The Storm Rider

The storm came upon her family suddenly
It was relentless
First it took her mother's last child
He was a sickle cell anaemia patient 
whose health had been managed 
carefully since childhood
He woke up one morning, ate breakfast 
and told their mother he was going to 
rest a little 
more because of a slight headache
That was it
He was gone like a candle in the wind
She was at the office when her 
mother called her with the news
Her mother was distraught and broke 
the news like a bullet to the jugular
The news did something to her
After years of praying and 
care
She could swear that it was because 
of his brother's health that she 
ventured into nursing
She loved his brother silly
It was a horrible way to see a young 
vibrant life come to an end
Her brother was just 22 at the time
She was thirty
The news numbed her
It was as if she 
lost the ability to feel or to function 
emotionally
She was in a relationship at the time
A brother she met at the "Nigerian 
church she was attending in Ireland
The relationship was a match made 
in heaven for heaven
The brother was a medical doctor 
and a beautiful instrumentalist 
She and he became drawn to each 
other when she practiced a solo 
rendition with him for the Christmas 
carol two years before she lost her 
brother
The brother was a gentleman who 
loved her sincerely and wanted to 
marry her
The brother had hinted that he 
would be taking her to meet 
people in Nigeria by April that year
The brother's family had a huge 
family reunion planned and it 
would be the best time for him to 
bring his wife home
They had agreed and sorted 
everything out together
They both took their leave at 
work and bought tickets for their 
journey
She suddenly didn't feel like going 
home with him
It was a sudden fear
An irrational belief that if she didn't 
see her parents face to face the 
death of her brother would somehow 
not be true
She just wasn't ready
The brother couldn't believe it or 
understand it
First she ghosted him 
for several days while refusing to pick 
his call or see him
He was patient
Eventually, she called off the 
engagement and told the brother to 
move on
She felt that was the best thing to do
Walk away before she complicates 
his life
How would she handle going home 
with him to meet 
his people and celebrate so soon after 
her brother's death
What if his family members see the 
death of her brother as a bad omen 
and begin to attach meanings to it?
She just didn't feel like being happy 
or going through the motions of joy 
and bliss
She wanted to be by herself 
She wanted to be alone
The brother told her he would travel 
home by himself but he will not accept 
her verdict on their relationship 
because he knows she was not in 
the best frame of mind
He dropped a note under her door
She wrote it and got angry
She got angry that he was still 
traveling despite the pain she was 
feeling
Why couldn't he cancel the journey 
to be with her?
It was a reasonable demand in her 
opinion, although it was unreasonable 
because she had refused to talk to 
him or see him since she got the news
How was he to know that was what she 
wanted
How was he to know that she was 
hurting so much that she couldn't 
even imagine anyone she loves not 
feeling the same way she was 
feeling at that time?
She didn't respond to his message
The evening of the very day he took 
off, she dressed up and drove herself 
to a club in 
city
She had never been that kind of girl 
but she needed to get him out of 
her system
She felt the best way to repay his 
betrayal was to meet somebody 
else and do something stupid
She was in a self destruct mode
She didn't know it at the time
She had fallen into depression but 
who cares?
She couldn't recollect much of 
what happened at the club
She got into a fight with someone 
and she got arrested
The police officers didn't make a 
big deal of it
She was kept behind bars until 
the alcohol in her system cleared 
and she was driven home by a 
caring police officer
The police officer promised to 
come back later in the day to check 
up on her
She could barely remember his face
She slept off as soon as she laid 
down on her couch
Later that day, her mother called again
Her mother asked if she had spoken 
with her immediate younger sister 
who was located in New York
She said No
Her mother said she had been trying to get across to her sister for several days without any success
She tried her sister's number
It rang out
Her mother was in a full panic mode
The events of the past few weeks, 
coupled with the current 
crisis was just too much
She was already on leave from work 
and had time on her hand
She had an American visa
She got one when she had to travel 
the previous year to help her sister 
settle down in New York when she 
got admitted into the University
She bought the ticket and 
hopped on a plane to New York
When she got there, her sister was 
nowhere to be found
The apartment they rented just the 
year before was empty and nobody 
seemed to know her sister's 
whereabout
She spent five days in New York
Her days were basically spent in her 
sister's apartment 
She waited for her sister to return 
home to no avail
She didn't call the police, she didn't 
report the event to anybody
She didn't know why she didn't do 
any of that
She just stayed in the apartment 
and cried
While she was there, her mother 
called several times
She didn't pick 
She didn't know what to say
After five days, she suddenly decided 
to return to Ireland She couldn't say why
It was just an impulsive thing
When she got to Ireland, the same 
police officer was waiting for her at 
the airport
He just happened to be there when 
she came out of the airport exit
He recognized her immediately and 
walked up to her
He asked her if she was feeling okay
She didn't hear him
All she felt was a maniac rage
Somehow she had convinced herself 
he wanted to put her in trouble and 
was tailing or stalking her
She lashed out at him with rage
Screaming and cursing him
He arrested her and took her to the 
police station
When they got to the station, he 
explained to her that her mother had 
called the police station from Nigeria 
to report that she went to New York 
and couldn't be reached
He took an interest in the case and started 
investigating it based on the incident they 
had at the club earlier
He felt she was on a self destruct mode 
and needed help
When he confirmed that she was alive 
and on her way back to Ireland, he decided 
to welcome her at the airport
He assured her that he had 
only her best interest at heart
He told her he would let her return home 
without entering the arrest in her record if 
she would promise to talk to someone 
about what she was going through
She didn't feel like talking to anybody 
but she promised him she would so 
that he could let her go
Later that evening he came to her house 
with a Christian brother who was also a 
counselor
He said he came to ensure she kept her 
promise
They prayed and somehow she began 
to talk and cry
What she thought was nothing turned out 
to be quite a big deal
She was able to sleep 
for the first time without jerking awake 
several times in the middle of the night 
in panic after that talk
The police officer came back the following 
day with this brother and they talked 
some more
He led her to Christ and got her filled 
with the Holy Spirit
It was a taste of heaven
She had always been a "Christian" from 
a very conservative background
She never even believed speaking in 
tongues was a godly thing to do
Everything changed after then
She began to see life in beautiful colours
She traveled home to see her mother
They grieved together and 
traveled back to Ireland together
She felt her mother needed a change of 
environment
She changed her church too
She began to attend the spirit-filled church 
where the brother that she spoke with was 
a worship leader
It was also the church the police officer attended
Her mother 
got better and better
A week after they got back to Ireland, they 
heard some news from her sister
She had traveled to Jamaica with some friends 
on a whim and was very fine
It was the best news ever!
When her man returned from Nigeria, he met 
the new her
She told him everything that 
had happened and apologized for her behavior
He told her he understood
The relationship went on but it didn't thrive
He struggled to cope with the new reality 
she was walking in
They broke up a month after he returned to Ireland
One year later, she married the police officer 

PS: Grieving the loss of a loved one is very
important
People grieve in different ways but it is
important that the pain is let out of the
system
A lot of colourful and tasteful things
lose their colour and taste after a
time of bereavement
Be careful not to make life altering
decisions at such times
Remember the Holy Spirit is your comforter
Walk with him and dwell in him
He makes the best lemonade out of
lemons 

Announcement: GSW and the Anointed
PSSBC Ministers will be in Benin from
5th -7th March 2021
If you're in Benin, Delta or Ondo
State
Come and join us as we minister unto
the Lord in Glory and majesty
The Holy Spirit will do great wonders
in our midst and through us
Please come