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.
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.
This year had been full of surprises. From Brexit to the election of Trump to the continual gluttonous appetite of the world’s politicians. The world was gripped by the drama that was the US Presidential election, and as a feminist, I was really rooting for Hilary Clinton. But that was not her fate, she lost the race.
On a personal note, I’ve experienced nothing but blessings this year. I’ve also had my share of challenges, don’t we all? I’ve had dreams postponed but not denied, I’ve seen plans stalled but not destroyed. I’ve had manuscripts shelved but not forgotten. I’ve met new friends and learned some vital life lessons.
The great thing is, if you’re reading this, that means we’re still walking through time, our lights are not snuffed out yet, for that, we should be grateful. No matter what you may have gone through in 2016, as long as you’re still breathing, and walking, there is hope yet. Don’t give up!
On that note, I wish all my friends here in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world, may you have a wonderful and prosperous 2017!
(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
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.
‘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
(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!
“Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” Dalai Lama
If we continually observe the world, it’s really filled with sad news, war, war, and war! Yet in the midst of the seemingly absurd, grotesque, insane, and obscene, we have to carry on living.
My husband and I were having one of our ‘philosophical chats’ when he quoted Dalai Lama, it hit me like a sledgehammer; am I working too hard?
However, after a brief soul-searching I came to this verdict: I love life, I really enjoy living even when I’m working hard and juggling multiple responsibilities with kids screaming for my attention, countless office deadlines and uncooperative plots ( my novels and several other manuscripts I’m working on).
I am absolutely certain that I enjoy my idiosyncratic attitude to living because life has no part two, there are no dress rehearsals or a delete button. We take what we have, use it wisely and hope for the best, and I think we ought to strive to find joy in life in any way we can.
December is a month of frenzy cum feverish spending, planning, office parties. Why not pause for a while, enjoy the snow-capped mountains, (if there’s one in your vicinity), the fake reindeer, and annoying Christmas jingles that normally grated on your nerves.
I intend to, I hope you’ll all enjoy everyday living.
I was flying, at least several feet above the ground. I felt the warm sun on my face and the gentle breeze became my new lover by caressing my face. I saw a sea of sunflowers swaying to an imaginary music. The sight stunned me as I watched mesmerised by the awesomeness of it all. My soul was at ease, all my problems floated away into nothingness. I couldn’t remember where I was coming from or where I was going.
I was static but not in a bad way.
I knew I still had a body but didn’t feel any urge to check what I looked like. I felt a tingle on my toes and the sun shone so bright my eyelids almost hurt. I wanted to reach out and touch it, naturally, I wanted to stay there forever. I heard soft murmurings from afar and gradually, it developed into a chorus of some kind. My eyes flickered to the sunflowers again, the soft chorus emanating from the distance further heightened my sense of euphoria.
I watched and waited for what seemed like years. In the distant, I saw a hill covered in flowers I couldn’t possibly describe. It was an awesome experience. And then, I woke up and saw the worried faces of my sisters…
I’ve read and heard countless debates about life after death, my position is simple enough. I’m a firm believer in life after death. The universe and everything in it didn’t happen because of some flimsy big bang theory. It’s more than that.
The events described above were real. I had that strange experience after my heart stopped on the operating table several years ago. I didn’t see any angels but I totally experienced a brief taste of heaven and believe me, it was as real as my fingers punching away on the laptop.
We live in a wonderful world, however, there are worlds beyond our human comprehension, beauty beyond any language known to man. I think that’s why I write more about the supernatural, I’ve experienced it so many times, I know God is real and He loves us so much.
I’ll stop here and hope all my friends would enjoy the rest of their week!
Yesterday night I was rummaging through my eldest son’s stuff ( he was asleep by then 🙂 ) when I found this note stuffed in one of the pocket of his school trouser. I simply presumed one of his teachers must have given him in his new Secondary school.
Here it is, word for word:
”There are three things that you must never do in life, for any reason…
The first is use drugs. Some of them taste good and they whisper in your ear that they will make you feel better than you could ever feel without them. Don’t believe them. Promise me you won’t do it.
I promise.
The second is use weapons. Even if someone hurts your feelings or damages your memories or insults God, the earth or men, promise me you’ll never pick up a gun, or a knife, or a stone, or even the wooden ladle we use, if that ladle can be used to hurt someone. Promise.
I promise.
The third is cheat or steal. What’s yours belongs to you, what isn’t doesn’t. You can earn the money you need by working, even if working is hard. You must never cheat anyone, all right? You must be tolerant and hospitable to everyone. Promise me you’ll do that.
I promise.”
And that was it. I was happy when I read it, I mean, there’s no preaching better than that. If our children, and even the society at large could adhere to this simple words, there would be no ISIS, no wars, and we would be having street parties daily. 🙂
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NP: Friends, I’m embarking on series of projects that would seriously impact on my ability to blog, nevertheless, I would always visit your blogs as often as I could, and I would also find time to write every week or every other week until New Year. Have fun guys and take care of yourselves. Remember this words, ‘Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you,’ Peter Nelson used to say that to me often, and he was my dad!
Dean’s (name withheld) right fist landed with such ferocious force that his wife’s head almost bounced off her neck, she screamed, making feeble attempts to defend herself but blows after blows landed on her body; her children watched in fear, unable to move. Janet (name withheld) ran out of the room but Dean followed, his eyes bloodshot, his blood raging with tyrannical fury. She tripped and landed on the floor as the orgy of violence continued, and then out of the blue, tiny fists landed on his back. The children couldn’t take it anymore, they felt they had to defend their mother. That was when he stopped. He stood up, his chest heaving up and down, staring at his wife on the floor, he spat out coldly,
‘If you come to the room again, I would kill you!’
Janet knew it wasn’t a bluff, she tried to control herself as her children wept beside her, their tiny bodies shaking with sorrow. She stood up with difficulty and reached for her phone. The police would save her, she thought with shaky hands as she dialled 999 and waited…
This is a true story, and I felt compelled to share it. If you are Janet, what are you going to do? Would you stay for the sake of your children or run for dear life?
This woman has faced years of abuse in the hands of her husband of nine years, yet, she stuck to him like glue. I told her to do what she thinks is best, I found it difficult to tell her what to do, even though I knew what I would do if I were in her position. However, if this beast in human clothing kills her, what would happen? He would probably get five years for manslaughter if he got a good lawyer. We all knew that Oscar Pistorius who killed Reeva, his girlfriend, is now on the verge of freedom, a suspended sentence, or would probably serve few years in jail.
I love happy endings but humans are such complicated creatures! Tonight, I wished Janet would leave that monster with her kids, but things are easier said than done! So I’ll be praying along with her and hope that she comes to a realistic decision soon, for the sake of her own safety and sanity.
******
Someone once said that life is like a mist, we appear and soon disappear afterwards and I believe that to be true. I want to appreciate everyone who left a comment on my last post ‘Unknown,’ https://seyisandradavid.org/2014/08/19/unknown/ I couldn’t pick the best answer, they were all sensible and great. I had wanted to send one of my three books in print to the winner, but because I couldn’t make up my mind, I decided to give three books instead with free postage and all that. The only thing is, if you want a copy of any of my books, you would read it and leave a review on Amazon. If you’re interested, please leave your email on my contact page and then I’ll be able to send you a message and get the details on how to send the said books.
I apologise for my protracted silence, I didn’t plan it but life just gets in the way all the time! I wish you all a beautiful weekend! 🙂 Whatever you do, just stay out of trouble and be good!
Today, my husband and I watched several videos of military men and women coming home after a tour of duty, and I couldn’t help but cry. Father’s day isn’t the only day to appreciate men (and women) who risk their lives to make us safe. Daily, we ought to appreciate the men in our lives, for their devotion, love, and care.
My son made the day worthwhile by giving my husband a hand-made card with this beautiful poem. With his permission, you can read it below:
When I scratched my knee,
Or if I bumped my head,
When I was afraid of the dark,
Or that thing under my bed.
When I cried that night,
Or even in the day,
You were there for me
To make it okay!
*****
His dad had a huge grin on his face and they hugged tightly. I kind of missed my dad, but I was privileged to have enjoyed almost forty years with him. To all fathers worldwide, whether you’re serving in the military, or serving to put food on the table for your family, I wish you all a Happy Father’s day!
Here’s a very heart-warming video of serving military men returning home, I wonder if you’ll shed a tear! 🙂
(Photo credit: Flickr)
Seyi Sandra David 