With These Fingers…Streams of consciousness Saturday.

February 6, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha48 Comments

It’s quite interesting that Linda’s prompt for SOCS which I just saw is ‘fingers.

Why I find it interesting is that I woke up this morning and as I was going through my Bible, for some reason my eyes fell on my hennaed hands and my first thought was how my hands and fingers resembled my dads own and for the fun of it, I took a picture.

I remember that as a child, I wanted my fingers to look like my mom’s own. Her fingers were dainty and nicely shaped, while mine took after my fathers own.

As the years went by, I grew to love mine as much as I love the man who passed on the genes.

His hands were hardworking and I believe that I inherited this trait. His hands were upright and as honest as could be and he had green fingers. Living things thrived in his care and plants bloomed generously in our garden.

I still remember, maybe I was four or less, his hands holding mine and guiding my fingers to scribble on my blackboard.

I remember vividly like yesterday as he walked me down the aisle and he took my hand with my beautifully painted fingers and placed them in my husband’s hands and in a gruff voice, he instructed my dear Himself to make sure that he looked after me.

Who knows, maybe I might equally have green fingers. I have moved around so much from one country to the other, that the last time I grew anything was several years back in my house in Nigeria. I look forward to the coming years to discover my green fingers.

Hold my hands in faith

And clutch my fingers tight

I will walk you through this journey

For you are not alone.

Family · Photographs · Quotes For You

Moments in time…

February 6, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha21 Comments

The Daily Post Photo Challenge Time

Family · Life · Love · Parenting · Photographs · Poetry/Poems

Since You’ve Been Gone…

February 5, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha42 Comments

I see you around the corner, the likeness of your eyes in the eyes of a total stranger down the shopping aisle.
It startles me.

I see you in everything that I look around me.
In the random formation of the clouds.
I sometimes see your wise eyes peeking through and winking at me.
It gives me joy.

I hear you in my thoughts. Your words of wisdom, of love, of encouragement
Are etched upon my soul.
They keep me warm.

I hear you in the music. The music that you loved so much, that I grew up knowing that love.
They sounds of music comfort me.

I see you in my little boy’s face. Sometimes, I stare at him so hard, as I seek tell tales of you written in his genetics.
It leaves me amazed.

I see you in the hands of a gardener pruning plants, in the gentle waves of a blooming plant, you loved all things green and they did so well in your hands.
It makes me smile.

I feel you in the drumbeats of my heart, because you are me and I am you. Everyday, my thoughts dwell on you, for in every little thing I see you.

I visualize you looking on from high up and I wish my hands could stretch up so high to give you a hug.
I get some comfort from the warmth of the Sun, telling my mind that you are with me.

In the smile, in the laugh, the stare, the walk, the phrase in a young child’s face.

I catch myself holding one-sided conversations with you and your imagined responses prompt me to sigh, to laugh and to cry.

I see you.
In everything that I am.

To you my dear dad. Always.

Yesterday was World Cancer Day, I lost my dear dad to Cancer two years ago. Sometimes, the pain is just so raw that it clogs my chest and my throat. He was a very lovely human and a fabulous dad. If there is one ailment that I could wish away from the World, it would be Cancer.

To those battling The Big C, may abundant Grace and Strength remain your portion. We will beat it. Blessings.

Creative Writing · Family · Fiction · Friday Fiction in Five Sentences

The Pearls…Friday Fiction In Five Sentences.

January 29, 2016January 29, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha48 Comments

Lovingly he fingered the delicate pearls clasped around her neck.

At first, they belonged to his grandmother, who passed them to his mother and she passed them to his wife.

She looked beautiful as she lay so still, just as though she slept.

With trembling fingers and a heavy heart, he unhooked the beautiful strand of
pearls that has been worn by the women in his family for ages.

He knew that she loved them very much and would want their little girl to inherit it when she comes of age.

Image credit: Pinterest.

Family · Humor - Bellyful of laughter · The Daily Post · This Is My Life

The Dear Diary Day’s…

January 26, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha31 Comments

Of course there was life before the computer and there will still be life after the computer.

It’s called ‘Living and The Dear Diary Day’s.

Before I started blogging, my dear diary took the brunt of my words and my dear Himself’s ears were perpetually hot from lending his ears to my nattering.

Now he can flip through the channels in peace while my gleaming eyes are dancing as I mumble and mutter over the clattering computer.

I still scribble a lot in dear diary, though not everything anymore and sometimes, I do get the feeling that she feels disenfranchised because at times, I feel her giving me the cold shoulder when I want to write those personal tidbits at the end of the day.

My typical day starts at 4.30 am on school days, when the alarm shrieks to wake me up. I groggily waddle to the bathroom to take care of business with eyes at half-mast so that the sleep can be retained for a little longer.

I then lie back for a few more minutes and just either read the Bible or pray quietly, going through things in my head. I enjoy that part of the morning when everywhere is quiet.

With school age kids, I prepare their breakfast and a meal that they take to school. On a lazy day, I slap a sandwich together. They have a canteen, but I am not particularly enthused with the offerings especially since my younger son has allergies.

We get ready for school and hopefully the morning goes sanely without looking for a missing sock, or pencil pouch or their glasses and what have you. It’s always a nice morning bustle.

After shooing them off to school, I try to get in some brisk exercise or lazy walk and just take in the fresh air.

Thankfully, for the past few months, I have not had to dash off to work like a headless chicken as well, but that might change anytime soon, when I get back to school myself.

The rest of my day follows with attending to Himself as well, planning the days meal, dashing out for xyz, homework’s, housework, personal business, reading, writing, listening to music and what have you.

Some days involve church work, charity work, this and that and those work, but life is usually full of odds and ends of things to do.

Now that I blog, I also fit it into my days schedule. Blog early. Switch off and get other things done, then come back to the blog later when the dust of the day has settled.

I keep pretty much busy without my computer, but please don’t get any ideas of coming to take it away.

I just got this new one when the old one gave up from exhaustion during Christmas, though I think my dear diary would be secretly pleased if you nick my computer.

The Daily Post Life After Blogs.

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

Family · Mundane Monday · Photographs

Freshness…Mundane Monday

January 25, 2016January 25, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

Trablogger says, this is is a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.

I love the crunchy taste of fresh vegetables and fruits as well as its beautiful, attractive colours.

It’s taken years to arrive at a point where my last two kids can nibble at them. While I sit with them, they always eat it like people who are swallowing bitter pills and once my back is turned, it turns to selective picking and tossing.

What’s with kids and veggies?

Family · Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Quotes For You

Running Scared…

January 21, 2016January 21, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha25 Comments

You can call me a scaredy cat, but that’s all well and good 🙂

In my place, we have a saying that ‘the coward stands in his compound and points at the grave of the brave man.’

I remember a UK holiday visit to a haunted house with my family several years back.

Even though I knew that it was all make-believe, I still took my squad in with me, just in case any of those fanged Dracula’s got any ideas.

My squad would have Jackie Channed them out of their capes.

In any case, we all got the shivers and tickles, that I don’t quite know who ended up squawking and squealing more; me or my squad.

Then on the other hand, I always feel less scared about the situation of things in life when my dear Himself is around me.

He is literally my solid rock of Gibraltar, even though there are days that he drives me mad and I feel like running him out of town 😉

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

The Daily Post Witness Protection.

A link to my neighbours/Community · Creative Writing · Family · Fiction · Short Stories

Fortune Unfounded…

January 17, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

The call for prayers blared through the loud speakers, the pull of the voice sounds compelling, but prayers are the furthest thing on Aashish’s mind.

He feels sad. He has no money to apply for residence visa for his wife and two daughters to join him and the much that he earns is barely enough to tide him over, after he had sent some home.

It’s Sunita’s birthday today, he thought that by now they would have been with him.

His children are growing up without him and yet the fortune that he sought, leaving them behind eluded him.

He pulls out the crumpled, almost faded picture of his family. It was taken years back in one of the quick snap booths, on one of their rare visits to town. It has been five long years, since he last set eyes on them. He has failed them and his shoulders slump further.

Sometimes his spirits are buoyed with stories of people winning lotteries and he struggled to buy a ticket, but it was always someone else who won.

He felt he was better off back home on his farm in Nepal and doing odd jobs to augment their meagre income.

At least he will get to be with his family again and he will be happier again and Anu will understand, he hopes.

Being away from his wife has been the hardest part. The fees for entertaining himself with one of the willing ladies was just too much luxury for him.

With a sigh of pent up emotions, he fished out his rubber-bound telephone from his pocket and dialed his brother’s number.

Hello Aadit, tell Anu that I am coming home, he said.

From my neighbours yards, I harvested these thoughts and would like to share them with you.

Feeding The Tiger, Fighting The Lions, from Deborah Crocker.

Getting That Book Constructed For Submission, from Connie Jasperson

How to easily find time for stress free blogging , from Janice Wald

I enjoyed reading Life Lessons from voyager of freedom.

Curative list of 2016 writing competitions from Yelhispressing

A little teaser for you from A Momma’s view.

A tale of two dips, from what’s for dinner moms.

Family · The Daily Post

He Would Be Mortified…

January 10, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha35 Comments

In my very young eye’s three of my grandparents were quite elites of their time, but I had a grandfather whose views of women was a bit too caveman and archaic, even I could recognize at quite a young age that he had a bad case of chauvinism.

Even though the short time spent around all of them was spent with their doting eyes and loving expression’s showered on their grandchildren, with some pampering and extra helpings of boiled groundnuts, roasted melon seed and the likes, I knew that the way grandpa treated my grandma was harsh, because his temper was quite short towards her.

If he were to return to pay a visit to my house for dinner, I bet his socks would fall off in shock when he hears me and my husband carrying on a conversation on just about every topic under the Sun.

His expectation would be that I should be sweating over the kitchen stove while the men discussed politics and drank straight scotch.

I am equally sure that he would be mortified at the modern audacity of women. The fact that we can blog and engage in conversations with other menfolk who are neither our Lords nor our Masters. As a matter of fact, he just might advise my husband to keep me in hand since he would consider that I have far too much lee-way.

Certainly, he would probably faint from shock when the conversation turns to politics and he hears that the a woman is daring to vy for the seat of The President of the United States of America.

On the other hand, I think that my grandma would be pleased with the recent advancement’s made to ease housework for women. She would be tickled with the dishwasher, washing machine and the vacuum cleaner. No more bending to sweep with the broom spuriously to ensure that the house is spic and span, no more hand washing heaps of clothes until the skin of your hands almost peel off.

She would be secretly pleased even if she keeps her opinions away from the ears of grumpy grandpa. She would probably want to sneak a mobile phone back with her as she leaves.

The Daily Post prompt Modern Families.

If one of your late ancestors were to come back from the dead and join you for dinner, what things about your family would this person find the most shocking?

Creative Writing · Family · Poetry/Poems

My daughters poem…

December 31, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha47 Comments

She kept bugging me with the new poem that she wrote and I had to stop and listen to what she is reciting.

So, let me indulge her and share it with you.

A Winter Wonderland

The first snowflake of storm falls
I couldn’t see anything at all
Woke the next day, the snow was tall
And I instantly started jumping off the wall

I ran outside but slipped and fell
Oh well who cares anyway
My mom gave me the option to come inside
But I decided to stay out and play * she is disobeying me 🙂

I ran and ran with all my might
Climbed up a tree disregarding the height
Then I realized my mom was right * Mother knows best, always 😉
Maybe I should go back inside.

I caught a cold, I should have listened
But walked over to the window stall to see what I’d been missing
I saw Mr. Frankle the snowman my sister had made outside * Is she trying to tell me that she wants a sister ?

He started to sing, dance, run and prance
I went back outside to watch his performance
He looked to the sky and said ‘I have to go.’
While I wondered where is all the snow

I woke up and realized its all a dream
But what a wonderful theme ‘A Winter Wonderland.’

From Nnenna Christine Oby-Ikocha