Cakes, Flowers, Love and Valentine :)

Hellooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have the cakes, flowers, Teddy Bears and the red-y stuff started arriving? There are so many shows coming up this period, some goes for like N 500,000 Or N 1,000,000….And it’s all for love or is it?

Yesterday, I had this discussion with my boss ‘Hey, Mr. B, so what will you be getting your wife for valentine?’ and he replied, ‘Ah!! Valentine is for young people, me and my wife celebrates our love everyday, not on a special day. She’s always close to my heart.’ And I was like, ‘wow!!!!’

There is something about ‘Old’ Love :))

Well, why are we celebrating valentine then?

Been looking for the history of valentine and trying to figure out what the hype is about. History.com, Wikipedia, etc has so many theories on its history. One of the many legends that intrigued me was this story…

“Saint Valentine was a priest of the early Christian faith who lived in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. At that time, 14 February was treated similar to a public holiday to honor Juno, the celebrated queen of the Roman gods and goddesses of women and marriage.
One of the customs associated with the celebration was to write the names of girls on slips of paper and then place them in containers. Boys of the same age group were then invited to pull a name from the container and the girl drawn would have to accompany him for the duration of the festival. The partnership could last up to a year. It was a method for youngsters to meet ‘legally’ as there were strict rules about them meeting otherwise. This partnership gave them the chance to develop a loving relationship, which could later turn to marriage.
Under Claudius, Rome became involved in violent and bloody campaigns which affected many young men of military age. Because of the custom involving the young men and women, Claudius took drastic steps and banned all engagements and marriages. His reasoning behind these extreme measures was that he felt that young men were reluctant to leave their wives or sweethearts and go to war. 
Saint Valentine, with the help and support of another man, Saint Marius, began to perform secrete marriage ceremonies for those wishing to marry. Eventually, knowledge of Valentine’s activities was brought to the attention of Claudius. He ordered the immediate arrest of Valentine, and thus he was placed in prison. After being brought before the authorities in Rome, he was sentenced to be clubbed to death, after which he was to be decapitated. According to tradition, while he was awaiting his fate, young people would throw flowers and notes of encouragement in through his cell window. 
Another story relates that the jailor’s daughter continued to visit him prior to his execution. She was blind and through his prayers, her eyesight was restored. Seemingly on the eve of his execution, he wrote a note thanking her for the friendship and loyalty; and supposedly signed it, ‘Love from your Valentine’. The following day, 14 February 270 AD, the sentence was carried out (some sources indicate the dates 269 and 273 AD). Thus Saint Valentine’s Day was born; he is the Patron Saint of Love, Young People and Happy Marriages.”

Source-Galway Independent

I love this story ‘cos I think Valentine goes beyond romantic gestures. It’s about the fight for True Love and great friendships.

Tomorrow, everyone is expecting some gifts. Cakes, flowers, and Teddy Bears (I hope to spend the day on Skype, talking to my BF in faraway Canada...But we do that almost everyday ^_^.)

Sometimes, I feel like Feb 14 has been set aside to shower love on that special person. But, is love a one-day affair? 

The way I see it, just because he sent a cake to you or you had sex with her doesn’t mean they love you. If that Legend was true, then it means Saint Valentine ensured that 2 people in love got married. But is it love to be married and then after 72 hours you get a divorce?

I guess the whole point of Valentine is to promote true love and true love goes beyond spending just one day with someone.

It’s about being selfless. It’s less of you and more about the happiness of someone else forever.  True Love is being like GOD because He is LOVE.

God's love is so amazing. He let His Son die for us so that we can be friends with Him. I see how my mom acts when any of my sisters is ill? She’s would be so worried and sleep at the hospital even if it’s not necessary. Imagine, THE DYING PART. Ah!! that's like killing her too.

But God allowed Jesus die for us. His love for us is just so extravagant.

That’s the kind of love that should guide us as we celebrate this season. Loving others not just for a day but for forever. Loving others like you love yourself and like God does.

 *********************

A close friend of mine and I had an early Valentine day outing at the House of Gold Hospice last weekend.

It was fun with them. It was heart-breaking wiping tears off Kolade’s face and telling him, everything will be Ok. We loved playing 'Catch' with victory and Ebuka is the naughtiest boy ever (Don’t know where he gets His strength from. He’s super energetic and just had a heart surgery). And the girls couldn't stop playing with my braids. Hehehehehe #wonderfulmoments :))

So happy to see my 'hardcore' friend, Duke Keata, Smile, Yayyy. The power of kids and happiness :))

The kids were awesome and even though they had some sort of disability, they showed me in more than many ways that life is beautiful. It depends on how you chose to see it and live it.

Oh Kids!!!!! :))... Me. Duke, Ebuka and the girls. We were only allowed take pics with these 3 amazing kids. The other angels were asked to stay back. #hospice-policy. But I'm grateful to God for this memory...Yayyyy!!!!!!

It was a beautiful day and I am so hoping to be there this weekend by Gods grace. ~Fingers crossed~

Remember there’s more to valentine than the gifts and cakes and flowers and having a touch of 'RED' to our attire. There's more to the whole commercialism associated with Valentine day.

It’s a celebration of love....True love....Lasting Love....

Song of the day- Emeli Sande; My kind of Love

Big Hugs.....

Thanks a billion for reading ;))

what do people see?

Image Source: Anextraordinaryday

Picture David when he was a shepherd boy. Many who knew him in his pre- Goliath days would very likely have seen just an ordinary youth — one who lived at home with his parents and siblings, enjoyed the outdoors and loved music. But where others saw a typical teenager, God saw a king in young David. He saw David’s name being uttered in honor forever for even the Lord Jesus is called the Son of David! 

Picture Moses after he had settled down comfortably in the desert with a beautiful wife, lovely children and good in-laws. He might have seen himself happily retiring in the near future. But God had bigger plans for him. God had big dreams for him. God saw the Red Sea opening up before him and an entire Egyptian army being wiped out in his presence. God saw in Moses the deliverer of His people. 

Now, step back a little less far in time with me. See a little boy standing alone during playtime. Nobody wants him on their team because he is scrawny and seen as a weakling. As he grows into his teens, he suffers from an inferiority complex. He stammers and stutters so much that all his classmates laugh at him. 

But today, he is the senior pastor of New Creation Church. Each week, he stands in front of a crowd of more than 24,000 people to preach. And he receives invitations to speak in churches and pastors’ conferences worldwide. In those early years, there was no way I could have ever conceived in my mind what God saw in me and the dreams that He had for me. 

Beloved, God does not see as man sees. God saw in fearful Gideon a mighty man of valor and called him so even when he was hiding from his enemies in fear. God saw in young David a king and anointed him as one. God saw in meek Moses a deliverer and drew him out from obscurity. 

Today, God looks beyond what man sees and says about you, and He has dreams for you that are bigger than you can imagine!
Source - Youversion

Helloooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved reading today's devotional on youversion. It's nice to know that where people  see a crazy girl, or a stupid boy, God sees His Child or a lovable person. God's love for us is indescribable....
Where people see a handsome guy and a pretty girl, God sees past the façade and knows what we are like...on the inside....

What's your heart like?

Just encouraging us to trust HIM everyday and to love being HIS own :)

Song of the day- Busted Heart by for KING and COUNTRY 

Have a great Day :)
Hugs!!!!!!

Thank YOU so much for reading :))

Just a thought (3)

 “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” — William A. Ward
Hello Dear,

How was your day?

Just thought about this… ‘Praise God for now and your pasts and keep trusting in Him for your future…’

Add caption

Yesterday, my little sister and her friends graduated from the University, I am super excited for them but then, I think about their future. Most of my class mates from school haven’t even found a job yet. Yearly, more than 100,000 students graduate from school and join the hustle and bustle of the ‘Labour’ market like they call it. Most graduates are Taxi drivers, bus conductors and even truck drivers, basically taking on anything to avoid staying at home.

Have you been to an interview recently?

They told me ‘Oh you don’t have the relevant experience’ and I wonder ‘where am I going to find the ‘so called experience if you don’t give me a chance to work?’. It’s crazy …But after all the disappointments I met, I learnt to be happy and content (crying was not solving anything anyway) and was grateful to God when I got my amazing Job and I’m loving being a Working girl…Many other graduates become their own employer, which is super great (Eventually I would like to take on that challenge)…

The point is, Life would throw certain challenges at us. It’s like we are happy now and sad later. But no matter what happens, be grateful and thankful for your NOW (Honestly, someone somewhere wish they were in your shoes), be grateful for your past too, tomorrow will sort itself out…Trust God for your future. 

Rather than worry over tomorrow, leave your anxieties with Him.

My beautiful cousin dedicated this amazing song to my sister…

Relient K- Up and Up

Was out and about Lag today and took this really cute picture…

It’s nice right?

I started thinking about who sculpted it and how they were able to mount it on the building (I’m no architect, so can’t figure it out) and all that...I also started praising God for making us, humans, really smart and unique…Wow!!! You????

Have an amazing week...Hugssss...

Thanks so much for reading J

A SONG, I LOVE

Hello,

Ever had that moment when a song you are listening to feels like it’s speaking to you, like it was written for you at that moment or for your situation?

I just had that moment with this song by Jamie Grace (Holding on).

Actually, I've heard it before, even sang along to it but for the first time (last night), it felt like I really listened to it and can relate to it.

Here’s why I love it…

Hope. Faith. Belief. Strength.  That’s the message of the song. Holding on to these attributes even when you are weak and can’t seem to find the strength to carrying on. I once heard somewhere that it’s important to always pray for renewed faith in God. Take a look at life; it’s like every day we have to jump over a gazillion gigantic hurdles and make a billion decisions (wondering which one will make you seem a little less selfish), and most times, we ask ‘Where are you, God?’.

 Honestly, it takes His grace, His strength and lots of faith to hold on to Him no matter what.

That’s why I love this song. It’s about us asking God to give us the strength to fight for Him, even when it’s difficult to do that in today’s craziness and problems. It’s about us asking God to give us renewed faith and grace to hold on to him. It’s us saying, 'Dear God, no matter the situation or the outcome, you have my heart'.

Thank you Jamie Grace for this amazing song. Thank you Jehovah for all the talented artistes out there.

So what song has made you really ‘stop and listen to it’? Or better still; really ‘learn’ something from its lyrics?

What’s on your playlist right now?

Top on my playlist are:

1.    Anything Christian (From Casting crowns to Jeremy Camp, Jamie Grace, Francesca Battistelli, and an inexhaustible list of Christian artistes)

2.    Country songs (Big fan of Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts and Jason Mraz)

3.    Beyoncé and Alicia Keys and Janelle Monell and Ingrid Machaelson and Christina Perri (I think they are excellent song writers)

4.    One republic

5.    Mumford  and Sons

6.    Asa

7.    Nneka

8.    TY Bello

9.    ‘Zahara’ and ‘the soil’ and ‘Toya Delozy’  (Beginning to love me some African songs)

10.                      Close to 200 artistes that are amazingly talented…Don’t want to bore you but the list continuessssssssssssssss!!!!!

Song of the day- Hold Me by Jamie Grace (Sorry. Couldn't help but share this song as well.)

Have an awesome day J

Thanks a lot for reading…Love you.

HUMILITY 101

Hello :)

How are you doing?

Recently, while reading the bible, I learnt an important lesson in humility (the bible app by you version is one of the coolest apps in the world. Seriously.).

U think it’s easy to be humble?

Try talking to the woman I met while working at the airport ‘once upon a time in my life’. Everyone knows that sometimes there are glitches in our airports here in Naija (delayed flights and the likes) but what amazed me was the way the lady could not stop talking about America. Talking to anyone who cared to listen, she said ‘I moved to the USA 3 years ago and you will never experience things like this over there’ ‘Oh, I need to call the driver right now’ ‘I need to get past this, so my dollars won’t get stolen’ ‘Obama will never allow this’ ‘I want to go back to America’ ‘America this, America that’. While staring past the ‘rolling eyes’ and ‘laughter’ from the crowd, I prayed she become a little less talkative and more humble (and hopefully, doesn’t attract the attention of someone jealous, so that they don’t harm her ‘cos the same naija she’s ‘yabbing’ have not fully combated its crime rate).  It’s wasn’t like the other people on the queue have not visited ‘America’ before, but they chose to stay quiet and perhaps, humble.

We were talking about ‘crazy stuffs’ at work the other day when Ozy, one of my friends, told us about a lady she met in the saloon, all she talked about was ‘BB Porsche’, and her N 100,000 Brazilian hair and a bunch of things that were not necessary for the public ear, all in a bid to show off…

Not judging or anything, ‘cos I think in some ways, we relish the idea of being slightly above others. Probably we talk down on an office assistant, or a co-worker, or a homeless guy, or even an 'un-educated' person.

Well, while on my bible app the other day, I read 1^st Peter 5: 5, 6, and all I could say was ‘Please God, help me be humble’. God opposes the proud and raises the humble the ones.

What’s the point being proud, ‘cos while you think you own it all, there’s always, always, someone better than you? Besides, what will you achieve being proud other than drawing unnecessary attention to yourself ‘and ‘ur’ supposed riches.  

Be grateful for what you have, talk about it graciously but also watch your intention for doing it; is it to make another person feel lowly?

Image source: Project inspire online

Humility also affects the way we see ourselves too. Do we take honest feedbacks about ourselves light-heartedly or are we quick to anger? Do we feel entitled or are we teachable? Do we love others all the same and forgive or let pride hold us captive to malice and grudges?

Be modest in everything, rejoice in God and please remember God raises the humble ones…Be humble…

Teddy hugs J

Thanks so much for reading!!!

~GOD ROCKS~

As a proud owner of a blackberry phone (I still insist that the BB is much better than an Android phone ~Ha~ Please don’t crucify me J), I get to ‘steal’, ok, uhmm, get connected to my peers by knowing what they are up to in real time. So this morning, I woke up earlier than usual and decided to see what my peeps were up to, about 40 people changed their pictures (really cute ones by the way), some changed their updates, one wrote ‘I’m bathing’ (Ok, do you really care about that???), and the rest had music on.

So, I was just looking at the different updated music and my teddy bear (I call him Nous Nous ~Ha~) had a Casting Crowns music on titled ‘life song’.

CASTING CROWNS- LIFE SONG 

The title of the song piqued my interest and I decided to see what it sounded like and now, I am in love with this Christian rock group. From ‘east to west’ to ‘courageous’, and ‘do you hear her?’, this group is officially my best Christian group in the world. I am a rock music freak and hearing one that is wholesome, with Jehovah’s worship as the centre message is totally complete.

I love that millions of people will get to hear about God through their music. Thank you again teddy bear and 'Casting crowns'.(Hugs)

So, right now, get your guitars and drums to create a beat for me and in your best voice help me give life to this original by me.

MIRACLES

VERSE 1

Crawling, pacing, running, panting, the day turned out to be

One step at a time mama said as usual, the anxiety eating me up

The doctor comes out and shakes his head, tears glistening his eyes

With thumping heart I looked at him, going out of my mind I willed him to speak

His broad smile tells me it’s Ok. It’s a miracle, he says

CHORUS

We all need miracles in the world. Daily, monthly and yearly.

All it requires is a whisper. A silent whisper to the one who listens.

All it requires is a bended knee to the one who is ready to give at no cost

Our God who loves us gives us miracles. A God of miracles he is.

VERSE 2

It’s just another day she says. He won’t be home drinking.

He will love me and graham. We won’t suffer any abuse she wishes.

Hearing his loud thud on the creaky steps. Blast of cool air as he opens the door.

Sensing silent tears, she comes near where he is seated.

He reached out his hands, with the bible on his laps, a promise of a better tomorrow. It’s a miracle she says.

CHORUS

We all need miracles in the world. Daily, monthly and yearly.

All it requires is a whisper. A silent whisper to the one who listens.

All it requires is a bended knee to the one who is ready to give at no cost.

Our God who loves us gives us miracles. A God of miracle he is.

BRIDGE

God loved us first. He wants to make us happy. We might face so many troubles in our life. Never despair, because the God of miracle is still at work. He realises...Chorus follows.

(Laughs) I had fun writing it (I know I’m no Adele or Taylor Swift. So, please don’t crucify me much!!! J). Hope you had fun singing it. Thanks for giving it life (I'm curious, what did it sound like to you?) and please, don’t forget, loving God is the best decision you can ever make. 

Image source: noble art of music

Keep rocking on and expect miracles in your life. 

And big thanks Teddy Bear for helping me have a beautiful morning (why do I feel it was kind of ‘fulfilling’ J).

Big hugs!!!

Oops, watch this really nice video I saw on 'OWN'- How to give and receive Positive Karma

Thanks a lot for reading J

OUR PURE HEARTS

Yesterday, I was privileged to teach little ones at the sosaid home. It was a humbling experience describing the world of science to them. I listened with pride as they answered and asked questions and I really enjoyed our ‘chocolate time’ together (Thanks ‘Silver Line Store' for the free chocolates).

Spending time with the kids reminded me of ‘our’ long lost childlike innocence- the pureness we have in our spirit; the untainted wall of our inner being that sees every human as perfect angels.

Unfortunately, the more time we spend in the world, the more the evil that abounds in it rubs off on us. We lose the innocence and partake in every guilty pleasure of sin. We suspect every stranger and require a reward for every good deed we do. My friend Tina always says, "I used to be a flower, all jovial and innocent till that day when reality taught me that the world was not bright and beautiful after all".

Spending time with the kids reminded me of that childlike innocence I want to have again. It reminded me of the joy of making friends without questions. Their scrambling’s on my lap reminded me of warming up to people I don’t know and enjoy being a citizen of the world regardless of the negativity we encounter every day.

It’s nice. It’s wonderful. No matter what the world throw at you, fight back by being yourself, being honest, forgiving, and enjoying life. You win the war by being happy no matter what happens.

One of my favorite beatitudes as stated in God’s word is ‘Blessed are those pure in heart...’. Even God encourages it.

Keep doing what you are doing. Keep loving even if it is not reciprocated. Keep giving without expecting a reward. Keep being you and most importantly ‘Be pure in heart’ and love God…

We took a break so that they could welcome some visitors to the home. They just moved to their new facility which is not safe and are soliciting for funds or building materials to complete their home. Hoping something is done soon. :) or You can HELP!! 

Hope you had a fun weekend? Have a beautiful week. Hugs J

Thanks a lot for reading… and please, let me know what you think of this piece…

LIVING LIFE FREE OF STRIFE

Hi dear,
How was your weekend? Mine was super duper great...
You know that feeling where you read something and you are like 'that's me'...Well, I  just got that feeling with this article from Joyce Meyers.


Please read...

Strife is one of the main weapons the enemy uses against us. I believe there are three things that open us up to a spirit of strife.

1. Our lips: Wrong words spoken at the wrong time can certainly start a firestorm. The more wrong words we pour on the fire, the bigger it gets. One way to stop a fire is to remove the fuel.

2. Our pride: Although wrong words may open us up to strife, it is a proud heart that refuses to be quiet in order to have peace. Pride demands that we have the last word, but the Word says it will lead to destruction (see Proverbs 16:18).

3. Our opinions: We can often get into strife by trying to convince others of our own opinions. When we realize we have much to learn and stop passing out our opinions, we will begin to gain the knowledge we need.

Make a decision to honor God and others by resisting strife and instead pursuing unity and understanding.

Sometimes when I air my opinion, I end up like the Samurai fighters in this picture...It's crazy...

I guess we can't please everyone...My usual remedy for strife is 'going into a shell' but is that really the best?


I love Joyce's article and hope to learn from it (Hopefully)...Do you like her article?


Thanks a billion for reading and enjoy the song for the day...
Saviour Please- Josh Wilson

:)

MY DAD, MY HERO

My hero is the quiet type
No marching bands, no media hype, 
But through my eyes it's plain to see, 
A hero, God has sent to me.

With gentle strength and quiet pride,
All self-concern is set aside,
To reach out to his fellow man,
And be there with a helping hand.

Heroes are a rarity,
A blessing to humanity.
With all they give and all they do,
I'll bet the thing you never knew,
My hero has always been you- My dad.

- Anonymous

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's in the world...And also to the future dads.

Without you, our home is incomplete.

Chris Daughtry- Home

Hugs.

Thanks a lot for reading :)