A Very Different Journey tells the story of a widow who has survived all odds. Born and bred in the United Kingdom makes her ill prepared for the ordeals of widowhood, stemming largely from the cultural demands from her husband's native land in the eastern part of Nigeria. She is a deep thinker and always seems to rise above circumstances.
She loves peace and harmony, but has been thrown into situations that dictate otherwise. She grew up without her father and had to bear the full brunt of an extremely difficult and discontent mother. As a young adult, she would meet the love of her life. In what seemed like a whirlwind romance, they got married shortly after. Finally, she would get the stability she always craved. Their union produced three beautiful daughters.
Her calm disposition never betrayed the teeming troubles in her household. To cap it all she was an industrious person who brought her fair share of food to the table. Her love for God and humanity somewhat enables her to weather the storms of insecurity and provide stability for her three daughters. They were now her priority and they still had some kind of stability in their lives until that day - the day asthma took their father away.
In this new phase of life, she is all alone. This time around, her husband's family unleash their weapons big time and she's ostracized from the 'married women's club' a club she didn't know existed until her husband's demise, by her female friends who evidently had based their friendship on the fact that she was a married woman. Her new status therefore meant she was a threat and it was all about protecting their 'territory.' She also had her three daughters to think about. The future looks bleak as she wonders how to sustain their education. Her mother is there too, being exactly who she is unwavering in her stoic and unsympathetic manner.
It is crystal clear that at this point, that when human beings fail, God does not and she must look to Him who stills the storms. With renewed energy and grace from Him, she is able to weather the storms.
Being the selfless person she is, her humanitarian base increases. It's not just about her or her precious daughters for that matter. She now sees life through a different lens and somehow the plight of other women who just may be in the same position as her comes to the fore. It starts initially as a simple thought and like the mustard seed in the bible begins to grow and grow in the womb of her mind. Shortly after, she starts to take action, reaching out to as many as she can.
In a little while they would gravitate toward her and what started as a simple thought would open doors to deep appreciation, some of which take the shape of awards and international acclaim. In an interesting turn of events, there are subtle attempts to get her back to the 'married women's club' but in this she has no interest. In her new lease of life there are other things that occupy her mind and time.
Today, her joy knows no bounds as she excitedly embraces the future. In this place, she would go down memory lane but not for too long. As far as that goes, it's more important to leave the past exactly where it belongs - in the past.