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Valentine’s Day is a time of love…not just for couples but for families, friends and individuals too. It is an opportunity to share and show love, by going out of your way to do something or make someone feel special.
And so, here is the story of Victor Adeyemi, a bank executive’s well thought-out plans for his mother- is a single parent- this coming Valentine.
…..
I was alone again on my balcony and reflecting on how motherhood was re-enacted during my December visit to mum’s after three years. I got deeply emotional and was prompted to compose a love poem for her for Valentine’s Day on Tuesday. Of course, Ann Taylor’s ‘My Mother’ came to mind. I picked my phone and called. Mum was quiet but I could hear her excited breathing beneath my cracked voice.
“Who sat and watched my infant head
When sleeping on my cradle bed
And tears of sweet affection shed
My mother.”
I continued singing, swelling up with each verse, and struggling to hold back my tears.
Until the last stanza!
“When thou art feeble, old and grey
My healthy arm shall be thy sway
And I will soothe thy pains away
My mother.”
Then it happened. I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. I lost the struggle and let the dam break; tears freely flowed down my cheeks and mum was crying too. It was an emotional moment I couldn’t find words to describe; the priceless feelings, the loud silence, the age-long understanding… Oh motherhood, how can I ever forget your kindness? What can I do to repay you? What have you not done for me? Thank you, maami.
Mum has been a great help, a support and an inspiration to me, and I constantly seek unique opportunities to create experiences to at least repay a portion of her kindness, because no matter how I try, I can never repay her.
Part of what mum taught me was how to cook a good meal and so I’m planning to cook for her. She has cooked for me all her life and I want to do the same for her this time.
The fast approaching Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to show mum the chef in me, since Mother’s Day is still months away. I’m planning to drive from Lagos to Ilorin just to cook for her. I would buy all the ingredients here in Lagos then hit the road. No matter how tired I am, I’m going straight into the kitchen to make her one of the most nutritious and nourishing foods on earth – that’s my big Valentine’s Day surprise for her.
Well, I might have limited knowledge of recipes but you can never go wrong with pecadomo. It is the simplest and smartest form of getting nutrition; it means Peak Can Do More, which is a new trend among health-conscious Nigerians, embracing the use of Peak Milk beyond the traditional bread and tea. Peak Milk is now used in the preparation of traditional foods like eba, semo, amala, pounded yam, et al.
Even at her age, mum still needs good nutrition. As a retired nurse, she has private health consultancy business which requires sharper mind and stronger body, and pecadomo is that perfect strategy of meeting her nutritional needs as critical nutrients are situated at key culinary touch points.
This might be the simple idea to connect with mums again. Sometimes it’s not always about that expensive gift but unique experiences that evoke emotions and create lasting impressions.
Knock-knock-knock, Mum I’m hooome!
