Category: Inspiration

Liebster Award

My sincere gratitude to Guyorbloke for this nomination on the 18th of Feb. for the Liebster award.  Most nominations are to recognize and compliment a fellow bloggers work. Guyorbloke is a very talented guy with lots of potentials. He has many amazing concepts in his blog and mainly encourage other bloggers. Do have a look at his page.

Rules for Accepting the Liebster Award:

  •  Acknowledge the blogger who nominated your blog.
  • Answer the questions.
  • Nominate 11 other new bloggers to encourage them.
  • Ask them 11 questions
  • Let them know you have nominated them.

Questions and Answers.

1] Who was your best teacher at school and why?

Aunty Ifeoma. She saw the potentials in me and continually encouraged me both academically and spiritually. Bless her.

2] Which are your three favourite movies? Sleepless in Seattle, Kush Kush Hota Hai, Serendipity.

3] What is your best blog post to date? Please link.

I would say ‘Woman I met in the bus’ because it was among the first stories I blogged about.

4] Of the 11 questions here, which is the worst for you and why?

5] If you had to be one of these three cartoon characters which one would you be and why? Goofy, Pluto, Roger Rabbit?

What is that?

6] Do you ever talk to yourself, and if so what do you say?

Yes, I do soliloquize. It could be anything depending on the situation.

7] Of these three sounds, which one describes you the best and why? Ping, Ting, Bong!

Maybe ping. Not sure.

8] Boots or sandals?

Boots.

9] Which one of these dwarfs are you? Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy – but more importantly WHY?

No clue what that is.

11] What was the answer to question 10?

My Nominees:

RasheedBgee

Zankhana

Rida Yumn Ahmed

LA

Waltpage

Kelly Mackay

Nataliescarberry

Beckiesmentalmess

Grumpygorman

Whip Traveler

King Taylor.

The Official Rules of the Liebster Award 2018

The winning blog wins a prize. Each blog gets one entry. To enter you must:

Link to this blog post in your Liebster Award blog post

Create more questions for your nominees to answer (I’m looking for unique and creative ones)

Entries start 1st Jan 2018 and ends on 25th Dec 2018. The winner will be picked on the 31st of December.

My sincere thanks to Guyorbloke. Thank you for reading.

Book Reveal: Happiness At Last

Hello Friends, I can’t keep calm my new book is finally out. It’s live on Amazon. I am delighted to announce to you the publication of ‘Happiness At Last’. I still can’t believe it.

After so much time writing ✍ then came the draining editing and re-editing. At a point I thought the humour was all gone due to so much corrections but I kept my cool.

Like I told you, it is worth the wait.

Please check it out here and let me know your views. It is available for purchase in Amazon, Authorhouse and on Barnes & noble soonest. Authorhouse has  a preview for you as well.

I will be posting more about it. It feels surreal.

Be Prepared For The New Year

Hello Friends, I want to share with you some quotes that will help us keep our hopes high as we enter the year. Thanks to God for sparing our lives.

There are biblical verses that lifts my spirit high regardless of any situation I find myself. I have chosen very few:

Psalm 121 – “I lift up my eyes to the mountains; where is my help to come from?

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This verse reminds me of the supernatural being, the Almighty that foresees our future; including any struggle we might meet along the way.

“My help come from Yahweh who made heaven and earth. May he save your foot from stumbling; may he your guardian; not fall asleep!”

I cannot explain to you how overwhelming this line makes me feel. Those words are powerful. When you solely rely on God, what more can you ask for? It makes me aware of the fact that we are bound to stumble as we walk in the paths of life but He our God will protect us from all harm. God watches over us even we are exhausted from the days activities and fall into deep sleep. He is always with us, not leaving our side.

My bible went further to say: “You see– He neither sleeps nor slumbers, the guardian of Israel.  “… By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night. Yahweh guards you from all harm, He guards your life.”

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We are reassured again that He does not sleep while watching over us and will shield us from all kinds of danger. There is nothing God cannot handle.

I use the New Jerusalem Bible – that’s the reason for the word ‘Yahweh’ if you have wondered where it came from. [I intentionally discussed the chapter without the verses numbers; most times I love discussing my bible that way so long as I have mentioned the chapter].

2 Corinthians 12:9 – “…But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

It is obvious that God strengthens us in hard times. I can relate this to my personal experiences, I would wonder how am ever going to cope but He simply does it, His own very way. He fights our battles. He is right there with us, even at our weakest times.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The Unchangeable God continues to reassure us of His steadfastness. I love those lines ever since I got to know of them. When I think about the future or uncertainties, I remain hopeful because I know God’s words do not change.

In addition, I love some non biblical quotes too:

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”

I can’t agree more. We have to be happy with our current situation to enable us flourish in the future. Find a way and be pleased with your present as it goes a long way to create a better future. Happiness is something that comes from the inside, so you have to create it.

The picture above says it all. They say health is wealth, so look after yourself. The information you need is out there. Avoid the things you can and cut down where necessary. You need not to be told about the consequences of ignoring warning signs. Whatever you do, look after yourself. You come first.

There are lots of quotes to help us keep track as it is important that we stay focus. I hope this post prepares you for the new year. Be hopeful for what the year will bring as you have prepared yourself – by reading this write-up😄

I had fun creating this post I hope you enjoyed reading it? Can you share with me your favorite inspirational quotes?

One Pence

Hi my lovelies, I have a beautiful story to share with you.
It was a mini exercise we did in the church: please keep reading. So, during sermon, the priest asked if anyone had one pence coin and that they bring it out. We did.
One Pence

 Photo credit: depositphotos.com

We were asked to look at both sides of the coin, close our eyes and differentiate between the two.

Most of us weren’t able to do so. Then, he asked us to pray for the blind.
He asked that we look at the side with the picture of the queen’s head and pray for the country and other nations. We continued and turned to the side with the picture of crowned portcullis with chains and prayed for all prisoners.
Lastly, he made us hold the pence in the center of our palms and prayed for beggars.
It was an exceptional experience for me: having to meditate, think about different experiences and challenges people face in their daily lives.
I love it when the word of God is so simplified and yet mysterious.

Have a blessed weekend Friends.

P.S.

Sorry Friends, I had to re-post as the previous one would not open. Thanks to a loyal reader that made me aware.

Happy People

Photo credit: emdoodle.com
I saw this pretty petite lady dancing
throwing her hands freely into the air
in a not sunny nor cold but dull weather
some distances away from the bus stop in a busy area.
She was all smiles and looked completely happy. 
Clothed in a flowered colourful shirt, long spotted skirt and trainers
I suppose she wouldn’t notice the staring faces of passersby. 
She continued smiling and perhaps was worried about nothing.
Amazingly, there ought to be food and shelter
Some where for her.
If she can be that happy then why cant you?
If the very lady I just told you about
can be that pleased with herself and jubilate,
then, I would like to believe there are some many things you can be thankful for.
Stop being sober, be happy and worry less.
 
P. S. Thanks friends for making out time to read some of my posts. May your year be fulfilled.

New Year:To Be Resolute Or Not.

We rarely talk about the new year without mentioning the huge ‘new year resolutions’. It is a good idea to be fully prepared for a new year; being hopeful that undoubtedly it has good things in stock for us. This could be likened to the way we are willing to accept and welcome new people or babies in our lives.

Recently, I had a chat with a friend about the new year;what should be expected and the likes. The chat was going on well and all of a sudden she said in a very careless tone  ‘I no longer do new year resolutions.’
I was going to ask her where did that one come from,  in the sense that I don’t know how such an idea got into her head let alone hearing her say it.
“Sorry…”  She laughed at me and repeated herself. She added that it is childish. Gone are the days when in the beginning of a year people make lists of things they want to do; lose weight and quit smoking, nothings changes it is the same like in the past days and past year. She really made herself clear.
I had to listen to all of that despite knowing I had heard enough. However, I knew it would get to my turn and that she would have to take in what I was going to say.

In my opinion, such lists are not applicable to everyone. Cliches like that are overly rattled and not paid attention to. Besides, when we talk about the new year resolution it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are about discarding all our previous ways of life or former ways of doing things.

In fact, towards the end of a year, I like doing a total reflection of the whole year; how I have fared, whether I achieved some set targets, unexpected favours, difficult situations and how I handled them, some nice people I met, people who influenced me, people who challenged me-those that made me put in more effort at some point, personal improvements…the list is endless. This is my kind of list and obviously with this, I usually have some provisions for some new year resolutions because there are things I would like to carry along, some modified while others dropped. They equally groom one properly as they attain certain life milestones.

I gave her some examples that were applicable to her and at the end she agreed with me but said she still don’t call them resolutions. I didn’t argue further since the problem now is the word and not the act. We never used the word ‘Resolution’ but settled for making some ‘modifications’ and ‘new decisions’ where necessary.

By the time you know it, we were back to our new year yarn; what we would love to achieve in it and how we are going to go about it.
I know she wouldn’t be the only one with such perception of the new year resolution albeit, there could be other reasons why people ditch resolutions in the beginning of a year. However, I would like us to see the need to make certain life adjustments when a new year sets in- no mater how little they are.
Lastly, I was pleased we had that chat within the first week of the first month of the year and I know this is very likely to be your first time of reading this post in the first month of the year. Did I mention that my friend is neither fat nor smokes yet the first set of resolutions she could think of was to lose weight and to quite smoking.
Plan well and achieve your dreams friends.

Nature is powerful.

It can be so lovely sitting outside and listening to nature. Sitting on a concrete bench at a corner outside my church made me realise that. I was waiting for a colleague who I was going to attend a function with. After some minutes of pressing my phone and virtually not doing any particular meaningful thing it occurred to me I can actually sit and be calm, probably do some meditation.

So, I went for it. The noises from whistling birds and that from a flowing water filled my ears, making me fully aware of the natural environment which I barely noticed some minutes earlier. It was a sunny day though  equally  windy moving the flowers and tree leaves form one direction to another.

It was so inspirational and meditative just siting and paying attention to all these than trying to do anything else. From where I sat, I could see passersby as well without them noticing my presence. Everything and everyone at that moment seemed so special and has a message to send across to me. Lots of wonderful ideas came into mind, showing me different sides to many issues especially in a more positive perspective. Some ideas that seemed so difficult to analyse or handle appeared so easy within seconds. It kind of made me see there is always an approach to everything and how little things we do for people could mean so much to them that they forever live with such memories.

Nature is beautiful and powerful. I guess we all need these kind of time to re-freshen our body and soul. It can also be a very good way of beating stress. I was pleased to have been some minutes early for my appointment which made this unique encounter and engaging discovery possible.

Being Considerate.

We all need affection.

At times, we become so engrossed with our lives, be it with work, good times and so on that we actually forget that others could be having a hard time and need to be talked to considerately.

It is as if we assume that when we are all good and enjoying the beauty of life every other person is on the same page as us. However, this is not usually the case as sometimes, it takes turns.
No matter where we are, how and the position we see ourselves, it is very essential that we always know how to address and treat others. Even when you think you have lots of stories to tell or good news to share with them do try and be reasonable enough to know how they themselves are faring. 
Always be thoughtful in all you do and do try to make people feel functionally alive and happy when they are with you irrespective of the your situation. 

Follow @AyinotuV

Prayer Times.


Indeed, it is a humble attitude that we seek the face of God in times of difficulty as it implies we know He is our Sovereign Master; Who knows the unknown and sees beyond human comprehension.

These moments draw us close to God. We try to mend our ways while relying on His mercy to see us through. I can recall in my school days that at various institutions we only indulge in Novena, fasting and praying mainly during examination periods. We tend to act so religiously and would even be willing to make trouble with anyone who seems to be acting in a way we think would disrupt our prayers.

We do set all sorts of standards for ourselves during these periods. At one occasion, we extended our rituals to the due date of our result. It almost caused trouble because by then we must have graduated and could be carried away by the euphoria that comes with graduation. It sounds funny now but that was how desperate we were at that time.

Meanwhile, what amazes me is that we never declared a thanksgiving Novena or fast. We only bought petty gifts for thanksgiving and it ended there. I know this is applicable to all of us (including you reading) in our various lives. It can be seen also in the way we relate with one another, in the sense that we pester others when in need and can forget them for a very long time or till God-knows-when when all seems so well with us, as long as we do not encounter a problem that would mean going back to them.

That makes me wonder if most of us would have turned to prayer if not for hard times. Perhaps, tests, hardships and disappointments makes us more committed by putting us in the  actively praying mood which would not have been that strong  if we flourish effortlessly all times.

Difficult times continually remind us of our dependency on God and fill the gaps we might have created during the very good times. However, we still need to pray at all times.

Your Road is Not mine.

In life, we seek different things.
And that tends to direct our various pathways.
We set goals
And work earnestly to see them accomplished.

No matter how long it takes
Where it leads us to
Irrespective of what we encounter
We remain focused

As humans, who are diverse in nature
And almost insatiable
We quest for better ways
Long for everything good throughout our lifetime.

Most times encountering difficulties
There are times we almost gave-up
Thinking we cannot go any longer
But we never did.

Some people’s road might be straight
Some with bends
A few hilly
Others seem to be mixed up.

What matters is that we all have purpose
We know we are heading somewhere
You might be there now
I am right behind you.
Follow your road and I follow mine
That we are not on the same path
Does not mean I am on the wrong track
Neither does it say that I am lost.