IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

What else can I say to my maker? I am grateful, I am overwhelmed by your grace and mercy on me... I cannot thank You enough… I cannot praise You enough… All I can say is I thank You!

You are awesome, You are great. When I think of how far You have brought me, I always shed tears… Not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy. And it’s all because of You! I thank you and I thank you...

I remember when my mum died and I thought that was the end of the road for me. But you took me through to this point of my life, through experiences, through pain and through laughter.

I also remember when I gave birth to my son and the doctors diagnosed him of asthma… I remember me, running in and out of hospitals with him virtually every two weeks, because of incessant asthma attacks. I remember all those dreadful moments that I held my son in my arms, with the dreadful anxiety that I might loose him, because he had become so tiny and weak through his sickness and his breath was always almost gone. I remember how I cried to You one day and begged You to take that sickness away from him for me. I remember how after that prayer he never suffered any such attack again, from then up till now (2yrs and counting). I remember how although he has catarrh from time to time, it’s just a minor occurrence.

God I remember all that… I remember how You have always come through for me... And today, on the occasion of my birthday, I just want to say thank You again. I am grateful... I will always be.

To all you, my friends, who might read this note today. It is simply my small note to God. Today blogsville is church for me, and you all are the congregation. And I praise this God who has been good to me on this platform… I invite you to thank Him for me, because “He has done me well”… Yes He has.

Happy Birthday to me…

Peace… I’m out.

A Story That Will Touch Your Heart...

Hello Everyone!

I saw the write-up below somewhere, and I thought to myself,  this is the kind of information I must share, I loved the lessons I was touched  by and I hope it does the same to you also. Please enjoy...

One, young, academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview. The director who did the last interview, made the last decision. He discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research. He never had a year when he did not score. The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" The youth answered "none". The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old. It was my mother who paid for my school fees.” The director asked, “Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner.

The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect. The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me." The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands and then see me tomorrow morning."

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her son. The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tears fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled and that there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes every day to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night, mother and son talked for a very long time, next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes and asked, “Can you tell me what you did and learned yesterday in your house?" The youth answered, “I cleaned my mother's hands, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes.' The Director asked, “Please tell me your feelings."

The youth said,

•  I know now the meaning of APPRECIATION. Without my mother, there would not be the successful me today.

•  By working together and helping my mother, only now have I realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done- PERSEVERANCE

•  I have come to appreciate the importance and value of FAMILY RELATIONSHIP.

The director said, “This is what I am looking for in my new manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. Son, you are hired.”

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

This indeed is a story about sacrifice. But I am at a loss as to how a parent can sacrifice so much, and end up producing someone who is unappreciative and inconsiderate. This young man had done so well in his short life, yet he had never taken time to consider, understand and appreciate the price paid  for the opportunities he had enjoyed so far. Even the poor can spoil their children; the rich can spoil their children; the hardworking can spoil their children. People with the best of intentions can spoil their children. So we must as a matter of legacy teach our children to be good, appreciative and considerate people... People who will never treat others less than what they are worth. Perseverance and Appreciation... they are standards which will guide us into sustainable relationships. Let them be a part of our lives, in such a way that they truly understand what it took to bring them up to the platform they ultimately will occupy in life. This my mother taught me, is the hallmark of humility, and the key to the kind of success which impacts the people around us.

Let's get on with it.

Peace... I'm out!

Teardrops... But it is Well

Greetings Blogville,

I trust everyone is doing very well. The rains are here again and for some reason, I am wishing they fell longer than they did this morning, so I would have had a good reason to stay at home today. Call me lazy, but na my mind I de talk so o! lol. I want to say a very big thank you to all of you who shared your views and thoughts on my last post, I must say my "avid reader" must have read and advised himself accordingly.

The events of the last 4 days in Ghana and Nigeria, have left us all so bewildered. Just while we were recovering here in Ghana, from the plane crash which left a lot of casualties dead, injured and in shock, on Saturday June 2, we stood face to face with an even worse situation in less than 24 hours later in Nigeria.

Much worse, is the painful reality that some of the people in that plane that crashed at Iju, Lagos (Nigeria), are people you know, or friends and relations of people you know. People you may have heard about and are looking forward to meeting. Yet, as we thank God in all things (as this is the will of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour – 1Thesselonians 5:18)

I cannot help but wonder whether or not this whole saga was avoidable. I wonder what lessons we have to learn. I think of how connected we all are, irrespective of our personal views and idiosyncrasies. I wonder what will happen to the children, wives, husbands and other family members whose lives have literally turned around, just by virtue of one event; one reckless decision, one fearful turn, one avoidable mistake, one… God help us all and keep our eyes stay on Him. And like the great words of hope which we declare with deepest faith, “This too shall pass”. I pray we all experience a deep sense of peace in God throughout this season.

May I submit to you all that, anytime you say a prayer, please remember to say one for your country and the entire world because the rate at which cannibalism is on the increase and strange things happening here and there, we can only hope and pray to God almighty that we will not be consumed. May the Lord Bless and keep us all save and sound now and forever more... Amen!

Peace... I'm out!