'FOREWARD TO MY SECOND BOOK….'

FOREWORD

Bereavement is a big word that may seem alien to some because they have never experienced it and it is to others a word that brings all sorts of emotional reaction because they know what it is to be bereaved. The loss of a loved one is an unpleasant experience that leaves an indelible mark on the life of the bereaved. Be that as it may, as Christians the Bible gives us guidance on how to live and covers most topics on how to handle difficult situations including bereavement but as we all know, it is usually difficult to accept the finality of the translation of a loved one. It is not easy to live naturally in a supernatural world and but as it is written that Iron sharpens Iron; We can learn from one another’s experiences in order to continue to ride the storms of life and fulfill destiny without allowing negative impact of life’s occurrences to rob us of our glorious tomorrow.

‘Joy in Place of Grief ‘by Olu Ojedokun is a book that will bring encouragement to many who are grieving and they will learn that what they are going through is not strange. No matter how dark the place seems that they are, there is a new dawn about to break for them; new hope rising and new chapters of their lives to be lived. Olu has in an open and direct no holds barred manner, shared his memoirs and grieving experience from the loss of his twin sister, a much loved shining star that was snatched away too soon! In this book you will encounter raw emotions and pains of a bereaved man as well as healing that follows such an experience because life must go on and the word of God is forever settled and will not go unfulfilled. This book will also give encouragement to those who are walking and working with the bereaved that they are coming out of those dark places. 

I congratulate you that you already have this book which I recommend to all and sundry and pray that God will use this book to heal and cause many to overcome the challenges of bereavement because surely, joy comes in the morning from our God, The Father of all comfort! The promises of God cannot be erased by bereavement. Halleluyah! Truly, there can be joy in the place of grief.

Pastor Aderonke Mosuro

Redeemed Christian Church of God (UK)

For less than $10 the book may be obtained below -

 https://www.createspace.com/5070786

‘POSTSCRIPT’

14^th January 2015 will mark five years after the glorious exit of my twin.  It is now so much easier to reflect back and engage with the subject of grief.  From the onset I was determined to discard the usual protocol that usually shrouds the subject and share the nakedness of my experiences rather than keep it padded with dignity because I was determined that Folashade’s death will not be in vain. I am of course aware that the life she lived was not in vain, but death so sudden, so young can be very devastating and leave one reeling for years on end.  I have already alluded to the fact that my twinship, a concept less understood by many added another complexity to my grief. 

I hope the lesson of this book ('Joy in Place of Grief') is, no matter the depth of the loss encountered, no matter the magnitude it presents, no matter the gaping hole exhumed, that through God we can rise to a level, which allows us to cope with it and to progress to another level.  For me moving on in the classical sense was and is never an option but triumphing over grief and dominating its destructive traits to proclaim the victory that Jesus Christ presents is my only option.

So many responded to my grief with unspeakable and unquantifiable kindness, lots of cash gifts, emails, visits and phone calls. These all contributed to making a difference and the navigation to a place of joy easier.  Today I pray this book will prepare you and equip you for such a time in the far future, we pray, when each and everyone of us will encounter loss in some form.  To those experiencing it now, I pray it will help you with the realisation that at the end of the tunnel lays light, light which transforms into unspeakable joy.

'SILENCE OF THE LAMB'

On a daily basis we fall to a ravaging and confounding enemy, labelled by many as Boko Haram and yet the hands of our President continues as a largely invincible one….. . Yet there is no such thing as an invisible legacy…. Then there is the silence of the lamb exhibited by so many, in the face of there is no alternative. In this I fear for our future because as Fannon suggests it would have no pity for those men [and women] who, possessing the exceptional privilege to speak words of truth to their oppressors, have taken refuge in an attitude of passivity, of mute indifference, and sometimes of cold complicity...

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