The story began on December 10, 2005. It's been 9 years already. I was so sure that this year I was going to be strong. Surely enough time has passed? Time heals all, right? Wrong...
How do I know? I poked at the scar and it was still tender. It may never heal, but that's okay. Maybe it's never supposed to.
107 souls should never be forgotten. Dearest 60 Loyola Angels... Never forgotten
The Story Continues...
Ije, I understand perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI am Kechi's auntie (The writer's younger sister). I still have a child in Loyola. In fact, all my sons attended the college. I attended the Memorial Drama at Loyola Jesuit College last month. I have not missed any since the crash happened 9 years ago. The annual Memorial dramas were instituted to keep the memory of the 60 children that lost their lives that day alive.
I have not recovered form the haunting sounds that trailed a section of the service. A girl's voice pierced through the silence in the church as she announced the names of each child one after the other. After each name, a gong sound would go off! Kenechukwu Abah! "gong!", Kelechi Adaka! "gong", Toke... ""gong" It started as my eyes misting over, then the tears began to drop, then my heaving shoulders betrayed me to all who stood around. I was soon bawling like a baby because it all came back to me. The weight of that horrible experience. That dark afternoon when the earth stood still...
Thank God for resurrection! Thank God that this is not what it is all about. The bible says of the world that "There is no continuing city here...". We are only passing through and our time here is measured. For a people who do not know when their end will come, how should we then be? We should live as though we are sting the feast of passover; standing, alert, and ready to leave. Live with a death consciousness and live everyday like it is your last, for it may well be.
Praise the Lord!