Mystery man

JP Saxe

First things first, if you listen to my liked songs on Spotify, you’d give me the side eye… It’s filled with wierd music from amazing singer/songwriters. It turns out the amazing ones sing the wierd stuff.

That’s what has me writing today, amazing singer/song writer… JP Saxe.

The melancholy in all of his songs make you wonder if he has been through all the emotions and stories that falling/being in love and also falling out of love bring.

Sometimes I wonder if these songs come from his own experiences or a mix of the experiences of people around him. They feel too real.

His latest song “I don’t miss you” got me wondering… What the hell goes on in that Saxy head of yours JP? Who writes things like that?

No matter how messed up and crazy these songs are, they still got me hooked. On my best days they keep me company and heck, even on the worst days.

Beautiful Covers

Jessica is my 18 year old neighbour and we are friendly because we have a few things in common. One of which is playing loud music on our music box when we are doing household stuff.

One Saturday morning in January we were at the backyard at the same time doing a few chores so I decided to put my music off so that we could listen to hers.

I think I felt my heart leap when one particular song came on. I got a feeling of nostalgia so strong, I paused for a bit and then I spoke to Jessica;

Me: Wow, Jessica who did this cover?
Jessica: Noooooo. Not a cover, this is an original.
Me: No Jess, I know this song from over 20 years ago
Jessica : Maybe you are confusing it with another song.
Me: Give me a minute.

In just a few seconds I had searched and found George Michael ‘s One More Try for Jessica. I totally see why she may have assumed it was an original… Calum Scott really did it justice. I risk to say, maybe better than Michael.

I shared this with my niece and she said Scott was actually amazing with covers… I plan to explore this.

A few other covers have actually caught me breathless lately.

Hearing John Legend sing Sade’s By your side was really heart warming. I love to play them together – one after the other. I find myself trying to pick my favourite, but I can’t.

The latest discovery is Luke Comb’s go at Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car. It’s such a beautiful cover.

I’m going on a cover hunt… Any suggestions on something I might like?

In a nutshell

“Is there a maximum number words required per write up? I sometimes get the feeling that you didn’t write everything you wanted to 🤷🏽‍♀️😊”

I got the above message from my immediate older sister shortly after she read my post How dare you!!!!

I knew what she meant. Sometimes I feel like I could or should say more too.

The thing is, besides being aware of the fact that a large percentage of people would rather watch a skit than read a paragraph, I have also noticed that the world has become busy and continues to breed busy and impatient people.

Everyone is rushing off to work or home or to do one thing or the other.

I always remember a pastor who was assigned to our church about ten years ago or so, he always took pride in his sermons. He would always say his message was ‘hot, short and straight to the point’.

So like the pastor, I wouldn’t want anyone skipping what I have to say just by merely looking at the length of it or getting bored by the third paragraph; not knowing where I am headed.

I’ve got lots of thoughts to share, I hope you always stop by to read; I promise to keep it ‘hot, short and straight to the point’

😉

Cliffhangers

Tully and Kate

One thing I don’t appreciate about Television series is being left on the edge. The months or even the year I get to wait to see what happens in the next season is real torture.

For this reason I decided to put off a few popular series from my watch list until the series finale and then I binged.

I should have just done the same thing with the Netflix series ‘Firefly Lane’…but I guess Katherine Heigl was too tempting for me to avoid.

It wasn’t until I finished the ninth episode of the second season on a cliffhanger that I realised they were far from done.

Apparently there are seven more episodes of season two that are yet to be released. From what I hear, I don’t have to wait too long, release date for the final episodes of the series is set for 27th April, 2023.

Firefly lane leaves me hurting for Kate. A hurt she caused for us all because she wouldn’t stop being bitter and unforgiving. As she lay on the floor crying, my heart broke and I really wanted to give her a hug.

It’s been 4 days and my heart still aches from the pain.

I can’t tell the story, I don’t want to ruin it for those who have not and may want to see it…but I will say this; call that friend, sister, brother, father, cousin or mother… forgive…let go of that grudge.

Silent whispers

Brian ran straight into his grandfather’s arms, shouting ;”Dadaaaaaaa”. Even at the age of 7, he had not progressed to calling him grandpa like his other siblings had, for him it was still Dada.

Abigail gave Dada a hug and sat across from him in his large and expensive office. Dada was her father inlaw but now it seemed like he was the father she never had.

Dada rose up and offered his seat to Brian and came to sit with Abigail on the other side of the desk. Abigail didn’t like the former action.

“Don’t make him sit in your chair. He may think it’s okay to sit in any chair wherever he goes. Remember what the Bible says in Luke 14:10‭-‬11;*

But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

“Well, he needs to know he cant limit himself to what people say he can’t get. He needs to learn to be bold and courageous enough to aim for and take what he wants” is what Dada had to say in response.

They argued for almost 30 minutes, the whole time, Brian sat comfortably in Dada’s chair, swinging from left to right and right to left as he played a game in Dada’s phone.

Abigail gave up arguing and whispered a prayer to God; ” No matter what he is taught Lord, help him to be able to discern between good and evil, right and wrong.

April

Beautiful Saturday morning.

The kids are all outside pranking each other.

I can hear them from inside. It’s the first day of April and everyone is looking to call someone a fool.

April fools.

I remember my most successful April fool practical joke, about 16 years ago. I had gotten my boyfriend (now husband) really bothered and fooled. He believed I had been involved in an accident and had been hospitalised.

I never tried another April fools practical joke on anyone again. I wonder why. I’m thinking this year may be different.

What’s the best April fools practical joke you ever played on someone or was ever played on you?

Please share.

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

Everyone is talking about the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once so I decided to give it a shot.

I am pretty sure there will be a many interpretations and explanations to the movie. I think it was made to be so. It’s the kind of movie where everyone relates to differently.

First, to understand this movie, I believe you must be a person who is able to be free and honest with his/her self and also open to feeling emotions. Without these, you may just entertain yourself with a two hour action-science fiction and miss out the mental lessons.

The movie is meant to bring out the thinker, feeler and evaluator in you.

We see Evelyn in different universes and how life is for her in each of them. No matter which universe we see her in, one thing remains lacking; compassionate love. This is clearly because of her own pain and suffering from regrets of life.

As expected, the people who get to feel more hurt by her own pain and hurt are the closest people to her; her husband and daughter.

The main message of the movie lies in the end; we must let go of our pain and try to show compassion, love and kindness. It is the only way we can win in this journey called life.

There is so much more to the story and I recommend that you give it a try.

At the end of the movie, all I kept thinking about was Romans 12:21 – Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It’s amazing how this verse just keeps sneaking up on me every time, everywhere. I think I better listen up.

Purple hearts

“It seems you are in a purple heart season”.

That’s what my sister said to me a few days ago when I replied her message with a purple heart. She had noticed that I had been sending out purple hearts for a while. I send out hearts…a lot.

“Mine is green” she added. I remember she had mentioned a few months ago how everything was lush for her in this season of her life and it had already started to manifest in several areas. I could already see it for myself.

Sending out purple hearts started subconsciously in August 2022 after I saw the movie ‘Purple Hearts’ and then after a while, I decided to make it a thing… My thing.

I learned that the medal presented to service members who had been wounded or killed by the enemy while serving in the United States military was called a Purple Heart.

I loved the solemnity that came with it. I decided I needed to surround myself with purple hearts. I deserve a Purple Heart for some of the wounds and injuries of this life.

Heck, everyone deserves a Purple Heart. We have all been hurt and wounded…some lives have even been lost from emotional, physical, mental and spiritual wars.

Besides, psychologists tell us that purple calms, stimulates and awakens our senses, it fosters creativity. Purple has also always been associated with wealth and royalty.

So I am gradually replacing the usual red heart with a purple one.

It may bring me more than I could even expect… Who knows!!!

Jesus loves me

His girl

“Mngu wan u Aondo”

It’s what my mum would say, everytime. It got pretty annoying at some point. It means ‘I am a child of God’.

She often said this when she got wind of or caught my siblings and I doing something wrong or when she was blessed with something she had been hoping for.

I used to feel a bit jealous; why will God pick her out specially and not all of us.

Lately, I have been hearing myself say those words so much that I began to realise why my mum kept saying them. He didn’t pick her specially, she only realised that she was special.

We are all special, the problem is we rarely realise this.

When God keeps showing up for you in the little things that you thought were of no concern to Him… You can’t help but declare; Mngu wan u Aondo.

Just a few days ago I caught myself singing 🎶 “Yes Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so”… But then I decided to change the lyrics.

I know Jesus loves me, not only because the Bible tells me so… It has gone way past that.

I know Jesus loves me because He tells me Himself everyday; from the rising of the sun, when He wakes me up, to my going out and coming in… In the way He shows up for me in EVERYTHING I face.

Mngu wan u Aondo… Jesus loves me

Go

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life”. Charles Diedrich believed that by saying this everyday, we get the chance to start a new life every day and not limit ourselves to our past.

Every now and again we all get the need to start or restart life. Maybe it’s after a season of lukewarm living, a desire to cut off of certain things, a season of too many bad choices, or just the need to begin again.

What ever the reason may be, on any day I choose to start or restart something in my life, I begin by being intentional about my feet; I put on comfortable shoes that could take me anywhere and everywhere the entire day.

I don’t know how, but it works for me.

For me, my feet are the tool  for possession and repossession. Deuteronomy 11:24 and Joshua 1:3.

So today, on my journey to turn a new leaf in my attitude to a very long list of things, I have kitted up and I’m ready to go.

Mimi, Let’s do this. You’ve got this.