OUR FINAL TOUCHES TO LAY GLADYS TO REST....

This is the weekend when those of us from abroad are breezing into town from various parts of the world. My sister Lucy is flying from Atlanta, Georgia, and my brother John is leaving from London, England. Gladys' daughter, Akpene and her husband Mark, are departing from Portland, Oregon. Eli, Gladys' son, is making the trip from San Jose, California, and Makafui, Gladys' daughter, is traveling from Frederickton, Canada. My flight is from Los Angeles and I doing something I have never done before purely in memory of my sister, Gladys: I am flying through the beautiful city of Dubai, just to have a peek and keep that memory with me while I make my journey to say goodbye to my beloved sister. I am going by Emirates Airlines. Makafui is following my footsteps too.

So far, we've come a long way in making all the arrangements for a fitting burial for Gladys. Our family home in Keta will be the central location for all the activities. The headmaster of Keta Secondary School, where Gladys was once a teacher, has been very generous to our family, offering the school grounds for the funeral reception. The funeral mass will be conducted at the Keta Catholic Mission, the very mission where Gladys attended her primary and middle schools. The burial will be at Srogboe, our home town. It feels like coming full circle indeed, taking her right where she started life as a kid growing up, and resting her home by her Dad, James Caledji Tsikata!

Even though we are all grieving her loss, our family intends to make the funeral a celebration of Gladys' very rich and inspiring life, and we will all be there in our numbers to make it happen. It is in these moments that you truly know those who love and care about you. We have received, and are still receiving, donations from various sources and we are extremely grateful to all the donors. We have also received, and are still receiving, lots of help from friends and relatives who have donated their time in all the arrangements we've made so far and it is proper to register our profound gratitude to them.

As I get on the plane tomorrow Friday, October 23rd, to make the journey back home, I am doing so with very fond memories of my sister when she was here. Those memories are indelible now and I intend to keep them that way.

Yes, I do miss her already!