The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth, the very thing the whole story has been about.
C.S Lewis
There is always hope for a better world!
The key to Christmas is Jesus Christ, and He is the reason we celebrate. The world may have commercialised the most significant event in history, but I believe in Jesus and the eternal hope He offers.
I wish all my friends Merry Christmas, and for the remainder of this year, may you have peace, joy, and hope that there is always a better tomorrow.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Everyone knows how difficult 2020 has been and I won’t keep writing about that, but things are still so difficult for so many people. Anxieties, fear, loss and uncertainties pervaded the seconds, days, and months of that dreaded year.
Photo by Julia Volk on Pexels.com
There’s hope again. I believe in renewal and second chances and that is the reason we have new days. In a few hours, we will walk into the unknown that is 2021 and my prayer is that we will breathe freely and live with fresh hopes.
It’s time for a positive outlook. I believe it. I have not made any new year resolutions, but I have a vision of what I want to achieve. Here’s to a year of possibilities friends, believe it and let’s work into 2021 with hope in our hearts, strength in our bones, and dreams in our eyes.
(Photo credit: Lizabee – The end. The artist spent hours working on this stunning image.)
Life is in stages.
Just like an artist drawing a picture, the images alwayscome in asequence of thoughts, and then the sketching takes place followed by shading the lines to bring the perfect vision to life.
Books are the same. A writer has an idea and as thestory takes shape, unfolds, and the plots unravel, we see the overarching purpose of the book. But by the time we come to the climax of the story, we can then exclaim with signs of relief. In some unresolved cases, it may cause pangs of disappointment.
Creative people, especially writers, are always keen to share their experiences through words using different genres to reach their audiences. Artists, writers, filmmakers, poets and everyone working in the creative industries all have a singularity of purpose; to reach audiences who would read, enjoy, and maybe critique their works.
But it all starts in stages.
Let’s learn from creators by not being in a hurry to reach our destination. Every experience in our lives has a purpose, to either break us down and make us better, or to build us up, and strengthen us, then we can be kinder to people in a weaker or similar state.
There are several reasons writers create, some write for themselves, but others write to teach us patience. Unfortunately, we live in the ‘now’ generation where we always want a quick-fix to everything.
If it were possible to get pregnant and the child will get to the stage of babyhood, then adulthood and leave our home before nightfall, some people would prefer that experience.
We should learn to find the reason things work, and the reasons some things don’t. And that takes patience and a lot of learning. Some school of thought might argue that some things are best when they happen at once, but where is the joy in savouring a tasty meal when you swallow it whole? Books could change our lives, and if it does, we should not forget the core themes in the narrative and the patience it took to write it.
A book that ends with the beginning, the middle, the end, teaches nothing. However, some people might still argue that it does.
Don’t be in a hurry. Patience is an important virtue we should all learn.
Much love, always! 🙂
Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in your mind.” David G. Allen
No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible
George Chakiris
As 2021 draws to a close, it has been another extraordinary and challenging year—a replica of 2020. I have taken stock of my life, and I am grateful and blessed to be alive, surrounded by love. Many people aren’t so lucky, and that’s not lost on me.
Our world has changed in more ways than one. We are still battling a pandemic that has taken over millions of lives; I have lost count of the dead. Yet, our world finds a way to renew. When a new day dawn, we repeat living all over again. People fall in love; they fight, bicker, and save lives. People have just been, well, human.
I love the peeping clouds!
However, I am determined to live my life as part of a positive movement of change. I want to make a difference and foster love rather than hatred, encouraging generations of people who are determined to preserve life, not destroy it.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. we are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day
Edith lovejoy pierce
I will not make a new year resolution. Instead, I want to put a smile a people’s faces. We all need to laugh more and enjoy every moment of our lives. Why? Because our time on this part of heaven is so short.
Happy New Year to all my friends and everyone reading this. May God bless and keep you all!
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.
Albert Einstein
In the height of ’Jihadi John’ reign of terror, the Islamic State executioner who derives pleasure in executing journalists, that image stuck in my mind because it was widely available online. However, it has been replaced with Derek Chauvin grinding his knee into George Floyd’s neck while the poor man cried for mercy. When Jihadi John murdered several innocent journalists, mostly whites. I was angry and wrote about the atrocities of ISIS. It has come as a surprise that people are eerily silent about the murder of George Floyd, although, after a while, protests has erupted around the world against racism.
Alas, Derek and countless other heartless cops in the US are terrorists protected by the state. The US President has threatened to kill looters but killers like Derek would not have been arrested without worldwide protest. Killer cops like Derek Chauvin are degenerates, racist and divisive.
I grew up in a picturesque little town in Nigeria watching American films, Hollywood portrayed the US country as a land of the free, where everyone is the same, and actors fight for peace. However, that was just Hollywood. Minnesota cop, Derek Chauvin committed murder with people filming while bystanders pleaded, George Floyd also pleaded for mercy. That scene was not from a wild western flick, and yet, the cop was only arrested after an outcry and worldwide protest.
There are so many terrorists like that in the US, terrorising the lives of African Americans. Killing them with impunity, and if prosecuted, Jury always find them doing their job.
I am black British, not American but I have to speak out against this seemingly calm terrorist while the President was also inciting more violence? Looting is wrong, but you don’t encourage more racists to start shooting and killing, and then it becomes an orgy of violence. There’s something called ’dialogue’ even kids do it.
I am very sad for George Floyd, the US has lost the last shred of respect I had for it as a democratic country where the lives of anyone with a darker skin tone is in danger, from an erratic and unstable government to devilish, racist citizens to people who found this difficult to talk about.
Derek Chauvin and other terror cops that has killed so many innocent black people are inhuman, but the brilliant thing about civilisation is this; change is constant.
It is packed with unseen footage of my new documentary ‘Chasing Humans’, I am also using the website for one of my Master’s degree course. I would be publishing new articles on it today and every fortnight. I would also appreciate any comment and discussion on the blog.*
Thank you, guys! 🙂
Artist John Seymour Lucas 1849-1923. Dated 1885
The world is still reeling from the effects of Coronavirus, here in the UK, we have the second-highest number of deaths in the world. It’s nothing to be proud of, it is heart-wrenching. I know a few people who have been affected by the passing of a loved one, believe me, it is not a good place to be.
Life is beautiful and challenging at the same time. When my dad passed away, I thought the world has come to an end, and when my family and friends consoled me with the fact that, time is a great healer, I didn’t believe them.
Is time really a healer? How do we tell the thousands of people who have lost loved ones that time heals? In my experience, time doesn’t stop the pain, even time cannot replace a loved one. Time can only give you the space to grieve and come to terms with their passing.
I think of my dad every day, just like that painting of the artist John Seymour Lucas, we can never replace time lost. It’s gone forever. However, we can cherish the memories, and hold them dear to our hearts.
As I was rummaging through the cellar today and found this precious painting of the artist Seymour Lucas, so we can check through our memories and find treasures of loved ones, who have been locked safely away bursting forth in our hearts. We can recapture times of joy, of laughter permeating through the fog of sadness, shining gloriously through the tears and sorrow.
TIME doesn’t heal, it helps us in our moment of weakness, to reclaim everything we hold dear.
Hope is a mere four-letter word, but it is loaded with life in these unprecedented times. The world is grappling with a faceless enemy that can not be annihilated by bombs or weapons of mass destruction. We have to fight together, regardless of our race, religious affiliations or differences.
Andre Bocelli’s voice resonated through an empty street in Italy but with it comes hope amid death. The song ‘Amazing Grace’ has been sung several times, but this performance outstrips them all.
His voice carried with it, the gift of rebirth, and how Jesus Christ’s resurrection gives hope to all of humanity. One of my WhatsApp groups in my local church, BE Church in Barking, London shared the clips, and I just had to do the same.
There is hope for all, we just have to believe it!
I love the story of redemption. The ability to be able to start again, rebuild and succeed appeals to me immensely.
And that’s what heaven did through Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross. No matter how bad we’ve erred the fact that there is redemption means heaven is looking at our frailty through the eyes of grace.
I am a product of heaven’s grace through the redemptive power of Jesus, and I am proud of that.
I leave you with this song from the Prince of Egypt ‘Through Heaven’s Eyes,’ it blesses my soul. Have a fabulous week ahead, friends!
”Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.’‘ – Samuel Butler. I agree because life and love is a journey. Find out more in this short documentary I wrote and directed with a friend.
Here’s a transcript of the film:
Life is a journey, and it starts with a cry… the cry of a new-born baby. It ends with moans, groans, or the contented sigh of an older man or woman who’s led a fruitful life.
Or it can end in running feet, a chase, a stab, searing pain, blood splattered on the sidewalk, the cold street receding away as a young life flitter away into nothingness…
A life cut short…
Humans are chasing humans and killing without thought or regard for the pains inflicted on unfamiliar people.
Life can end well, or, it may end in tragedy.
Twenty years ago, I got married to the man of my dreams, and two years later, I was in the hospital, in labour, and anticipating the birth of my son.
It was a complicated process. A short life, my son passed away two days after he was born.
My life stopped briefly.
I didn’t know how to process my grief. I cried every night, and I prayed every night.
Days passed. Time didn’t wait for my grief. And I healed with the love of my husband and family.
Three months later, there was a miracle.
I was pregnant again. This time, everything felt different, but I was hiding my fears. I smiled openly while I cried and cringed inside, wondering if the new life growing inside me would live, and survive.
Nine months later, I welcomed another son. He lives. He’s kind and makes me laugh. He’s energetic and loves life. I had two more children, a daughter and another son.
My family means everything to me.
But something is wrong.
I’ve lived in London for over fifteen years, and every time there’s a young life wasted on the streets, I remember the child I lost.
Although my son died as a new-born baby and in different circumstances, I relive the pain every time I read or watch the news of another senseless killing of young people on our streets.
My eldest son is now 17. He’s brilliant and hardworking. He had one of the best GCSE results in his school, and he’s currently studying Medicine at A levels. He wants to be a doctor. Samuel wants to help and make our society a better place for everyone.
But should I be afraid anytime he’s out of the house? Or because of the colour of his skin?
Can I have hope that things will improve, and that love may conquer hatred, racism, anger and the ugliness inherent in the human soul?
My son believes in a better society, a better world.
Rafael Benedetti wants the world to see goodness in him. Fay Beneddeti intends to champion the course of women and family. These people are keen to see positive changes in our society.
Maybe, there is hope Afterall.
I won’t be afraid anymore.
Hope, no matter how fleeting is still better than fear.
Loving humans can be a reality while chasing humans could become a myth.
‘Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods, Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.’ Robert H. Schuller.
A second makes a year, and in fact, it makes a lifetime! When you calculate every second of our lives, add that to decisions we make in split seconds, and there, that’s our lives all tidied up and going in seconds. That’s all it takes to cross over to the New Year, just one second. And that got me thinking about decisions and the much-celebrated New Year’s resolutions.
We all have to make choices in life, and when doing that, that’s when the seconds ticked by. From the second we decide whom to marry, to the second we choose our careers to when we define our life goals, the seconds are counting.
We can make the seconds of our lives count by weighing up our options, and in the case of the young Saudi Arabian woman who renounced Islam and barricaded herself in a hotel in Thailand, she must have decided to run away within seconds. That decision will now change her life.
Thankfully, the UN has approved her refugee status, and Australia is keen to allow, and process Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun’s asylum application. This brave young woman made a decision that ultimately changed her life.
So whatever you do this year, make the seconds count!
Seyi Sandra David 