of your progeny and scions who are now solutions providers in diverse fields of human endeavour, such as engineering, medicine, pharmacy, biological sciences, architecture, accountancy, management, economics, journalism, entertainment and literary studies.

Your faith in God and devotion to serving him remain strong, fervent, unflinching, and indelible lessons to posterity.

We still remember vividly, the story we were told that you and your husband of blessed memory featured prominently among the trailblazers who brought the Catholic Mission to drive evangelism in Obosima. This, we were told, involved trekking from Obosima to Emekuku and back, to bring the first Reverend Father. That initiative has since given birth to a Pro-cathedral in Obosima. Other denominations, including the Pentecostal genre have also come into being following those initial steps and the warm reception of the gospel by the people of Obosima.

We have also not forgotten the story that you trekked many times to Emekuku from Obosima in order to receive some of the sacraments of the church.

God rewarded your faith in him partly by raising your first son who was used to not only help you tremendously, but also in bringing up his younger ones, making sacrifices that have remained difficult to outperform. He dumped the scholarship he was awarded then to study medicine overseas in obedience to his father?s instruction on his deathbed not to abandon his mother and siblings after his departure.

You were a very strong member of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Owerri. Even without much formal education, you held many leadership and official positions in the church at the local, parish and diocesan levels. This made it necessary for your children to ensure you were exposed to some level of adult education to cope with the challenges of leadership.

Many addressed you as Mama Obodo (the mother of all), signifying how popular, caring, and acceptable you were to them.

This is not to assert that you were a paragon of virtues. We leave that for others to say. And they have said it louder than we could ever say. The evidence remains strong that you feared, worshiped and served God to the best of your ability and pointed your children and all whose paths crossed with yours to the central metaphors and ordinances of Christian faith such as the cross, baptism, and the Lord?s Supper.

Everyone who knew you in your lifetime still attests to this. You were so cherished that many took you as their mentor of choice, an inspiration and a beacon light on their matrimonial challenges and sundry issues affecting family relationships. Your records and achievements on dispute resolution remain praiseworthy and indelible.

You were compassionate, kind, meek, gentle, and remained a poster mother in giving and sharing the little you had with those in need.

In recognition and appreciation of these the Obosima Parish of the church honoured you with the title of Ezinne (Good Mother). Mama, this title aptly summarises your character, Ezinne Roseline Ukwuoma Azuwike. She remains a model anywhere and any day.

An anonymous commentator said this: ?If the assessment of individual conduct and moulding of children among women could be adopted in Obosima, Madam Roseline Azuwike will take the lead and honour. Of course, there?s no doubt because the Obosima Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) cannot disprove this. The Ohabele village women know the stuff she was made of, and will describe her more than it is written. Her type of Ezinne was a different one among others, to say the truth.?

Much more can still be written on the great attainments of this model of motherhood. Let?s save it for another day, but permit me to further celebrate my cherished mother with this beautiful poem by Ann Taylor:

My Mother

Who fed me from her gentle breast,

And hush'd me in her arms to rest,

And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?

My Mother.

When sleep forsook my open eye,

Who was it sung sweet hushaby,

And rock'd me that I should not cry?

My Mother.

Who sat and watch'd my infant head,

When sleeping on my cradle bed,

And tears of sweet affection shed?

My Mother.

When pain and sickness made me cry,

Who gaz'd upon my heavy eye,

And wept, for fear that I should die?

My Mother.

Who drest my doll in clothes so gay,

And taught me pretty how to play,

And minded all I had to say?

My Mother.

Who ran to help me when I fell,

And would some pretty story tell,

Or kiss the place to make it well?

My Mother.

Who taught my infant lips to pray,

And love God's holy book and day,

And walk in wisdom's pleasant way?

My Mother.

And can I ever cease to be

Affectionate and kind to thee,

Who wast so very kind to me,

My Mother.

Ah! no, the thought I cannot bear;

And if God please my life to spare,

I hope I shall reward thy care,

My Mother.

When thou art feeble, old, and gray,

My healthy arm shall be thy stay,

And I will soothe thy pains away

My Mother.

And when I see thee hang thy head,

'Twill be my turn to watch thy bed,

And tears of sweet affection shed,

My Mother.

For God, who lives above the skies,

Would look with vengeance in His eyes,

If I should ever dare despise,

My Mother.

That?s my mother, my sweet mother.

?Martins Azuwuike, a seasoned journaist, writes from Port Harcourt.

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