Sitting at Yeni's valedictory service listening to a graduand singing 'I'll always love you' by Whitney Houston, I think of my time. Yes, my times. I see a young girl who could grow to a powerful musician in a short time. Someone everyone would have to reckon with.
Then I think of those whose names have been stamped on the sands of time in my generation. And I realise they weren't there some few year's back. There were other names. Funny enough, there would be other names for a short while and this girl singing before me could be one of them.
I also think of the good side and the bad side. A quote I saw some days back said something like....its not our fault that we do this, its just our turn. Hmmm, a way to put it.
Our parents had their time, they did things, both good and bad. I've had mine and still having it and I've done mine. Then I realise that whatever has been done so far is an inkling to what will be done in the future. A sprinter would beat Usain bolt's record in the 100m race, there would be a better musician than Beyonce Knowles. A better writer than Chinua Achebe or Soyinka Wole or Chimamanda Adiche or Helon Habila. Yes, in other fields too. As the words I heard last night from Bishop Oyedepo says, the children must be greater than their fathers to consider themselves a success.
Now I realise we and those that come after will always do better because they've got our wings, our works or whatever you want to call it, to ride on.
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