Me

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

I would be me.

If I could be someone else for a day, I would be me.

The me that I seek, the me I dream about.

The me who thinks before she speaks, the me who doesn’t react with emotions. The me who makes all the right decisions.

I would be the me who doesn’t let the probelms of the world weigh me down. The me who can just enjoy life and let things be.

Why? So that I can be happy. I desire happiness.

If i could be someone else for a day, i would be my own super hero, I would be SUPER MIMI

Shekhinah

Prayer means talking to God. This is the simplest of definitions we all get taught right from children’s church from an early age…but I fear that we have mystified and complicated prayer so much that it has been interpreted as hard and tedious.

Prayer is not meant to be rigid.

For a person who finds it difficult getting up very early, I often have a difficult time doing a thorough word study or spending quality time with God before I leave the house.

The thing is, on week days, I am usually out of the house by 7am for school run and by the time I’m done with that, I usually find myself in the parking lot of my office with some extra 20 to 30 minutes to spare before the start of work or before the first humans begin to show up at work.

That’s where I make my sanctuary. In my car. I use this time to spend time with God, I tell Him everything and I listen to hear from him.

And He hears me. He hasn’t failed me. Not ever.

Prayer time is not meant to be bondage. It is a time to be free with your Father and your Friend. Take the opportunity anytime, anywhere. Speak and listen. He is Shekhinah.

Scriptural guide:

  • Jeremiah 23:24
  • Psalm 139:
  • John 4: 24

Grow

Growth is not limited to physical development alone. We never stop growing. My sister Angie wrote a poem some time ago; we never stop playing, our toys only change.

It is the same with growth. We never stop growing, the factors only change.

As adults, we need to continue to grow, develop and renew ourselves mentally, emotionally and even physically.

Read a new book, watch a movie, find a good television series and spend time with it, research every new thing you learn from these.

Switch your genre. Move out of that comfort zone.

Have intelligent conversations, ask questions. Confirm facts from the conversations, don’t digest everything you hear.

Meet new people, mix your circle.

Ask questions. Don’t make assumptions.

Exercise your brain, play games.

Grow

Shush

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

I could hear the baby crying. Everyone within a hundred yards could hear the baby cry…but it was not the sound of the baby’s crying that irritated me, it was the mothers words. She kept repeating the words “shut up, it’s okay”.

Shut up? How were the words supposed to comfort and calm the crying child?

I find it very rude and uncaring to use the phrase. And I have heard people say it to others a lot. Often, they mean no harm…but I don’t think it is harmless. There may be different ways to tell a person to stop speaking but I don’t think ‘shut up’ should be our first choice.

Even though it’s not a word, ‘shut up’ is one phrase I believe should be kept under lock and key because we really do not know when to use it.

Wonder woman

When I listened to John Legend’s wonder woman for the first time, I thought of myself without any sense of modesty. I thought of my sisters and then my mom. By the 4th listen, I decided every man needed to dedicate the song to their good wives, significant others or moms.

My friend Helen is one of the women i think about whenever I listen to the song. She’s an amazing human. I’m very certain she has got some super power that I am not aware of. In the midst of all that she strives and reaches, she always takes the time to check up on me.

Why, Helen, why? She tells me I’m an amazing sister and she appreciates me. I am both thankful and flattered whenever she says this. On one of her lovely check ups, she shows up with a huge mug with the inscription “blessed” and hands it to me. We share a very long, warm hug and of course, we cry a bit.

Helen, you make me wonder, woman, how do you do it? You are super human.

Heart Trade

Sell your heart to me

It’s much stronger.

Or could it be for free? Could I afford it.

Give your heart to me.

Mine is too fragile.

Maybe there is no need to give me the whole.

Give me a piece. I will add it to mine.

Then, I will have a stronger heart.

Then, I will handle things as easily as you do.

Give your heart to me… I think I need it more than you do

Ash Wednesday

When you are around children, you find yourself answering all kinds of questions. Some of these questions require some research of your own because they have a way of asking about things you thought you knew but really, you don’t.

With my 9 year old son, its one question after the other every day. He is one curious kid. And just like I wrote in Questions, I used to be afraid of questions, but now, I look forward to them.

Today’s question was really good for me. I loved it.

We were on our way to school early this morning, around 7:30am, when i saw a swarm of people walking out from a nearby catholic church. I realised the swarm was a lot larger than the usual morning mass one. Then it hit me, it was Ash Wednesday. It always fell on the Wednesday just before Terver’s (my husband) birthday.

I didn’t realise I had spoken my thoughts out loud, but as soon as I heard the question; “Mummy what is Ash Wednesday”?, I knew  that I had.

Growing up catholic is something that I have always loved. Even though I no longer go there, a part of me has always remained with the Catholic Church. Every year, I look forward to Lent.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of lent. On this day, practicing Catholics (and some other Christians) smear ashes on their foreheads as a symbol of their immortality (dust to dust, ashes to ashes) and also a way of imbibing the ashes and sackcloth method as a show of repentance and humility.

The period of Lent (40 days – Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday) is a period of sanctification, a time to pause and reflect. A time, to abstain from things that may prevent us from communing with God. These things differ from person to person. For me it may be anger, for you it may be food. For another it may be alcohol, bitterness or anything else.

As I explained this season to my son, I realised how teachings have dwindled. I wondered how many people had ashes on their foreheads just because it was expected. I guess I will never know.

I only hope that many get to enjoy and feel Gods presence throughout this Lenten season.

Have a happy Ash Wednesday.

Nowhere but comfort

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

“Mummy, it’s like you wear these shoes everyday”

…but how could they not become every day wear? Black and comfortable can barely escape that torture.

That’s what my son decided to say to me randomly one day in a public place. I looked around, feeling a bit embarrassed but apparently no one else had heard him. He was not wrong though. Coincidentally, I had just said similar words to myself that day.

I remember the day I was given that pair of shoes, I had put my feet in and observed that they were comfortable. I didn’t know that they would become every day wear.

When I saw the prompt I pondered on “where have they taken you?”… Everywhere… but nowhere particular to remember or tell a story about.

In all the everywheres and nowheres, one place has been sure, comfort.

I want to play

Is there anything you feel too old to do anymore?

I keep seeing these writing prompts on my jetpack app. Today’s prompt is one I can’t ignore.

I want to go out when it rains and sing out loud. I want to run in the field and jump around like I have no cares or worries. I want to jump rope with my friends and play hand games. I want to feel the wind on my skin and even the sun too. I caught myself daydreaming about this a few times, I even put it in words in Play time

I want to play.

But I feel I’m too old, I can’t do this anymore.

Elevation at 17

A couple of months ago I wrote in Beauty in Candour about candor. In my post I mentioned how my pastor drew me with his openness and his vulnerability.

As I celebrate with him, his wife Holly and the entire Elevation Church on their 17th Anniversary as a community, I will like to share something I learned afresh from the anniversary worship experience.

It is okay to be vulnerable:

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

As the church waited to hear a word from Pastor Steven, it was clear, from his red skin colour and his bent head that he was crying and emotional. It was not till he whispered to Holly; “I can’t talk” that it hit me; this man was okay with showing the world that he didn’t always have it all together. Trust Holly to take it up from there and speak beautiful words of wisdom and encouragement.

This renewed realization coincided with something similar I recently read from day 35 of Rick Warrens The Purpose Driven Life, he said “Vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy” and then he also said “Honestly share your weaknesses, ministry begins with vulnerability”.

I pray for God’s grace upon the entire Elevation Church worldwide, may we continue to be renewed in our minds and our hearts. As we continue to build the “New You”, may we not forget the value of community and the need for deeper intimacy with each other through honesty, openness and vulnerability.

Kisses to my egroup, I love you ladies so much.