“IT IS IN WEEPING THAT WE LEARN TO CONTEMPLATE THE GOODNESS OF GOD.
IT IS IN MOURNING THAT WE DISCOVER THE PEACE OF GOD THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING.”
AMEN!
R.C. SPROUL
In life’s journey, everyone is destined to meet that someone who totally impacts his life; such people come as a blessing and our prayer is to have them constantly around us, but the will of our Maker is always for a reason, which is why people like you fade away like a wind unnoticed.
Joseph Tetteh, popularly called Joe T, was a wonderful, persistent and hardworking friend who inspired everybody who came into contact with him.
It was through your zeal, dedication and love for consistent learning which inspired you to coin the word, “Aaawepe” to signify the learning and burning of the midnight oil as we struggled to learn and to keep on top of the relentless class assignments and homework which sometimes had to be handed in at short notice.
You were so dedicated and studious, your classmates would often see you with your books and they would shout, “Aaawepe”. This later became a clarion call for all of us. In the evenings as soon as we heard the cry “Aaawepe” we knew it was time to also pick up our books and follow you into the classrooms to study. Sometimes we spent the whole night until dawn just trying to keep up with you. These were some of the sweet memories we remember of our times together.
Joe T, your life has been taken away from us too soon, and it is hard to understand why tragic things happen to such good people like you. However, this is a question without an answer and we should not dwell on the loss of a dear friend like you. Instead, we are celebrating your life and remembering the remarkable things you accomplished, and how wonderful your life was.
It is a great shock and a hard blow for some of us to realize so suddenly that we will not see you in the flesh again. A big loss, and a vast void has been created by your passing away. Perhaps our only consolation lies in the memories we created and enjoyed together. We enjoyed the stoic balance that we struck, and the great relationship that we fostered studying together all those years ago when the road to success was not clear to us.
There would never have been a good time for you to go, but the circumstances of your passing left us no opportunity for any preparation towards such ‘robbery’. How would we have prepared for this, we wonder? Perhaps we could have asked for more time to spend together, for one more “burning of the midnight oil” or may be just one more nail-biting discussion on some troublesome science topic.
We are in defeat, not in victory, and it appears there is no consolation for your loss.
All we have now are the memories of times gone by, and of God’s assurance of merciful love and comfort. This is our only consolation.
Joe T, we are blessed to have known you. May the almighty God protect, preserve and be with you in perfect peace till we meet again.
Fare thee well brother!
By Marterson N.A. Armah (Class of 1982)