IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED MOTHER QUEEN GRACE IKENCHUKWU OF AGBOR KINGDOM , DELTA STATE, NIGERIA. (02 JUNE 1952-02 NOVEMBER 1977)
HRH. Queen Grace Ikenchukwu of Agbor Kingdom, Delta State, Nigeria.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘mother’?
To many, it is that feeling of deep gratitude to God and nature for such a special gift.
To some other, it is a question of ‘oh, how can I repay that wonderful woman?’
Yet to another, who lost her (mother) at a tender age or never got to meet her, it is a feeling of pain, loss and wonder.
Multi-Tasking Momma
Motherhood is a mysterious art of nature. No one can claim to have fully understood it, not even the mothers themselves.
Let us consider this together in an attempt to decode this mystery:
A young lady who is bent on becoming everything great that her imagination can accommodate, goes on to train her mind and beat her body into the discipline of achieving them. Then comes an interruption ranging from emotional, cultural to family pressure. It is called marriage – the beginning of a disruptive era! Woe betides this pretty lady if she did not spare a minute to prepare herself both mentally and physically, perhaps, dare we say, even spiritually to face this new world – but come to think of it, is there ever a preparation sufficient enough to carry her through to the end? Oh, it is all about unfolding mysteries!
Queen Grace and her husband, HRM, Obi Ikenchukwu I of Agbor Kingdom, Delta State, Nigeria.
Now, she’s married. She is no longer in absolute control of herself. She now has a partner to share herself with – the early stage of motherhood. What will he eat? How will he feel? What should I do to cheer him up? These are the kind of thoughts that begins to preoccupy that mind that was once all about her dreams and ambitions. This, arguably, is the first stage of motherhood in marriage – mothering your husband who by virtue of this thing called marriage has become your first child.
A pregnant woman.
Then another major interruption strikes, she is pregnant! A 180 degrees change of lifestyle for the divine calling to a higher level of motherhood. Now let us attempt to crack this code. Ideally, this process takes nine months. Within this period, something that the human mind has not been and may never be able to explain, happens right inside a sack (womb) in the woman’s body. Another human being begins to form and take shape. Right inside her, someone is being fed, sheltered and clothed, what so many lack on the outside ironically. Right inside her is a play ground for the unwinding of that someone (meanwhile, they could be more than one). Guess what? She is the happiest person whilst going through this process. She is not bothered that her tenant is owing rent from inception of the tenancy. This tenant alters everything about her, her physical appearance, her thought process, her choice of food, clothes, chores, play and even sleeping position, yet she is simply happy. She remembers herself no more, suspending career and business goals, fitness and social goals until whenever the tenant grants partial permission.
Mother and child.
Do we now talk about the process of birthing forth this tenant into the world, yet a higher level of self abandonment. She blends the feeling of pain with joy, fear with hope, discomfort with love, and with the little strength in her weak body she delivers to the world, precious pearls. Then a new phase of bonding and nurturing begins – doesn’t she ever get tired? Oh, it is the mystery of motherhood. She finds strength in exerting energy.
The Queen and her mother, Madam Dorcas Alagoa.
Mothers! Please trouble them no further with your culture, ideologies, spirituality or selfish demands. They have paid their dues far beyond the requirements!
Painfully, orphans, particularly those that lost their mother at a very tender age, live their days bearing that vacuum that only her can fill. The orphan girl, if she is an older sibling, starts her motherhood journey as a babysitter of her younger ones.
Different shades of an orphan girl.
What exactly was placed in these wonder beings called ‘women’ that make them do the unimaginable? Oh, IT IS, THE MYSTERY OF MOTHERHOOD!
At Queen Grace Foundation, we are dedicated to revealing the uniqueness of these special gifts to mankind – Women, and empowering them to maximize their potentials, particularly the abused and neglected. Join us to foster this beautiful and ever rewarding course!
