Friday, September 13, 2024

Musings

Knock, Knock!?
Anybody home?

Whew!. I have not come to this space in sooooo long.
To be honest, I got lazy and had a lot going on.
I have been journaling though😊


Anyway, how have you been?...hope life has treated you well.

A lot has happened since the last time I posted here. I have changed jobs, attended a few parties, acquired a few clothing items, made new friends, traveled locally and internationally. Visited Barbados for the first time (went for a wedding), Visited Bahamas for the first time (cruise stop), Visited Nigeria twice in one year (2023)!

I think my outlook to life has shifted too. I am understanding myself better.  Let me tell you a little bit more about that:

  1. Waiting is not fun at all:
I used to think I have a lot of patience, but now I know I do not. I am as restless as anybody out there.
You know like when you have the inner assurance , or even written/verbal assurance, that something is coming your way, like waiting for a package to arrive, but it is taking "forever" to arrive! ...But I know that those that wait for/on the Lord, will experience divine strength (Isaiah 40;31)

 2.  Conquer the fear of rejection and FOMO (fear of missing out) :

This is a work-in-progress for me. For the longest time I did not realize that some of my actions and reactions stemmed from these fears especially if you are sensitive person. For example, shying away from relationships , putting people at arms length because I was already anticipating not belonging, not good enough and being rejected. So, I consciously and intentionally affirm myself with words like " I doing my best, I am a work-in-progress, I am enough, I am beautiful". 

3. Manage your expectations:
  
This is a lifelong lesson acquired skill. I'm sure you have heard that phrase before, but like me, it doesn't really stick until you actually experience personally that expectations . I mean expectations from people , especially.  We all change and our expectations change too. So, for example, I am learning not to expect to be reciprocated or appreciated the way I invested my time or substance into something that is not work related. 

4.Failure or having to redo something is actually blessing in disguise:

   It shows that we have been given another chance to learn, to adjust , to re-evaluate! I realized that it is our response or how we respond that matters in these circumstances. It's okay to be upset and be sad, initially, but don't allow yourself to stay in the "pity party" mode.

5. Invest in your relationship with God:

 I cannot emphasis this enough. You see, after all is said and done, you need a safe place (where you are yourself, no pretense) a deeper connection and sense of peace, and the only guaranteed place of experiencing these is in God. Even when/if I feel God is silent or things are not going as expected , there is a "knowing" that He is present. Even when life seems uncertain, God has a good plan for you.(It might not be your plan)


I hope someone out there finds this helpful.

Will be back soonπŸ’“.
xoxoxo

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

WHY PRAY!?

 Hellos!
Hope this post finds you well.
Someone shared this piece with me and I thought I'd share. Enjoy! 


I am humbled by this piece and hereby recommend it for slow reading.

                              A man’s character is his fate 

Heraclitus Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States (US), said: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude”

As a clergyman, I have watched pitiably how people self-sabotage themselves by seeking spiritual solutions to character-deficit issues. 

They look around at everybody as suspects for their predicaments when their greatest demons lurk within them - their character.

What we often call our destiny is truly our character, and since that character can change, then destiny can be altered. *Character is destiny*.

Is prayer actually EVERYTHING? Many would begin to argue back and forth on this intriguing question, but my main purpose in writing this piece is not to get involved in arguments. Arguments don’t improve the validity of a ‘truth;’ they only determine how long it would take before you realize it.

Most people believe that we can pray ourselves to success and get away with virtually anything if we become a stickler to some prayer routines. There is no amount of spiritual penance that can substitute for character. Sometimes, you need character, not prayer.

Dutch Sheets said: “Prayer is not a check request asking for things from God; it is a deposit slip- a way of depositing God’s character into our bankrupt souls.” 

British writer and politician, Thomas Macaulay (1800-1859), said: “ The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.” I have often said that what would ultimately destroy a man going to high places in life is not really the enemies that are waiting for him there, but the character that followed him there.

I want to emphatically underline the fact that this write-up is not meant to trivialize prayers in any way. I have observed that many people take the character for granted, while overzealously tuning on into their spiritual mode.

We have become so spiritually in tune through prayers that we neglect the place of character and our relationship with people. Many are actually ‘heavenly’ bound, but with no earthly relevance. You can speak with spiritual eloquence, pray in public and maintain a holy appearance, but it is your behavior and character that will actually trigger the manifestation of all that God has for you.

You must learn to treat people with courtesy.

The Shunammite woman must have been praying for a child all through her life. By being hospitable to a man of God, she eventually got her much-awaited miracle. It wasn’t a prayer that opened the door for her; it was her good character. Assuming she wasn’t hospitable, she would have missed a critical miracle.

Many times, we pray, fast, and bind demons that don’t exist when our real demons are just our greatly flawed character. Many have insulted people that were divinely placed and orchestrated to help them fulfill their destiny. Some people are keeping malice with their destiny helpers.

Treat people with respect. 
Treat strangers with courtesy. 
Never look down on anybody. God can use anyone to change your story.

Abigail Van Buren said: “The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. The way we treat people we think can’t help or hurt us, like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries, tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. 

How do you treat people?

One of the most impressive architectural feats and the greatest military defense project in history is the Great Wall of China. In 1987, UNESCO designated the Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular controversial claim that emerged in the 20th century holds that it is the only man-made structure that is visible from space.

Originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) in the 3rd Century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from Mongolians and barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire, the wall is one of the most extensive construction projects ever completed.

History has it that when the ancient Chinese decided to live in peace, they made the Great Wall of China; they thought no one could climb it due to its height. During the first 100 years of its existence, the Chinese were invaded thrice and every time, the hordes of enemy infantry had no need of penetrating or climbing over the wall, because each time, they bribed the guards and came through the doors.

The Chinese built the wall but forgot the character-building of the wall guards. Though the Great Wall has over the years become a powerful symbol of the country’s enduring strength and spirit, it has actually been a good reminder to the Chinese of the superiority of human character. How many people and homes had been invaded, looted, and devasted by the enemy through the bribery of ego, self-indulgence, insincerity, and unfaithfulness. The scriptures say." while men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way". 

The Chinese realized much later that the best defense against the enemy is not a fortified wall, but a fortified character. Thus, the building of human character comes before the building of anything else.

Prayer is not EVERYTHING! Build relationships, build your family, and don’t ever forget that God will always use man. Be mindful of your words and how you speak to people. Work seriously on your character and attitude towards life.

I want to say emphatically that a good character is not optional;  it is sacrosanct to the future that God has planned for you and your home. No matter where you place prayers, character matters. The greatest fraud in life is religion without character. A man without a good character is recklessly alive.

William Shakespeare captured it succinctly when he said: “The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.

Peter Schutz, the former chief executive officer of Porsche said: “ HIRE CHARACTER; TRAIN SKILLS .”                        

Lastly, back in the days when Germany was divided, a huge wall separated East and West Berlin. 

One day, some people in East Berlin took a truckload of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin side.

The people of West Berlin could have done the same thing, but they didn't. 

Instead, they took a truckload of canned foods, bread, milk, and other provisions, and neatly stacked it on the East Berlin side.

On top of this stack they placed the sign:

 “EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS"

How very true! You can only give what you have.

Be sincere! What do you have inside of you? 
Is it hate or love? 
 Violence or peace? 
 Death or life?
 Capacity to build or capacity to destroy?

What have you acquired over the years?
 Team spirit or pull-down architecture?

"EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS"

My note: 
These words are worth reading over and over; they are worth our mediation.

 More importantly, they are worth sharing with younger people, specifically, Young Africans.

Thursday, February 25, 2021

#WeMove




To me this hashtag is "it" ..... that regardless of what is going on, we will continue to thrive and shine!

 I am sure we all have our share of life lessons and experiences that leaves us exhausted and full of more questions than answers.

As each year passes by, I am understanding the phrase "Let go and Let God" more. 

I am sharing these two poems because I find them to be true and helps me to see life in a more reflective perspective as I forge ahead into the new decade.

My life is but a weaving between my God and me.

I do not choose the colors; He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper-, and I the under-side.

Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly..

Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reasons why..

The dark threads are as needful in a skillful weaver’s hand.

As the threads of gold and silver, in the pattern he has planned.

Poem by Grant Tuller.


If today is the best day of your life, it won’t last. Tonight might be an inch short of hopeless; it won’t last either. Whatever has brought you to this moment is only part of the story of your life and relationship. The rest is yet to come. Put all of it—dark thorns and shining threads—into God’s hands, and he will sustain you.

—Wayne Brouwer

2020-The-Phenomenal-Year




Hello!!!!

If you are reading this, Congratulations!!

 You are a survivor of 2020 and all the events that came with it, folks. That calls for celebration, I tell ya!

We have all been affected one way or the other by the Covid-19 pandemic and every month in 2020 seemed to come with one drama or the other. 

For prosperity sake, the following are notable events I want to remember. 

What events do you want to remember in 2020?


January 2020:  Iranian General Qasem Soleimani killed in US drone strike.

                        Hashtag "world war III looming" was all over the internet.

                        Donald Trump impeached.

                        prince Harry and Megan quit the Royal family.

                        Kobe Bryant died.😒

                        

February 2020: First death from coronavirus virus recorded in the US.

                         Donald Trump acquitted.

                        The movie Parasite won Oscars

March 2020: Air attack in Turkey

                    Coronavirus worsens in Italy

April 2020:  The world pretty much shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

                    Knife attack in France

                    Conspiracy theory about 5G causing coronavirus

May 2020: George Floyd was killed and sparked protest worldwide

                   BLM protests

                   Murder hornets spotted in the U.S

June 2020: Lockdown eased up

                   Black lives matter protests continued

                   Locust swarm India

                  Ibidun Ajayi-Ighodalo died.😒

July 2020: Conspiracy about the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine combo.

                 Suspected bubonic plague

August 2020: Beirut Explosive

                      Chadwick Boseman died

                      West coast wildfires

                      Storms in the Caribbean and Southern US

September 2020: Ruth Bader Ginsburg died

                            BLM protests enters 100th night

                            Concerns about second wave of coronavirus 

                            Schools adopted hybrid and virtual learning models

                             Amy Coney Barrett appointed as Supreme Judge

October 2020: ENDSARS protests in Nigeria 

                        Lekki Massacre 

                        Early voting/Mailing-in ballot

                        H1-B visa restrictions imposed

                        Shooting and riot in the city of Philadelphia

November 2020: U.S Elections

                           Joe Biden became president-elect

                           Kamala Harris became the first woman vice-president elect.

                          CNN released videos of the Lekki massacre

December 2020: 2 Covid-19 vaccines approved by the FDAπŸ‘


                           













Friday, April 24, 2020

Fish Tank.






The Japanese Fish Story- By Mohammed Karjatwala

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish.

But the water close to Japan has not held much fish for decades.

So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.

The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish

If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh.

To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats.

They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea.

Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.

However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish and they did not like the taste of frozen fish

The frozen fish fetched a lower price.

So, fishing companies installed fish tanks.

They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin.

After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste.

The fishing industry faced an impending crisis!

But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan.

How did they manage...?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark!

The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move.

The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh!


Morale of the Story
Just like the fish in the tanks, most of us feel like we are living in a pond right now, in this lock-down period, feeling tired and dull most of the time.

Let's try and see this pandemic as a new challenge (the shark) 
to keep us positively active in all areas of our lives as much as possible.

This is because as humans we are wired to "conquer". If you are steadily conquering
challenges, you are happy.

Your challenges keep you energized.

You have the resources, skills, and abilities to make a difference..... despite the pandemic.

 xoxoxo.

I'm Back!!!!




Hello, world!
I have missed this space!!
So glad to be back.
You see,after Google plus shut down last April, I couldn't access my blog because I connected it to Google plus.
However, a few days ago, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to access it. Yay!!

So, what have I been up to?
 Well, before the Covid-19 pandemic, I started a new job last summer, went back to school last fall, traveled to Puerto Rico for the first time, and "checked off" sending one of our children to Nigeria to school for one term. ..AND..Looking forward to life after the pandemic...

I hope you are all well and safe.
It is an understatement to say that it has been a challenging few months globally because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But you know what? We will get through this together...stronger. * hugs *

Monday, January 14, 2019

Sunflowers 🌻🌻🌻🌻



Here is another motivational piece for the months ahead.
This is more about helping each other.

Sunflowers 🌻 turn according to the position of the sun, in other words, they “chase the light.” You might already know this, but there is another fact that you probably do not know!

Have you ever wondered what happens on cloudy, rainy days when the sun is completely covered by clouds?πŸ€”

This is an interesting question, isn’t it?

Perhaps you think the sunflower withers or turns its head towards the ground. Is this what crossed your mind? 

Well, that’s incorrect!

This is what happens?

They turn towards each other to share their energy.🌻🌻

Nature’s perfection is amazing! 
Now let’s apply this reflection to our lives.
We all want this light and seek it in different ways: in our family, friends, religion, work and so on. But there are always going to be cloudy days, gloomy days, because there is no escaping them!

When this happens, most people become overwhelmed, low-spirited, and the most vulnerable ones, some-times, become depressed.
How about following the example of the beautiful sunflowers 🌻 supporting and em-powering each other. 
Nature has so much to teach us.

Wishing everyone a “Sun flower"🌻 year of turning towards each other on their cloudy and gloomy days.
*copied* 

Don't do life alone.....* hugs*

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Get Rid of That Cow!

 Happy 2019!
It's been a minute, folks!
The past 6 months have been a roller coaster for me and my family. We had a lot of travel, family events AND a move.
I am grateful to be able to do this again.
I am looking forward to overcoming new challenges, learning, growing and reaching greater heights this new year.
Here is an old story that spoke to me, I hope it speaks to you too.
Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a Chinese wise man and his disciple. One day in their travels, they saw a hut in the distance. As they approached they realized that it was occupied in spite of its extremely poor appearance.

In that desolate place where there were no crops and no trees,
a man lived with his wife, three young children and a thin, tired cow. Since they were hungry and thirsty, the wise man and his disciple stopped for a few hours and were well received. At one point, the wise man asked:

“This is a very poor place, far away from anything. How do you survive?”

“You see that cow? That’s what keeps us going,” said the head
of the family. “She gives us milk, some of it we drink and some we make into cheese. When there is extra, we go into the city and exchange the milk and cheese for other types of food.
That’s how we survive.”

The wise man thanked them for their hospitality and left. When he reached the first bend in the road, he said to his disciple:
“Go back, get the cow, take her to the cliff in front of us, and push her off.”

The disciple could not believe what he was hearing. “I cannot do that, master! How can you be so ungrateful? The cow is all they have. If I throw it off the cliff, they’ll have no way to survive. Without the cow, they’ll all die!” The wise man, an elderly Chinese man, took a deep breath and repeated the order: “Go ahead. Push the cow off the cliff.” 
Though outraged at what he was being asked to do, the disciple was resigned to obey his master.

He returned to the hut and quietly led the animal to the edge
of the cliff and pushed. The cow fell down the cliff and died.

As the years passed by, remorse for what he had done never left the disciple. One spring day, the guilt became too much to bear and he left the wise man and returned to that little shack. He wanted to find out what had happened to that family, to help them out, apologize, or somehow make amends.

Upon rounding a turn in the road, he could not believe what his eyes were showing him. In place of the poor shack there was a beautiful house with trees all around, a swimming pool, several cars in the garage, a satellite dish, and on and on. Three
good-looking teenagers and their parents were celebrating their first million dollars. The heart of the disciple froze. What could have happened to the family? Without a doubt, they must have been starving to death and forced to sell their land and leave. 

At that moment, the disciple thought they must all be begging on the street corners of some city. He approached the house and asked a man that was passing by about the whereabouts of the family that had lived there several years before. “You’re looking at them" said the man, pointing to the people gathered around the barbecue. Unable to believe what he was hearing, the disciple walked through the gate and took a few steps closer to the pool where he recognized the man from several years before, only now he was strong and confident, the woman was happy, and the children were now nice-looking teenagers. He was dumbfounded, and went over to the man and asked: “What happened? I was here with my master a few years ago and this was a miserable place. There was nothing. What did you do to improve your lives in such a short time?”

The man looked at the disciple, and replied with a smile:
“We had a cow that kept us alive. She was all we had. But one
day she fell down the cliff and died. To survive, we had to start doing other things, develop skills we didn’t even know we had.
And so, because we were forced to come up with new ways of
doing things, we are now much better off than before.”
*copied*

 Sometimes our dependency on something small and limited is the biggest obstacle to our growth. 

Perhaps the best thing that could happen to you is to push your *“cow” off the cliff.
 Once you free yourself of the thought *“it’s little but it’s certain,”* or of that idea *“I am not doing great but there are people who are much worse than me”* — then your life will really change.

May you have the wisdom to recognize your "COW" this new year, and the COURAGE to push her off the CLIFF.

Have an awesome 2019!

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

There is hope for humanity




Someone shared the story below with me sometime ago.

This happened at the Palms Shopping Mall in Victoria Island Lagos; This is very scary and could happen to any of us. Seems like every nice thing people do for one another can be perverted. This is a new twist to kidnapping from a very smart survivor.

About a week ago, there was a woman standing by the mall entrance passing out flyers to all the women going in. The woman had written the flyer herself to tell about an experience she had, so that she might warn other women. The previous day, this woman had finished shopping, went out to her car and discovered that she had a flat tyre. She got the jack out of the trunk and began to change the flat tyre.

A nice man dressed in a business suit and carrying a briefcase walked up to her and said, “I noticed you’re changing a flat tire. Would you like me to take care of it for you?”

The woman was grateful for his offer and accepted his help. They chatted amiably while the man changed the flat, and then put the flat tire and the jack in the trunk, shut it and dusted his hands off. The woman thanked him profusely, and as she was about to get in her car, the man told her that he left his car around on the other side of the mall, and asked if she would mind giving him a lift to his car.

She was a little surprised and she asked him why his car was on other side. He explained that he had seen an old friend in the mall that he hadn’t seen for some time and they had a bite to eat, visited for a while, and he got turned around in the mall and left through the wrong exit, and now he was running late. The woman hated to tell him “no” because he had just rescued her from having to change her flat tire all by herself, but she felt uneasy. (Trust that gut feeling!) Then she remembered seeing the man put his briefcase in her trunk before shutting it and before he asked her for a ride to his car.

She told him that she’d be happy to drive him around to his car, but she just remembered one last thing she needed to buy.

Smart woman!! She said she would only be a few minutes; he could sit down in her car and wait for her; she would be as quick as she could be. She hurried into the mall, and told a security guard! What had happened, the guard came out to her car with her, but the man had left. They opened the trunk, took out his locked briefcase and took it down to the police station. The police opened it (ostensibly to look for ID so they could return it to the man). What they found was rope, duct tape, and knives.

When the police checked her “flat” tire, there was nothing wrong with it; the air had simply been let out. It was obvious what the man’s intention was, and obvious that he had carefully thought it out in advance.

The woman was blessed to have escaped harm. (Amen thank you, God!) How much worse it would have been if she had children with her and had them wait in the car while the man fixed the tire, or if she had a baby strapped into a car seat or if she’d gone against her judgment and given him a lift?

I’d like you to forward this to all those you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of deviants in it. It may save a life. Better to be safe than sorry.

A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only; but men, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters and indeed everyone, you may want to pass it on to them, as well.



However, I think there is still hope for humanity. We should not lose faith in humanity.
The story above brought an incident that happened to me and my husband yo mind.
Let me share...
On 31st December, 2015, when we were in Nigeria. We were on our way back to Apata from Akobo area, in Ibadan,  around 6:30p.m. We took the highway and the traffic became very bad.
We were going to be stuck, we needed to go get ready for watch night service in church.
 Cars were turning back...It was a mess. We were able turning back to go take Iwo road, but the traffic was beginning to build up as well. That's how this guy who was hawking soap, I think, came to our car asked us where we were headed and was giving us directions to take academy area etc, but of course, we were obviously clueless. He offered to take us to the nearest junction.
We had just a few seconds to respond because there were 2 big trailers heading our way and would block the only exit we had.
 Anyway, he got into the backseat, and gave us directions. All the while, I was praying and asking him questions just to keep him talking and at the same time accessing him. At a point, he had to comment in yoruba " Aunty yi, e ma beru, e n'igbagbo ninu Olorun" meaning "Don't be afraid. Have faith in God, you this aunty" . My anxiety and fear were that obvious.
He led through the detour (proper interior Ibadan). It had gotten dark by then. He thought we were from Lagos. The only thing he wanted was transport fare back to where we picked him from.
...There are still good people out there...

Road Trip Chronicles III (Southwest)


Hello y'all.
Hope you are well.
These are some photos from my family road trip to the Southwestern part of the United State. We drove from Kansas city through Oklahoma city. We visited with some friends and stopped by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.(The photos I took at the museum were not so great).
Then we drove to Albuquerque,NM, where we enjoyed the desert scenery and the Sandia Tramway. On our way to Arizona, we stopped at Acoma Pueblo sky city - One of the Native American tribes in New mexico and the Meteor crater. In Arizona we hung out with friends in Phoenix.
Southwestern part of the US is uniquely beautiful like the other parts of the U.S. While driving through the plains and desert, one could almost forget being in the U.S because of the style of architecture,weather, local stores, topography and landscape.
I think you should visit some time.


The ancient Zia sun symbol represents the unique character of New Mexico. . 

The Sandia Tramway, Albuquerque, NM. It is the longest aerial tram in the United States. 


The Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.

One of the many geological formations at the Arches National Park.

The Meteor/Barriger crater, Arizona.