Choosing How to Respond to 2020 In April of 2020, I wrote a blog called ‘Turning 50 during a pandemic.’ It was my attempt at accepting the fact that the plans I had for a fabulous birthday were not meant to be. Perhaps it was my way of preparing for the potential hardship and disappointment. Maybe I sensed the Tsunami that was ahead. But nothing could have prepared me (or any of us) for the life-altering nature of the tests that lay ahead. 2020 brought with it so much pain an

In February of 2018, I traveled with six amazing women to India. We called ourselves The Sisters of the Traveling Sari. I have so many wonderful memories and lessons learned from that trip, but spending a couple of days in Rishikesh by the Ganges River was, for me, the highlight of the journey. Rishikesh was the last destination before our trip back home. One of my friends and I decided to change our return plans and remain in Rishikesh for a few more days. On the morning tha

Mom, her daughters and grandchild The day is December 31, 2006. It is a warm summer morning in Nigeria. I wake up to my mother’s excitement about the New Year’s Eve party and fireworks that we are going to attend that evening. She tells me she has dropped off the van at the mechanic's to get brand new tires put on to make sure the car is in top shape for the journey. “You know how the roads are," she says. Around noon, we board the minivan; my husband, children, and a young