Lord, Was It Her Way Of Showing Appreciation?

Dear Father,

There is a saying that you will never miss a well until the water runs dry. There is also another saying that you will never know the importance of your buttock until a boil grows on it. I remember very well when I was in Charlie land back then, there was this story I heard from a friend that touched me so much. The story centers on a guy and his fiancée. This guy used to shower all the gifts you can ever think of on this young lady as a demonstration of his love for her. He was never short of saying how much he loves her. He, time and again demonstrated his love in so many ways, thinking that the young lady would in return show him some love or a little appreciation.

But to the contrary this girl’s action towards this guy was terrible. There was not a day that she ever told him that she loves and appreciated him, at least once. His presence at her house was always climaxed by fuss and left the guy with bad feelings on so many nights. But that notwithstanding, he was still committed to her. He will come back the next day to shower her with more love and gifts. Despite all of these kind gestures and demonstration of love she never reciprocated one day to show appreciation.

So, it happens that the guy got sick and died. And because she didn’t care after few days when she couldn’t hear from him, she decided this time to put aside her ego to go and look for him. Unfortunately, she was told by family members that the guy had passed away.

She threw herself to the ground and wept. She wept because; according to her she never had the opportunity to tell him how much she had actually loved him, even though her behavior was to the contrary.

Father, this is exactly what we all do especially to our leaders. Today, there are people who wish for instance, that the Old Baptist Preacher was still alive because of his dreams. Father many of those with such a dream and desire were among many who I believe were the worst critic of the old preacher. They saw nothing good in his administration. I believe every policy at the time was criticized. Those he showed concern to were regarded as sympathizers and sycophants. But out of a sudden, he is regarded as the best emperor our village ever had.

Father, you would think that after destroying this man, who was the worst thing to happen to our village, people would have welcomed the young soldier boy.

Oo yes, they did. They danced and sang along our dilapidated streets, soon these people are heard saying the old preacher was the best thing to have happened to our village and the worst now is the soldier boy.

So was the cry of the people and the urge to remove him by whatever means necessary. He was only good in the eyes of those closest, even though many of them were actually there to deceive him.

Now few years after the young soldier boy was gruesomely murdered, he has become the best thing to happen to our village. In fact, some have come to hail him as the village most progressive.

But yesterday, those who were able to say it were considered sycophants and were saying so because of their interest. It is good to criticize, don’t get me wrong Father, but it is also good to appreciate someone at least when they have done something well deserving of praises. Today many including this writer wish the soldier boy was still alive to complete some of the projects he initiated. Some even imagine how far our village would have been by now had he not been slaughtered. But they did not do so when they had the opportunity.

It is the same with the Ray Hair man who is currently in Uncle Sam’s village answering few questions for what he did in a neighboring village but not the one he did here so excellently.

Yet, there were people who hated him but wish he was back here because he is an opportunity missed.

Today, the Old Lady has come on the scene. She is the worst thing to happen to our village by some of their standards. She has been described by some as unforgiving, mean, vindictive etc. And so they see nothing good now about her administration. They just want her out, for whatever reason best known to them. The fact is the Old lady is just not helping, they say. But little have they considered all the good things about her administration. The little efforts she is making to take our village from its immediate past to bring it back on par with our neighbors.

She tries to show a little love here and there even when she is castigated. She soon appoints her worst enemies to governor positions, her worst critics as family lawyer; ensure that those who greatly despised her get lucrative appointments with fact rewards, some are even taken on foreign trips. No, she wants to win them over, they say.

Yet, her efforts are meaningless, in fact it is time that she leaves, some will say. And then she comes back the next day and showered them with love. Be careful, she is very deceptive, they warned.

But one day after she is no longer at the helm of our village authority, she,   like her predecessors will now be remembered. Many would wish they had her back like they have wish for the others but it will be too late, the opportunity was there but they never saw the need to give those little flowers in areas where it have matter most.

So, indeed, that the prophecy of our ancestors should come to pass, one’s good deeds are only remember when he or she is no more. But beware people; the Good Old Book says Cain sought repentance but he found it not. He cried like the young lady who wish, she had told her fiancé how she loved him but it was too late.