...AND THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE

 

In 2024, I met a girl who at a single glance, captured my attention. There was something about her; an unspoken radiance, a silent strength. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I knew she was special.

Now, if you know me, meeting and connecting with young girls or young women is nothing new. But this girl, who for the sake of this piece I will call Nia, was different. From our first encounter, she struck me as joyful, bubbly and remarkably intelligent. She had an energy that was both refreshing and contagious. Above all, she was beautiful not just in appearance but in the way she carried herself, in the spark of life that danced in her eyes.

We exchanged a few words that day, a brief conversation that left an impression. As time passed, our interactions became a little more friendly; just a few polite greetings here and there over WhatsApp. At that point, she was just an acquaintance, nothing more.

Then one night, around 11 PM, my phone rang. I sleepily reached for it, barely registering the name on the screen. Nia! Why is she calling me this late?

And then it hit me, she had texted earlier in the day that she wanted to talk. Still sleep weighed heavy on me and for a moment, I debated whether to ignore the call and respond in the morning. But something in me whispered otherwise. No one calls at this hour without a good reason.

Anyway, I answered.

"Hi… I’m so sorry for calling this late,” she began; her voice soft, almost hesitant. “I was still at work and I hope you were not sleeping, If you were I don't care if I woke you up because you are my friend now.” She said with a mocking laugh! 

“It’s alright,” I replied, my voice thick with sleep and exhaustion.

Then, silence. She laughed a little. You know that forced laughter debating where to begin. And then before I knew it, she broke.

Tears! Desperation! Pain laced with exhaustion. I listened as Nia cried, her voice trembling with the weight of burdens too heavy for someone her age. She was overwhelmed, lost in a storm of struggles, longing for the mother she had lost about 8 years ago, wishing life would ease its harsh grip. She envied her peers who moved through life effortlessly while she stumbled under responsibilities too large for her young shoulders.

For fifteen minutes, I said nothing. I just listened. You know, I have mastered the art of listening through mentorship. The soothing power that listening brings to the heart is unmatched. 

I listened to a soul caught between despair and hope, to a heart both fragile and unbreakable. You see, this is what makes Nia special and my heart smiles at this amount of strength and resilience. 

And when the moment felt right, I spoke; offering whatever words of encouragement my tired mind could muster. We prayed together and I reassured her that she was not alone.

Later, I came to learn Nia’s full story. She is 25. She lost her mother at age 17. Soon after, her father abandoned her and her younger siblings, forcing her into a role she was never prepared for. She became both mother and father to them, sacrificing her youth to ensure their survival. Every day has been a battle, working, studying, scraping together what little she could, to provide shelter, put food on the table and keep them in school. Life has barely been about her. 

Kind-hearted people stepped in along the way, offering her a job and providing bits of support for her to bounce back in education. But the truth remains, she still struggles to keep the roof from caving in on her family and she had been robbed of her childhood. She made the ultimate sacrifice, choosing her siblings' future over her own. While others her age were chasing dreams, Nia had simply been trying to keep her family afloat. And yet, she remains kind. She remains strong. And above all she is resilient! 

Nia has supported her siblings so well that one of them, now walks through the corridors of a public University while the other is thriving in secondary school. With their progress comes greater financial demands but Nia shoulders them with courage and unwavering determination. At the same time, she is trying to find her own footing, ready to step into the path of her long-held dreams.

No child should have to endure what Nia has. And yet, she has. She is a survivor, literally!

To be honest, Nia's story haunted me for days but the more I learned of her resilience, the more I believed in the greatness that awaits her. You haven’t heard even half of what Nia has survived; from wandering homeless with her luggage in search of shelter to  curling up on the cold floor, tears falling as the pain of hunger tortured her.

To me, Nia is no longer just an acquaintance. She is a part of my life. I seek to hold her hand, walking beside her, step by step as she inches toward her light. And in this journey, I have learned something profound:

In a world that values material things, I have discovered that the most precious gift is something intangible, something boundless. There is a lot we can do for others. We all have a part to play. We all are surrounded by Nias who are in need of somebody to lean on. We don’t need to have much to help someone hold on to life. We all have a lot to offer in this world; Love, money, encouragement and all kinds of material things,

…..And the greatest of these, is Love!