Today would have been my baby brother's twelfth birthday. He passed away a little over two months ago in a car accident. Here is something I wrote about him based on some notes my mother gave me, which I also read at the funeral:
Oluwaninse Abhay Charan Adeyemi was born on September 23, 1996 in Santa Monica, CA to Gayatri (Adrienne) Liberman and Ayo Adeyemi. His father named him Oluwaninse, a Nigerian name meaning “God has made it happen” due to the unexpected nature of his birth to parents at such advanced ages. His mother named him Abhay Charan, meaning “One who is fearless at the feet of the Lord” after her spiritual master A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. From the beginning he showed how fitting these names were.
Olu was part of this world, but at the same time far beyond it. He had trouble fitting in to the stringent rules and regulations of the system. He always wanted to run free and be outside. His favorite part of school was on the playground and he got in trouble many a time for riding his bike around his town-home complex, or for letting his dogs run without a leash. He had great love for animals and went to great lengths in making sure they were well fed, walked and groomed, even going himself on a regular basis to the nearby pet store to buy the needful and look at the other many pets he hoped to one day have. He wouldn’t go to sleep until both dogs and the cat were in his bed with him (oftentimes against their will).
Olu was old in his years, not like normal children his age, an old soul, if you will. When you talked with him he spoke in complete sentences and was always very sensitive and empathetic to the needs of those around him. One time his sister Manjari was upset and left the room at a family dinner. Olu immediately got up and went after her to find out what was wrong and proceeded to spend an hour talking with her and helping her to feel better. He was only six years old at the time. One of his best friends father, his neighbor Roger thanks Olu for treating him with dignity and respect when he was going through difficult times and no one else would. This, he said, helped him to turn around his life.
Olu was fiercely independent and fearless. He rode his scooter or bike everywhere around the neighborhood and beyond, especially to the pet store (as before mentioned) and to the 99 cents store to buy mostly candy and toys. He had so many friends from all walks of life and was comfortable in all different settings. He loved to cook and bake and would make cookies, brownies and cakes and his favorite macaroni and cheese. In fact, practically these were the only things he would eat.
Although he sometimes struggled in academics, he was gifted in math and his teacher commented how he would figure out the answers before even her. He loved to take things apart and put them back together and his grandmother Babalee felt for sure he would one day become an engineer or architect. At a certain point he was placed in special-ed but became the natural leader of the kids there, acting as a bridge connecting them to those in the rest of the school. He had much help from many teachers and after-school caregivers who fought for him to get into the special day classroom where they were finally able to see how bright he really was.
Olu was involved with sports like soccer and baseball where he was one of the fastest runners. His first soccer time was fittingly called the Cheetahs. He sometimes had trouble with the organized aspects of sports and would rather be playing on his own chasing the cat or something, but eventually he began to adjust and excel. One of his favorite forms of physical exercise was dance. He would learn popular dances and do them so smoothly and expertly, his favorite being Soulja Boy’s Tell’em. He learned from his father African drumming at a young age and had a great sense of rhythm. He loved video games and had many friends on one online game called Ruinscape, and of course loved cartoons. He was also a Boy Scout for five years.
He had so much energy and determination. He could play for hours and hours and never get tired. His mother can attest how hard it was to get Olu to bed. He was just so full of life. And his smile. Who can forget his beautiful smile? How like the sun it would light up the room.
This past year he was able to visit many different places like Hawaii, meet relatives in St. Louis, and spend five weeks in Africa attending his grandfather’s funeral and discovering his African roots by meeting all of his family from his father’s side including his three older sisters. There he was anointed crown prince of his father’s Yoruba tribe.
Although Olu is physically no more, he continues in our hearts always, and his soul is eternally continuing on his path. God made it happen and now God has taken him away. Wherever he is now, we know that he shall always remain fearless at the feet of the Lord.
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These bracelets are extremely versatile, they are my favourite for Jagannatha, Laddu Gopal and Gaura Nitai. These bracelets are so versatile I have made them for all my deities.
First of all, the supplies you require for these bracelets are as follows:
