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12 Years of Glory: The Last Roadtrip

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You are about to read an account of my last road trip with my late wife, Glory Ashu. Before we continue, I owe you an explanation of why I pursue this somber and emotional route of rendering accounts of a story that does not end well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkwMPBShkGw First of all, writing is promoted by the fierce urgency of now. I am morphing into an old man with each passing day. My mortality surrounds me like a warm coat on a winter night. I take comfort in the fact that I will die one of these days, having done the best with the cards I was dealt by life. I want my children to have a lot of literature crafted by me. I want them to understand me, and I can achieve that goal through this digital footprint. Secondly, I can share my experience with Glory and show you what an extraordinary person she was.  So, here we go... When was the last time you had some blood work done? Have you evaluated your conversations with your PCP, and have you been leading those conversations? M
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12 Years of Glory: The Call

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December 17, 5:13 PM. I was almost done with Eyong's shower. The phone rang as I put her on my lap to dry her up. Thinking it could be Glory calling, I made Eyong sit on the toilet and rushed to the dresser where the phone lay. It was Martin, and I was slightly disappointed that it was not Glory, so I picked it up and went back to the bathroom to assist Eyong.  "C'est comment?" he asked. I replied in French that all was ok. He went straight to the point: "Sabine m'a dit que Glory l'a informe qu'elle a le cancer du foi?" he asked.  I could communicate in French, and I heard what he had said, but the words he put together weaved a surreal meaning. And as my consciousness obstinately buoyed the impact to the surface, my knees suddenly felt soft, and they could not hold my weight. I felt the bathroom spinning, and I crumbled to the floor with the phone in my ears. No, I managed to reply, breathing hard to regain my composure. I trembled. "Glory
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How associations are changing and what that means for some members.

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  Anecdote 1. We came early, and we were hungry. When it was time to eat, an impromptu MC asked us to stand up and pray. The prayer reciter looked in our direction as we were still seated and said in a disapproving voice, "Let us ALL stand up and bow our heads." I looked at her, smiled, and took out my phone. I remained seated.  Anecdote 2.  We had a good time at this reunion. We had rented a lodge, and about twenty of us enjoyed a camaraderie that spanned over thirty years. As we usually do, we talked about recent developments in our lives and how to make our relationships more relevant. Out of nowhere, one of the participants requested that we pray. I was completely thrown off guard and slightly upset. I said nothing.  If you are from sub-Saharan Africa, there is a good chance that you belong to a cultural organization. It is usually associated with people who share something in common: language, customs, geographical location, lineage, etc. I belong to a few, but my list
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About the State of Mississippi's New Flag

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Having attained the nadir (?) of its pretentious colorblindness in the summer of 2020, the US has resorted to palliatives to soothe its permanent gangrene called racism. Like cancer, racism continues to grow because it continues to be taught and exploited (yes, it is hideously lucrative for material and power). Mississippi's sedative is the state's new flag. Albeit just a flag, ergo, a mere symbol, we residents of the state need to thank the activists and proponents who fought for the change. Some of them thought the day would never come when the old flag (a symbol of twisted economic boom and vitality for some, but a reminder of stolen lives and wealth and endless discrimination for others) would come down forever. It did. The new flag is a brave testimony of our ever-expanding intelligence, tolerance, and humanity. The new flag's colors and design do not matter as it is just a symbol. However, my reservation about it stems from including the words "In God We Trust&q
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Response to: Are you the coward beating up on your wife or fiancée?

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This is my response to Mr. Innocent Chia's article: Are you the coward beating up on your wife or fiancée? Yes, shame on me, shame on Ray Rice, shame on you too the wife/partner/fiance beater. You are right Mr. Chia, we are cowards. Cowards for being perpetrators, onlookers, silent spectators/accomplices, etc. Most of us have been programmed to to be violent towards women by the subtle and all too significant carvings of evolution, by our own inadequacies hence insecurities. In abusing our power, we have failed to do two things, conquer our fears and exercise restraint. The theory of trophy wives, inferiority complex and Innocent’s stay on the perpetrator are subjective assessments that only begin to scratch the surface of the global problem of spousal abuse in particular and abuses in general. For instance, your average commercial, male conversation, Christian and Muslim religion objectify the woman as a trophy for a deserving and conquering male. Yes, it may be about not havi
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http://amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html?c=upworthy
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"A girl of reliability" a woman of reliability.

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How do you pay tribute to a mother who gave you everything? How do you begin to explain to anyone how wonderful your mother's love is without them thinking that it is nothing compared to theirs? You just can't. You can't stop either because, regardless of how everyone else views your mother, she will never cease to be special. Ok, I love my mother. This is not new. Those who know me know this, but they don't know how much and why. As we drove on Landover road just after the intersection with Lottsford Rd in MD heading towards Upper Marlboro, I felt the need to stop and speak to my mother. She had been critical about my way of life which lacked the lustre and flair of those who have succeeded in the USA: Doctors, Lawyers, Nurses, etc. People who lived in "big Houses", drove nice cars and ... well you get the picture. I was a teacher and my mother felt that by subtly letting me know that I had to supplement my income with a "second" job or even a th
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