Why Celebrate Christmas?

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As a Christian, Christmas reaffirms my faith in Jesus Christ. It brings to the fore, the reasons I celebrate. This year has been very difficult for the world, and to be alive, and well, are reasons enough to celebrate.

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We live in such a beautiful world, and there are moments when the stress and pressures of life may blind us to see the surrounding beauty. Let us take a pause during this holiday season to enjoy being alive and appreciate that many people aren’t so lucky.

Some people may mourn loved ones; if you’re in that position, take heart, the sun will shine again. It’s easier to say, you may think, but it gets easier with time. May the joy inherent in Christ be with us all.

To my friends who aren’t Christians, may you find joy, rest, and peace this holiday season. 🙂

Wishing all my friends a peaceful Christmas and a happy new year!

Much love, always. 🙂

Walking The Green Mile

                                                                        (Photo credit: Flickr)

‘The Green Mile’ is a 1996 serial novel written by the prolific writer Stephen King. I watched the movie a few days ago and the finality of the film astounded me. The film also expounded on living, healing, empathy, racism, supernatural, love, and friendship,

Someone once wrote that we’re all on death row, it’s a price we have to pay for being alive. The important thing is, have we lived at all?

Now today, I would like to write about living your life to the fullest. Which brought me to this song ‘Forever Young.’ I loved it when it came out, the only song by ‘Jay-Z’ that I understood, although I must confess I don’t know the lyrics to most of the rapping but it’s a song that filled me with nostalgic memories.

Growing up in the idyllic town of Ilorin in Africa, life was simple and filled with lots of laughter. There was this carefree attitude to things, I believed I would be forever young. I was a bookworm, if I wasn’t singing in the church choir, you’ll find me in choreography practice. I loved my growing-up years.

Now twenty-five years later, things I took for granted then are so important now. The fierce sun blazing relentlessly on my pale skin, the cold December month squeezing the blood out of my lips, running away from my mum after plundering the pantry, checking my dad’s room for loose coins, chasing after my cantankerous brothers, watching horror films with my favourite brother and, daydreaming about the future!

What did I miss? Oh yes, my first kiss! Oh, my! That was something else, and I won’t be getting into that now. I am discovering new memories; I am telling new stories with my family, friends, and people I associate with.

The thing with life and living is, every moment is significant, and we need to cherish it. As we walk down the green miles of our lives, let’s leave a jolly legacy.

I intend to do just that.

I believe everyone would have a wonderful Bank holiday, at least here in the UK. If you’re my friend and reading this from other parts of the world, have a blast this weekend! 🙂

Much love, always!

 

Body of Clay – What Do You Stand For?

Paragon Of Beauty. Can You See Beyond Those Deep Lines Of Experience?

( Photo credit: Flickr)

It’s sometimes funny the way we hold on to things, and I mean material things as if we are going to live forever. It’s an open secret that someday, we will call it a day on this part of heaven. We may try to change the subject or try to push it to the deep recess of our minds but our times here in this part of heaven is limited.

That’s just the basic truth.

The woman in the picture is beautiful, but she is aging, and afterward, she would become one with the earth. Studying her face, she seems to know who she is, and she also appears to be living a good life.

What about you? What do you stand for? What are your beliefs? Are you an ‘I’ person or a ‘We’ kind of person? (I want you to ponder on that and give me an answer in the comment section below).

I love taking good care of my body, and since finding out several of my physical limitations, it has not ceased to amaze me how fragile we are. I am now indulging myself in things that are really important and soul-satisfying.

I love smelling flowers, my house is littered with pots of flowers. I appreciate water, I watch mesmerised as it flows through my fingers. I love the sun, the ability to walk, run, and play is just beautiful. I appreciate that now.

Since our time is short, isn’t it foolhardy to fight or keep malice? War is a gory affair. Humanity has pillaged and wasted blood throughout the millennia. I watched the news with slight irritation as grown men are throwing insults at one another. They are actually playing with war, and it’s not pretty.

I urge you all to enjoy every minute of your time, even if we all live till hundred, one day, time will be up.

So let’s stand for all that is good, excellent, and kind.

Have a great weekend all!

Much love, always.:)

 

 

 

Today’s Ours…

 

Life’s full of uncertainties, and honestly, we just have to live on regardless of what the day may bring.

How do we really deal with stuff we aren’t expecting? Do we curl up in a ball and bawl our eyes out, or do we just ride the storm? Do we fight with clenched teeth ready to conquer? I say we live each day believing that we have the strength to overcome whatever comes our way.

Ruby Dee was an American actress and writer’s whose words positively impacted my life:

Today is ours, let’s live it.
And love is strong, let’s give it.
A song can help, let’s sing it.
And peace is dear, let’s bring it.
The past is gone, don’t rue it.
Our work is here, let’s do it.
The world is wrong, let’s right it.
The battle is hard, let’s fight it.
The road is rough, let’s clear it.
The future’s vast, don’t fear it.
Is faith asleep? Let’s wake it.
Because today is ours, let’s take it.

 

 

I hope you’ll all enjoy the rest of your wonderful weekend.

Let’s live each day to the full!

Much love, always.

Here In Paradise…

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On Friday, March 10th, 2017, it was precisely 7.25 in the morning as I walked up the steps of Westminster Station en-route my office. I walked briskly, mentally calculating ‘my-to-do-list’ for the day and then like an image out of a disaster movie, I saw two people, a man and a woman. The man was hovering over the woman, his lips quivering, his gait was like a man under the influence of alcohol, he tried to move away from the woman and almost fell. My gaze turned to the woman, her pale face had obviously borne the brunt of living on the street. Her face was lined with weariness, her eyes devoid of happiness.

I stopped in my tracks.

I didn’t know if I should offer money, or simply give a hug. People pushed past me, a man swore under his breath, but it was loud enough for me to hear the words. I fidget with my bag and moved out of the way, my heart broke into a thousand pieces as I watched them.

The man and the woman were oblivious of my presence, and sadly, I turned away.

Here in paradise, (at least that could be the thoughts of millions of people in other parts of the world) we shouldn’t have homeless people. Throughout the day, I couldn’t concentrate on anything. There was something about that couple, they may as well be working in one of the imposing offices in Whitehall, or maybe, as tourists keen to see where most decisions in the UK were made.

Centerpoint is a charity here in the UK helping homeless young people but what about middle age people, old men and women? I have a passion for the homeless, although I’ve read that some do make themselves ‘intentionally homeless,’ but still, I couldn’t expunge their image out of my mind.

I did some further research and realised that there are many homeless charities all around us. Below are some of the charities in London:

There’s also West London YMCA, they  provide the same services as most of the organisations I’ve listed above. I think if we live in paradise, we should be able to do more for people less fortunate than we are (I know, we’re not all millionaires but we could always volunteer at a homeless shelter). I will volunteer at some of these wonderful charities doing such wonderful jobs, changing people’s lives.

If you’re living in other parts of the world, it wouldn’t hurt to give money to a beggar you see on the street or a homeless person. Some of you reading this may think, ‘well, she’s so naïve, most of these folks are drug addicts and rapists… maybe murderers.’

Maybe, some of them are, but some aren’t. Life’s just dealt them a hard hand.

Maybe Phil Collin’s song, ‘Another Day In Paradise’ would be a great way to finish this article.

I hope you’ll all enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Much love to you friends, always!

🙂 🙂

 

 

Treasured Links

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(Now this little girl’s what I call a treasured Link. Photo credit: Flickr)

”The truth is that we can learn to condition our minds, bodies, and emotions to link pain or pleasure to whatever we choose. By changing what we link pain and pleasure to, we will instantly change our behaviours.”

Tony Robbins

Our pursuit of wealth (or survival as my dad called it) in life is ridiculously overshadowed by things that ought to be more valuable to us like family, friends, and scheduled times to reflect and truly enjoy life. We work all day, some of us are doing two jobs to make ends meet and that doesn’t really mean we would have enough. The only thing certain in life is time, and at a point, that would also end.

Time is certainly cruel. It flies by quickly and before we know it, the tangible things left are links. But some of us destroy those links, how, you may ask? By what we choose to link our minds and memories to.

If a poor man chooses to link his memories to struggles, he may find it difficult to actually overcome poverty. And if a rich guy links his mind to his wealth, he would lose himself in the pool of his assets, and everything else would pale into insignificance. Basically, everything still boils down to our choice and perception in life.

So friends, link wisely! 🙂

Grasmere lake with autumn colours and reflections, Lake District, Cumbria, England

          Grasmere lake with autumn colours and reflections, Lake District, Cumbria, England

I haven’t been able to write an article for a while because of certain projects I’ve been involved in, which would be wrapped up soon in the first quarter of next year, God willing. I know I’ve missed a lot of awesome posts. I’ve begun the pleasurable journey of visiting as many blogs as time would allow, I can’t wait to read to my heart’s content.

I hope you’ll all have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Hopefully, I would write one or two articles before the end of this year. Live free and enjoy every bit of your moment on this part of heaven.

Much love to you all! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Notoriety And The Human Psyche

 

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”The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water.” Sigmund Freund.

Sigmund Freund was one of the greatest influencers of the twentieth century. He postulated the fact that our minds are like icebergs, what is seen is much different from the unseen. His quote reminded me of the story of an Australian woman, Noela Rukundo, whose husband hired assassins to kill her on a visit to Burundi for the burial of a relative. In a nutshell, the situation boomerang and he got nine years for inciting murder. It must have been a shock to Noela. Her husband certainly didn’t belie the fact he was planning her murder, this was a classic case of notoriety and the human psyche.

According to ask.com, ”The human psyche is the mind or soul. It is the center of an individual’s response to his environment.” While Cambridge Dictionary Online described Notoriety as ” the state of being famous for something bad.

 

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Love is the easiest emotion in the world, yet it could be costly and it needn’t be, love should be the backbone of our world, however, is it? I doubt it, because if it is, we wouldn’t be so divided with our different views. Some may argue that we need to exercise our freedom of expression hence the need for some people to be free to hate. Hatred would certainly make some people notorious and there are people who crave that kind of attention.

I believe love shouldn’t be all about our families and people close to us. We get suspicious of people who look and dress differently to us, we love our little space in the universe and aren’t too keen to share. We moan incessantly about the weather, the Tube (if you’re a Londoner), the government, whether we should leave or stay in the EU, (the UK again). We snort our noses at immigrants, we’re quick to judge but are slow to proffer solutions. For millennia, there are have been wars, unrest, hatred, disaffection and all sorts. Unfortunately, that is the world, it’s not perfect, that’s why we really have to raise the bar of our love level.

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Why do humans commit murder and relish mayhem? I believe the response of people to different situations differs which may ultimately be the catalyst for many destructive reactions. It’s nothing new that notoriety springs from the mind.  ‘For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him?’ 1 Cor: 2:11. This scripture is spot on! The mind is so complex that throughout millennia, people have tried to decipher its secrets.

The human psyche is as complex as the millions of electricity that pulsate through our brains, little wonder detectives bring complex cases to their behavioural psychoanalysis unit. People have recurrent patterns to their lives, following sets of rules which when pointed out to them, they are always surprised at the patterns of their behaviours.

Forgive me if my post is a bit based on psychoanalysis, it’s got to do with the books I’m working on. Lately, I’ve conducted loads of research on human minds and behaviours, when my new books are released, I guess you’ll all understand more.

I’ve been offline for the past few weeks, my sincere apologies. I’ll be visiting as many blogs as time permits. In the meantime, have fun and stay blessed! :):)

(Photo Credit: Flickr)

Much love, always. 🙂

 

 

 

Love, Aging, And Everything In Between

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(Photo credits: Flickr)

We are special species. The human race is resilient in the face of adversity,  we come up with interesting concepts about love, aging, and survival. I love the way Jamais Cascio puts it, ”resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.”

I couldn’t agree more. We can thrive when all hopes seem lost, the secret to an ageless, carefree life is contentment with who you are. People with disembodied image of themselves tend to continually conflicts with life.

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                                                                       (Lines of wisdom)

 When everything seems to go pear-shaped, humanity always has a way of making things better. Yes, sometimes, we fail dismally, however, that has never stopped humanity. I believe in humanity, I believe in love and I am a forever optimist that things can always get better.

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                                                            (I love The Hope In Her Eyes)

Valentine shouldn’t be about love only, I reckon it should also be about hope, faith, and perseverance.

Hope for the parents of a six-year-old girl afflicted with cancer that she would get better with the right treatment, faith that a job seeker would get a befitting job and his life wouldn’t be a constant struggle, and perseverance in the face of overwhelming defeat. Never giving up because there would be a time, when a breakthrough actually looms beside defeat.

22055347934_0ca6270d9a_o (2)                                                                  (I love his carefree smile)

I believe in humanity, do you?

I’ll leave you guys with this simple quote by Kushandwizdom, ”faith makes all things possible, hope makes all things work and love makes all things beautiful.”

I hope your lives would be filled with faith, hope, and love.

Have a wonderful Valentine. 🙂

Much love always!
🙂

A Time To Love

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(Photo credit: Flickr)

‘Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate the love of God and family and to create memories that will last forever. Jesus is God’s perfect, indescribable gift. The amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift, but we are able to share it with others on Christmas and every other day of the year.’

Joel Osteen

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(I love the Lake District!)

‘Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.’

Norman Vincent Peale

The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things.

Thomas S. Monson

Reading these quotes reminded me of the real meaning of Christmas. It’s a time of love, a time to share, and a time to have fun. Some people aren’t so lucky to be surrounded by loved ones this Christmas but we could help in our own way by donating money, food supplies to charities like the Salvation army and spread the spirit of love wherever we find ourselves.

From my end here, I wish every one of you a merry Christmas and a happy new year! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, happy holidays!

Much love, always. 🙂

Out Of The Ashes

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I believe in life after death, not every one does, but I do. Human beings aren’t merely flesh and blood, we have souls, and soul are indestructible. I’ve got friends who are atheists, so I’m not going to expand too much on this before I start a debate that would rival a sitting in the House of Commons.

Yesterday marked exactly ten years when people with warped views of life took the lives of 52 Londoners, they also left almost 100 people with life changing injuries and scars. Yeah I know, my post is a day late but the topic isn’t. After work yesterday, I caught a few glimpse on the news and was sad at such wanton destruction of human lives. But I was proud, (in fact, I still am) to be a Londoner. Years has passed, but we’ve grown stronger as a city. More tourists visited London than ever before, I love travelling on the tube, bus or on a private car. It’s testament to the fact that evil will and cannot win.

If we read the news, there’s always stuff that would make our tummies churn (my daughter always says that), but life isn’t all gore and horror. There’s the incomparable breath of fresh air, there’s the sheer joy of clean water, what about the juicy goodness of an orange? The list is endless, life is good, and it’s tough, I won’t dispute that.

The relatives of the 7/7 bombing and the senseless and needless attack in Sousse would be comforted by the love and prayers sent their way. I believe in prayers but I also believe in living each day with a heart of thanksgiving in spite of my circumstances, that, I believe is what would keep me sane and out of the ashes of stress and despair. My husband used to say that everyone has problems, it’s just our ways of dealing with life’s daily grind that’s different.

I would end my post with this simple quote from Groucho Marx, ‘I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.’ 15598033400_01b66cb659_k (2) NP: I’m still writing, albeit slowly. I’ve informed my publisher of my inability to submit my manuscripts until next year. Life seems to have a way of sending many distractions my way and I always oblige 🙂 I hope everyone is fine. Please, stay safe! Much love to you guys, always! 🙂 🙂