Turning a new age is an amazing experience, having the gift to share it with family and friends makes it more memorable.
A Nigerian man identified as Rotimi Akinlesi has penned down an endearing message in appreciation of his family and friends who had made his fiftieth birthday a remarkable one.
Rotimi was surprised by the surprise party organised by his colleagues and friends, who had contacted all his old friends from school to join celebrate him on his big day.
In his post he also shared amazing pictures of him and his children who had taken super cool photos in honor of his day as he narrated how his family had surprised him on his birthday.
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In his post, Rotimi wrote:
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"APPRECIATION
Yesterday, Monday 26th February, 2018, I turned 50. I give all the glory to God.
I must also say that yesterday will go into the records as one of my amazingly indescribable, inexpressible, unalterable memorable day. It was my birthday, but I couldn't hold the tears back at some point. I was woowed!
Yesterday, I was woowed with a beautiful surprise birthday party put together by my mentees, friends, and a small group of my secondary school classmates (ExMays 79/84) and the immediate former president of the Mayflower Old Students Association.
How the 'Surprise Birthday Team' could assemble my friends from my former secondary and tertiary institutions, my siblings and associates still remains intriguing to me.
The hall, Adeoti Ball room, Conference Hotel, Annex, an exquisite, cute and lovely architectural piece owned by a former governor of Ogun State and well tucked in the serene and beautiful GRA in Ijebu-Ode was filled up with wonderful and lovely people -
the elderly, the young, pastors, a foremost tree planter, industrialist and three-term local government chairman, a honourable member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, a former Vice Chancellor, an Olori, former principals, professors, some members of the academia, mentees, teachers, a student on EI scholarship, some EI Volunteers, some members of the EI Academy Alumni, my siblings, lawyers, colleagues at the office, friends from Lagos, Abeokuta, Ikorodu, Ota, Ibadan etc. and one actually flew in from New York. Those who couldn't fly in sent 'videos of tributes' from across the world. 'Daughters and sons' took permission off-work to be at the event. I was moved to tears. I later learnt a group of 11 of my classmates actually paid for the hall!!!. A sweet couple paid for the live band, another lovely couple decorated the hall without taking a kobo, while another amazing couple picked the big banners, you know those big banners??, haba!, drinks, ice, everything were picked and paid for by wonderful friends, aburos, sons, mentees and egbons. O ga gan oo.
People gave without my knowledge to honour me. They gave without me asking. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... They gave their money, their resources, their time! Wooooow! May God honour you all. Cakes were flying in, a live band was on stage. The hall was beautifully decorated. Food and drinks were more than enough. Gifts poured in. It was a well organised party and not a kobo of mine was in all that????????? Jesus Christ!!! I am yet to recover from the........ I lack words to describe it!
How did I get to the hall? My wife and my children and our friend Kemi from the States had invited me to a lunch at Conference Hotel but they told me we will need to pass by the stadium so that Kemi could check something around there (The annex is located around there!). To cut a long story short, I found myself in the hall with everyone patiently waiting to receive me. I couldn't believe it. I stood there with my mouth wide opened. I was dazed. Everyone was beautifully and magnificently dressed! I got into the with palpable astonishment and pointing and screaming in incredulity as I see friends I had seen in ages and some I still saw that morning but never told me or behave as if there was a surprise party around the corner.
Sincerely, yesterday, I was moved to tears. Each person I asked why I was not told about the party gave me the same response... 'If we had told you, you would have stopped us. You will say you don't want a party, that we should go to the village and give sandals'.
Yesterday, I saw tears fill my eyes. I shed tears Apart from all these, at the same party a beautiful and well printed all-gloss magazine called THE ENCOURAGEMENT and put together in my honour by the Encouragement Initiative Volunteers (EiVs) was launched. I was flaggedbasted. I stood there in astonishment. Beautiful and well packaged. The magazine has lots of pictures (how did they get them??), stories, and a compendium of tributes/testimonies written by 50 people across the globe about me!! Which include two former vice chancellors, two corporate giants, a politician, friends, family members, some elderly women, associates, mentees, classmates, pastors, etc. My God!! I was not expecting all these! I understand copies of the magazine are still available for those who might want to pick theirs. It was also announced that all proceeds from the sales of the magazine are to go straight to EI and to be used to meet the needs of less privileged children. Wooooow! What more can I say?
Earlier in the day, I had invited all and sundry to join me at Moslem Primary School, Ita-Ale, Ijebu-Ode to give sandals, stationery, bags, exercise books, small chairs etc to less fortunate pupils of the school. A pupils who happened to be my birthday mate got an automatic academic support right there and took pictures with me.
People turned up for the sandals trip at the school but with a shocker! Many came in T-shirts with the inscription 'EIVs CELEBRATE DRA@50'. I was bewildered. While I was still being dazed by that, I didn't know something bigger was still on the way.
Now, how do I thank you all? I sincerely appreciate everyone.
I am scarred to mention names so that I don't run the risk of mistakingly leaving out some names.
But please know that within me, I appreciate you all.
At a point I couldn't pick my calls again. The calls kept coming. My phone kept ringing. Facebook and whatsapp 'gba alejo' yesterday. As I write this, I have loads of texts messages, whatsapp greetings and Facebook comments and greeting I have not read.
Honestly, I thank you all.
I conclude with this:
God gave us two eyes and put them in front of our head so that we can always be forward looking
He gave us one mouth, so that our yes can be yes and our no must be no.
He gave us two ears so that we can always hear the two sides of the story before making judgements and so that each time we hear pple talk ill of us through one ear, we must always hear God encourage us through the other ear
He gave us our brain and put it in our skull, so that whatever we store there can never be stolen
Then he gave us one HEART and tucked it in, deep within us, with a rib cage around it, so that each time we want to show gratitude, it comes from our heart, deep within us.
From my heart, and VERY DEEP within me, I say thank you to everyone, to my ever supportive wife, my lovely children, my siblings, the surprise birthday team, the magazine team, EiVs, friends, associates, colleagues.
Before you call, God will answer you. Amen
Thank you and God bless us all.
Next year, we are going to a very rural and remote village for the birthday sandals trip. I hope you are set. May the Lord keep us.
Your friend,
Dr. Rotimi Akinlesi (DRA)"
This is beautiful, it is really pays off to surround yourself with friends, families who will go all the way to celebrate you at every time.
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