Just Imagine…

Ciudad de Malaga al atardecer con los Montes de Africa (Photo credit: carloscASTROweb)

Imagine if Hitler had not died and world war II was lost?

What would be our Hope? Probably the whole of Africa would be a sugar cane plantation by now…

Imagine if Nuclear Bomb was never made, we might not have won world war 2 because Japanese people would definitely fight to the death, but there won’t be a cold war either and threats of more wars from so called superpowers, just imagine…

Imagine if all the souls lost in the fields of battle had not gone, Imagine if fear gripped their hearts? What exactly would be our fate?

Thank God they fought and won. God bless those wonderful souls…

******

Now… Just Imagine you got all your wishes… All your prayers, what if they came to past?

Imagine what would happen if you won the lottery…

Close your eyes now… Imagine you are GOD!

What would you do?

Let me know!!

Your Life Does Matter!

Nov11

English: A photograph of 3 teddy bears. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Every one has dealt with issues in their lives, and sometimes, fear can rear its ugly head when you least expected. But constantly dwelling on your fears or weakness just reinforces it.

Which brought my wedding day to my memory, it was only a few hours away, my heart was light and suddenly the sun shone brighter, the leaves appear greener and Yogi, my teddy bear who has been my constant support throughout my growing years was looking radiant. Its fur was worn out and all its fluffiness was a distant memory but I still loved my Yogi, it was my birthday present when I was ten and fifteen years later, it was still by my side.

Then my dad walked into my room in the midst of the laughter and preparations, my friends were crammed inside, each one trying to outsmart the other with tales of years gone by, he beckoned me to follow him and I did, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat, I was getting married and the whole world is at peace, what more could I wish for?

”You will not find life smooth sailing every day Seyi,” he said closing the door of his room and staring straight into my eyeballs. My mood plummeted like a pack of cards as I watched the fleeting emotions on his face, did I perceived fear?

”You will face life threatening situations, just dig deep and you find the courage to fight off any adversary.”

”Why dad? Why speak of trouble, why not of triumphs and victories,” I countered.

He smiled and the dimples on his cheeks deepened.

”Because you cannot taste victory without first going to war and triumph cannot know your abode without a confrontation, that is the way life is, just have this at the back of your mind, your life does matter.” he replied and gave me a bear hug, patting me on the shoulder and I left his room.

Days later, his words haunted me and I was scared because the picture he painted was not rosy but he knew better, he’s been married for fifty years, they’ve endured unimaginable pressures and problems and they came out unscathed but more strengthened than ever.

My parents have enjoyed wealth and poverty, they’ve planted and reaped bountifully yet sometimes the store houses were empty and the ravaging wolves of poverty and disease attacked from all corners but they stood firm in their faith in the God of their lives and like he said, they’ve triumphed.

My dad is tipping towards the twilight of his life, he has failed severally and won many battles, he’s human and his weaknesses sometimes threatened to overwhelm him and when I think of how quick time flies my heart shudders with what would be and what could have been.

Peter Nelson is my father and I am proud to be his daughter, he once told me my life matters and I believed him because he was saying the truth.

Your LIFE matters too, you just have to believe me!

I am sure it does!!

If I Were A Fox…

Nov10

Fox on Ice (Photo credit: mtsofan)

Foxes are known to be largely territorial animals and even though I don’t have any pets in my house (my daughter has played out every trick in her little brain to make me get her a puppy, but I hate cleaning up after dogs, cats, yak! And…, I have to confess that I was bitten by a dog once, like centuries ago! So you can understand my hesitation, I would really love a horse though but my husband would have none of that, till we hit the lottery I guess!) But I really admire foxes, and I don’t know why and I can’t seem to find out where the attraction came from.

I was washing dishes in MY kitchen today (notice that ‘my,’ isn’t that territorial in nature?) when I saw a fox whizzed past the garden (it can’t get in though, our fence had been reinforced) probably it was just scavenging, looking for food for its kittens and I just smiled, because I love the sight of a fox and it is a very strange thing to admit but I do (Yak! You may say)

They are not seen as animals to be admired, It is included among the IUCN‘s list of the “world’s 100 worst invasive species” and this phrase ”little foxes spoil the vine,” really refers to sin in scripture because we strive to be good at times, but we just find out we are failing, it’s just the foxy nature in us.

I live in a part of London where red foxes can stray into your garden and into your living room if care is not taken, you really have to make sure your fences are quiet strong to dissuade them from paying you a visit. Some couples of months ago, foxes were in the spotlights for creeping into people’s homes, wrecking havoc and even attacking babies! And it struck a chord within me, sometimes, we are our worst enemies, it’s a harsh statement but it’s the gospel truth.

The way those foxes were destroying homes can be sadly liken to the way we sometimes ruin our lives with our own hands (I am just generalizing here though)

If that is not the case, why would a beautiful lady with a bright future ahead of her allow a man molest her for money, why would a boy join a gang and kill to get respect? Why on earth would I want to be a fox? Why can’t I aspire to be a lion (king of the jungle) or an elephant (king of kings of the jungle) why would a mother smoulder her own children to death? Why would a man kill his children then himself to get back at his wife?

Why would I want to be a Fox?

I just wonder…

I guess it’s that wild streak inherent in every human… Maybe I am wrong or right, do let me know!

Love’s Eternal Struggle!

Nov9

FALLing in Love (Photo credit: atkinson000)

When I was in university, I was a diehard fan of happily ever after novels, those little Mills and Boon paperback where the dashing handsome (and often wealthy) man always falls in love with the pretty, saintly secretary. I was a sucker of the phrase ”love conquers all” but my myopic views about love was to be shattered in a bizarre incident and though it was restored back, it took a while for me to fully grasp the enormity of that simple phrase. But I am not going into that today, maybe some other time.

The phrase, ” love at first sight” is flawed and that is my opinion, it should be adjudged as ”lust at first sight,” and believe me folks there is real love, because I love my husband and I know he loves me but in the world we live in now, that doesn’t seemed to be enough. Sex has taken over, and it’s been like that for a long time.

Men by nature are naturally moved by what they see, women too, are moved by the sight of a handsome man. I like the sight of a well dressed man but still, I am not moved by that because I am totally committed to my marriage and guys don’t get me wrong, I am not inferring that men can’t love truly but the percentage of men who fall by the way side is considerably higher.

The number one killer of any relationship is unfaithfulness, infidelity, adultery, you name it and human beings are territorial, nobody loved the idea of sharing the person they sincerely love with another.

One of my girlfriends once told me she was in love with three guys and can’t seemed to choose the right one. I was mortified, how can you be in love with two-three guys at the same time? That’s just not possible… I know people might consider my opinion as naive but really, can you love four people equally? Citing the case of Islam where men are allowed to marry more than one wife, four? That’s impossible, there is no way you can rationalise it, it can’t work!

Love will continually struggle to make sense of how people easily thrash it in the can, I know love is not enough in marriage, there must be mutual respect, fidelity, trust, selflessness, kindness, the list is endless, but love is an integral part of it. Without love there is no basis for any relationship in the first place.

In a society where people arrogate great importance to the physical attributes of a woman, and the financial capabilities of a man, love will continually struggle. A successful relationship will bear many scars but its workability depends on the extent of commitment and the ability and willingness to work it out no matter what may happen.

Sadly, divorce is rampant, but many could have been avoided and children caught in the crossfire of warring parents would have been spared the agony but these innocent children through no fault of their own will be scarred by the brutality of it all. Children don’t understand, they can’t! Why is daddy moving away?, why is mummy leaving home? These are the kind of questions kids asks when their parents split.

Maybe my views is truly myopic but I think love can still conquer all…

Do you honestly believe me?

To Save A Life

Nov8

Leo Frigo Bridge (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was glued to the television yesterday while I watched an unbelievable live footage of a woman called Tina Zahn who was in the throes of committing suicide due to post natal depression.

She had sped to the top of Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, got out of her car then walked briskly to the edge of the bridge and jumped.

I couldn’t tear myself away while I watched opened mouth as the implausible footage was shown and miraculously, this woman was saved by a brave state trooper, Les Boldt and his colleagues.

As a mother, I know the stress involved in taking care of children especially if one is a working mother, I am not an expert on post natal depression but I do know it’s a feeling of utter hopelessness compounded by being responsible for a baby who is wholly and completely dependent on you.

I cannot begin to fathom the desperation involved before a person will want to take his or her own life and it saddens me greatly. But I do know this, love can halt this evil, malicious monster.

I know depression must be this total feeling of being engulfed in the prison of complete darkness with no possibility of a parole or been trapped and unable to reach out for help, this story ended in a miracle but sadly some don’t.

I do know that we have a duty to save a life, like that state trooper, we can be more friendly, loving and kinder to people. You never know, you might be the miracle somebody somewhere needs right now! Maybe a little whisper, maybe a smile or even a nod could send love signal to a dying soul.

I have this infinite belief that this world is full of loving people and like my husband would say,

”See the doughnut, not the empty hole.”

Just a little love and a listening ear could banish that demon of hopelessness.

Let us save a life today…

Will you?

Be The Change!

Nov6

English: Black Patent Leather Fetish Shoes 1973 – 1977 These shoes have a 7-inch stiletto heel and are a size 11 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Twenty years ago, (I was seventeen then) I was a young slim girl with long hair, skinny legs and a very big smile, I could give you anything but don’t you dare go near my shoes! And I had a lot of sisters (four to be precise) who all loved my shoes.

One weekend I came home( I just got an admission to the university then) and one of them took my shoes, the best out of about twenty pairs!

Everyone in my family knew about my addiction to this particular pair and Christy, my sister wore it to a party, even though it wasn’t her size. When I told my mom what my sister did, she’d looked at me in a very strange way. I had thought she would come to my defence and tongue lashed my sister for the invasion of my ‘privacy’, the unlawful use of my personal stuff without my say-so but nah! She did no such thing.

I knew my mom did not condone what my sister did but she had a lot to say about my reaction to it, and when I mean a lot, it could be a phrase or word loaded with meaning. Before she spoke, she closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, there was a twinkle in her brown expressive eyes,

”Be the change in the world and you can sleep with both eyes closed.” She said simply. I didn’t understand what she meant by that statement and wasn’t ready to listen.

”But mom,” I had protested against the obvious injustice of the situation, not the lesson she wanted me to learn, ”I don’t want to change the world, just speak to Christy to stop sneaking behind my back using my things, just tell her to steer clear of my room!”

And I’d stomped out of the house, exasperated with my mom’s unrelenting idiomatic expressions, deep down I thought she was turning me into a villain for protesting but my mom is an incredibly wise woman, she knew in order for me to live in peace with my sisters and brothers, (and now my husband) I should sometimes put myself under the spotlight and see if I am the problem.

Am I been irrational, irritable, unforgiving, selfish, careless and stubborn? Well, the lists can go on and on but as I grew older and had my own family, I finally understood what she was trying to do.

My mom was training me to be a better person, not a fool that could be trampled upon but a disciplined, principled woman who would treat others the way she wanted to be treated. A woman who would respect, love, forgive and appreciate and treat everyone equally, irrespective of their race, religion or sexuality.

If every human being desires to be the change, the world would indeed be a better place. And it’s never too late, take a look at the man, woman, girl, boy in the mirror today and say to him or her ( I am speaking to you, if you’re still reading this post)

”Be the change…”

Battle Of The Birds

Nov2

I was awoken from a very deep sleep with the droning voice of my ten-year old son complaining about his sister’s incessant noise. Well, I had to stand up and calm a rapidly disintegrating situation. I was up till like four in the morning writing my NaNoWrimo novel, so I was not in a very good mood.

Duck mob (Photo credit: jf1234)

And then there was a miracle, my husband had taken the day off work and skillfully rescued my life from the lion cubs (that’s what I call my children when they are in that kind of mood) by suggesting that we all go to the park.

I didn’t think it was a great idea but off we went and we had a blast! The only snag was, I left my camera at home, I would have taken pictures of how Squirrels, Ducks and Geese were battling to have a taste of the nuts my children were carrying. They did give out the nuts but it got to a stage where I was scared we would be mobbed by the ravenous birds.

My son then remarked, ”Mom, it’s the battle of the birds” And that was where I coined the title for this post.

The ducks got the upper hand partly because they were bigger and though the squirrels did put up a good fight, they were outnumbered by the ducks and geese. An hour later, we were on our way home because it was getting cold and I couldn’t help but relate that experience to life generally.

Life is incredibly hard and sometimes just surviving from one day till the next is a mammoth task but we should be very grateful to God for every little blessings!

Now, I’ll get back to my writing…

Immolation? I Hate Fire!

Nov1

Thich Quang Duc (Photo credit: HopeTom)

I saw this caption, ‘I hate fire’ embedded in a picture on a blog I visited recently and I thought, why not quickly pen this down before returning to my Nanowrimo novel.

Yes, I hate fire and it was actually strange and saddening that some people could light themselves up in protest against oppression! Don’t get me wrong guys, I am not against people demonstrating, albeit, peacefully, but burning yourself? That is a bit in the extreme.

A few months ago, I saw the picture of a Tibetan monk literally lighting himself up! He was protesting against oppression and when I did a little research, I found out the story of Thich Quang Duc, a very popular Buddhist monk revered to this day.

Early in the morning on June 11,1963 at a popular intersection in Saigon, Thich Quang Duc had made his intention known to his superiors that he was going to burn himself to draw attention to the plight of the monks who were being severely oppressed by the US-backed Catholic regime of Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam.

Now I won’t bore you with the graphic details but this Duc guy died for a cause he believed in, and I can’t begin to imagine the excruciating pain he must have felt when he was being burned alive! And so… he died!

The war finally came to an end and many people attested to the fact that his sacrifice was instrumental in drawing the attention of the world to the plight of the monks, and also in a way ending the war.

I don’t encourage anyone emulating that in any way, but that is just my opinion!

Life is a mystery and we can’t understand it all…

Behind Closed Doors

Oct24

English: Kristen Stewart at Hollywood Life Magazine’s 7th Annual Breakthrough Awards (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you ever wondered what happened behind other people’s closed doors! Wow! Wait there! You may holler and object but yeah, I do think about it sometimes and what brought about this weird idea?

The story of little April Jones, an innocent little girl snatched as she played near her family home, only God knows what happened to her! It was alleged she was abducted by a close family friend. And whatever happened to her afterward was behind closed doors! See my point? Wished I was right there in that seedy little house and punch the kidnapper in the face before taking her away from harm’s way.

Just imagine all kinds of atrocities people commit and at the end of the day when it’s revealed don’t you ever wish you could just bump in behind that closed door? Smashed it open and rescue the damsel in distress? Unfortunately, things don’t always go that way in the real world except in dreams! Or maybe Hollywood movies.

Right now am watching ‘Twilight’ as I am penning this post (the first series) and Kristen Stewart was saved several times from other predators by her Vampire boyfriend, I don’t really want to delve deeper on the movie but I just fantasised sometimes about having supernatural power that could help people in distress.

So there you have it. Which brought something to my remembrance, I was writing as usual in the living room after putting the kids to bed when I heard a piercing scream. I ignored it, it could be passersby playing pranks, it’s happened before but the screaming persisted so I had no choice than to investigate, (my husband was still at work by the way!)

To my horror, a lady was been assaulted in a car parked opposite my house! What effrontery!! I was shocked, didn’t know what to do so I went back upstairs and took my phone, when I opened the door downstairs, the screaming had intensified and then I dialled the police.

As if on cue, the door of the Vauxhall car opened with a vengeance and the lady was pushed out with such brute force, I almost fainted with the level of violence and the car zoomed off into the night.

I clicked my phone shut when I saw the look in the eye of the lady which seemed to say, ‘Mind your business!’

And I did, nothing more I could do. At least she wasn’t killed which made me quite happy.

Shame Of Savile

Oct12

It’s a little bit annoying that it was after the death of Jimmy Savile, a celebrity and BBC veteran presenter of ”Top Of The Pops,” that some very repugnant details of his private life was revealed. Saville was known by some of his cronies that he had a penchant for young fresh-faced girls.

They were probably too scared to speak or were just guessing and have no facts to back up their suspicions or they might be indulging in the same dastardly acts…only God knows the truth.

But I find it outrageous, disturbing and utterly disgusting that many people knew of his nefarious escapades yet kept quiet. Even the victims should have damned all the consequences and come forward, although I read in some newspapers that there were complaints and nothing was done about it or as the police would put it, ”there were insufficient evidence to proceed with an investigation”

Hopefully now that the whole sordid secrets of his farce of a life had been leaked to the public, something would be done and the victims could finally find closure.

The celebrity culture in the society we live in is a little overboard. What ‘ordinary people’ would go to jail for, a ‘celebrity’ would probably just get a caution.

To the ‘Saviles’ of this world, ”I hope your shame would be exposed before your demise else, your victims will be locked in the prison of their pain for forever!”

And we don’t really want that, do we?

No!!!