I Just Had To Share This.

March 19, 2018 jacquelineobyikocha33 Comments

Yesterday I waded through tons of messages from friends and well-wishers on my Facebook page and I came across this lovely and heartwarming message from Booky. I can’t help but share it.

Dear Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha,

Happy birthday to you!

It’s another year and I am opportune to celebrate with you. When I met you on WordPress, I had no idea to what extent you would influence my poetry. I didn’t know I had it in me to love a person I have never met.

You have taught me how to speak my truths, you’ve encouraged my amateur words and when I didn’t know my way around WordPress you were there to give me advice. You’re my sister.

May God bless you with all the blessings you seek
May he love you and may he answer your prayers
May he keep your family
May his joy and peace fill your heart each time you are tempted to worry.
God bless you Nne!

Ogologodu jisike!

When we start our blogs, we assume that we are blogging just for ourselves, but the truth behind blogging is that it is a phenomenon that goes way beyond us. We have absolutely no idea how much our words affect, influence and shape others. We tend to undermine how much of an inspiration and encouragement we can be to others and how much we are inspired by others as well.

Keep doing what you are doing. Do it with pleasure. Do it from your heart.

The results are beyond expression. For me, blogging has healed me in ways that I can’t even put into words. Believe me, the common saying that words are cheap is a blatant lie. Words are not cheap.

Dear Booky, thank you for this smile-inducing and heartwarming message.

appreciation

Did I ever say thank you?

January 4, 2018 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

This is a little thank you note to appreciate every single one of you. To all those who have kept me company in this space through these months; to all those who found me worthy to honour with a blog award now and again, to all those who supported this blog in many little ways that kept it alive, I thank you.

Some days when I’m low in spirit, your bright posts, comments and encouragement peps me up. Many may consider this as ‘unreal friends’ because we are all online… but I don’t think so. You all impact my life from wherever you are. You all make me a better person and for some reason, you are in my heart.

Kind regards,

Jacqueline

appreciation

A Quick Thank You

January 31, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha6 Comments

You guys’ rock and you are simply the best blog friends a girl could ask for.

Thank you for honouring my invitation to my blog party. It was absolutely wonderful and fun.

I truly hope that it was worth your time.

For those who were unable to pop in for one reason or the other, here’s the party link.

Please feel free to dive in and find new friends. Let’s keep a date for another bash.

Love y’all.

Jacqueline

appreciation

Greetings From Dubai – Welcome to 2017

January 1, 2017January 2, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha28 Comments

Dear Friends, thank you for staying with me through 2016.

Thank you for all your support and grace-filled thoughts.

I pray that 2017 would be a year kind to all of us.

A year filled with blessings, favour, grace and mercy.

A year of progress and achievement for all of us.

I wish you the best of this New Year.

Let’s live through this year with love and purpose.

With all my love, remain blessed.

Jacqueline

Below is a short clip from Dubai’s New Year’s Eve fireworks taken by me.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

appreciation · Personal · This Is My Life

I did nothing!…personal

May 20, 2016February 9, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha27 Comments

It’s a Friday morning this way and it’s the weekend already in the Middle Eastern World.

I write this with a lot of appreciation. It doesn’t take much to make me happy or to make me cry *tears of joy and maybe sadness too*

I scrolled through my comments and saw Tanya, Post Prodigal and Beth’s – Nutsrok’s comments:

Just got your book from Amazon. Will be starting it tonight! From Beth

Thank you, Jackie. I’m still reading and loving your book of poems, btw. I’ll post a review on Amazon when I am done. It just blesses me! From Tanya

and the tears pooled in my eyes. Yes! I can be emotional, but that’s who I am.

I did nothing to deserve the show of kindness that I’ve received in this place.

I did nothing to receive the amount of care that I receive in this place.

I did nothing… Not one thing…

You did it all…and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You may not understand…

when someone is walking out of the valley of fear,

of deeply incinerated scars and doubts, reaching for the light…

a little shine of light is so much hope.

I wrote my poetry book from my heart and I’ve never thought that it would interest anyone. I couldn’t even afford professional editing.

I wrote it for me. To help me deal with some experiences and pain that life brought my way yet, several friends have reached out to me to express how the words have touched them that I have to go and read them again myself…

Publishing it was just a step up, to tell myself that “yes I can!
…and I said to myself, Jacqueline, if even 5 people buy this book, then consider yourself blessed…

It sold 5, then 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12…..19 and counting

Thank you, my dear friends. Thank God.

I have friends in high places and it’s YOU!

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

Expose my heart

that I may understand your words

through every conscious,

awakened pore of each moment.

*an excerpt from my poem*

appreciation · Gratitude

It’s been a trying moment and I am trying hard not to scream…

April 27, 2016February 2, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha33 Comments

It’s been a blog challenging, two days to say the least and definitely not amusing.

Having my blog harassed by malicious attempts or whatever, is not something I anticipated dealing with this week and for some good moments, I’ve been made to question and ask what if?

What if I woke up and my almost 1,200 posts have gone poof into thin air?

How will I take it?

I believe I will be hopping mad! I believe all my righteous indignation juices will overflow zealously and my write mode will go into overdrive.

So, after all, said and done and while WP happiness engineers are trying to restore my happy blog to robust health, I am thankful for friends who were concerned enough to reach out and send messages notifying me of the anomaly.

They didn’t run off scared throwing me to the dogs. Now that is called friendship.

I am thankful that I am not yet screaming myself blue in the face and throwing colourful strings of curses. Phew!! It felt good to say that.

It’s all good. I’ll just take a chill and have some cardamon tea while it takes whenever to get things back to square zero.

You can join Colline’s or Maria Jansson gratitude challenge platforms.

appreciation · Musings

A Season and Friends like this…

April 20, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha13 Comments

I love the blooming flowers and the cheery mood on people’s faces. There’s something very pretty about this season, even if we are all sneezing in my house at this point in time.

I appreciate that it’s not yet baking hot which is a condition synonymous to the Middle East and as such, I am still taking advantage of the airiness of the outdoors and spending as much time as I can before it all changes.

I am quite thankful for the connections that I have made in this space.

Some bloggers have extended their hands of fellowship way beyond my expectations this past week in their show of kindness to me.

To you dear Dehan Taylor and Tasha , I say thank you.

Both of you might not see what you’ve done as much, but it means a lot to me.

I sincerely appreciate your care and can only leave this word of blessing for you, ‘as you show love to those around you, you pave way to your own greatness.‘

I hope that you are thankful for something today. You can join Colline’s or Maria Jansson gratitude challenge platforms.