Need…Save A Friend!

August 29, 2017August 29, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha20 Comments

It hurts my soul
to see people in need
and I can’t help
not because I don’t want to help
but because I don’t have the means
and in such moments
I despise my lean pocket.

How can you be my brother’s keeper when you barely have enough bread to break? Yes, you can! If you’ve got a dollar, that’s a whole lot of coins! Image result for quotes about helping others

Please know that reaching out to share with others is not only when your basket of fish is overflowing, you can have one fish and still share out of it. I run into people – both online and in real time – who are in dire need of support and it leaves my heart aching when I am not able to assist as much as I would like to assist.

I know a number of great folks who have left blogging due to difficulties in sustaining themselves. To exist becomes a hardship when you know or see that no one cares, not to talk about thriving. Please don’t be in a haste to discount those whom you see in these tight corners – life happens.

Help, Help, and Help. There’s a sister amongst us in the blogging community whose constraints are quite dire right now and needs our support – I prefer not to call names for privacy sake, but she reached out to me.

If you can assist her through me, no gift is too small, please do so. Here’s my PayPal link.

On my honour, you have my word that whatever is raised through this means will be given to our friend. Thank you for your generosity.

Jacqueline

Image result for quotes about helping others

Let us not fold our hands in anticipation that others should do that which we can help to do. Together, we can. Jacqueline

P.S. Because of how important this issue is to me, I want to give this post priority and will not be sharing another post today.

Short Stories

The Charlatan…

August 28, 2017August 28, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha10 Comments

She is called many names; the wandering woman, mystery lady, the medicine woman, the mad woman of Katoke or the nuisance.

She always appeared in the neighbourhoods for a couple of weeks before the start of each season bearing numerous pots and bags of exotic plants. Each boiling pot served broths that cured various ailments and all that was required for any to work is faith.

Whenever she visited the poorer quarters, the inhabitant’s welcomed her presence. They would come bearing little gifts in exchange for helpings from her healing condiments, but the experience was the opposite at the more prestigious parts of town where the policing guards did their best to discourage the charlatan ‘as she was called.’

On various occasions, they ran her off the premises with a stern warning of arrest if she kept visiting but at dusk, these uppity members of high society went to the poor side of town to see her secretly.

Thank you Yarnspinner for the interesting photo prompt and PJ for hosting.

Mundane Monday

Collective Beauty…

August 28, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha13 Comments

Each flower knows that its bloom adds to the diverse and collective beauty of the family and that its individuality does not take away its appeal. Jacqueline

Like an African proverb says: A family is like a forest. When you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has a place.

Mundane Monday challenge is created to find beauty in almost everything.

The challenge is simple. Find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.

Book · Book Review

Yes To This!

August 27, 2017August 27, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha8 Comments

At a time such as this – that has been rough on my nerves – and my thoughts filled with self-doubt and self-flagellation of the mind, finding this little note tucked away in my overflowing email box gives me the thrills.

Suffice it to say that indeed words make a difference and hearing positive things help to boost one’s flagging confidence immensely.

From my heart to yours, I say thank you, Deborah 🙂

Once again Jacqueline has taken readers on a journey. Releasing Golden Bird’s from not so Gilded cages into brazen reality. Within her carefully woven word tapestries, the Phoenix arises from Ashe’s Reborn into New Glories.

These are powerful and explosive vignettes. Jacqueline Prose Poetry bursts through the pages capturing the hearts and souls of her readers. She explores the depth and breathe of Women’s lives and loves. Dancing Palmtrees

You can read Unbridled on Kindle Unlimited for free.

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Book · Book Review

Just Thinking – Book Review

August 27, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

The words on the cover aroused my interest. I wanted to know what the little writings were and what thoughts I would have.

A
little book,
for when
you have
a little time,
with some
little writings,
which may
produce
some little
thoughts.

Colin Chappell’s collection of verses ‘Just Thinking’ published in July 2017 is a volume of quiet and pleasantly smooth lines covering a cross-section of life’s experiences that takes you through a gamut of feelings. I love feelings.

I enjoyed retiring in the evening to read and mull over his words for several days when I was done with the daily run-around chasing after life’s this and that.

He painted emotions and thoughts in a way that I could visualize the scenarios captured in the verses. Sharing his experiences with his best friend Ray, a German Shepherd made me think a lot about my Alsatian ‘Sheila’ and how her life was laid short with Cancer. They are thoughts pet owners can relate with.

Snippets of a well-deserved tribute to his loyal friend.

You wanted to be friends.
I was rather surprised.
A nose touch… yours to mine
Was all it took to melt my heart.
A nose touch… and a moment of time.

Perhaps our souls indeed did touch.
The inner me perhaps was found.
Perhaps it was just your big brown eyes
Saying so much… yet with no sound.
But that’s history… to you and I.

Going further, his evocative lines continually keeps the mind moving toward richer connections. Many pieces will leave you teary-eyed and melancholic and some will leave you with a sense of lightness and peace.

But I’ll see you quite soon,
If tomorrow ever comes.
My mind is racing through time.
But the clock is so still,
And there’s an eternity to kill,
But then… once again…
Will you be mine?

I appreciate the simple feel of this book, yet it’s rich in thoughts and texture. Being in free verses, it didn’t have that contrived feel of traditional rhymes and stanzas.

Just Thinking, Collin Chappell, Poetry Book, Author Zone

Available on Amazon

The Daily Post

The Busy Corner…

August 26, 2017August 26, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

I stood at this corner of Deira for mere minutes and in those minutes I lost count of the number of people and cars that shuffled past me.

Featured Blogs

Posts That Caught My Interest #7

August 26, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha

Here are a couple of posts to appreciate.

Fearless Friday

Even when it seems we don’t have it all together, there might be a smidgen of courage in there somewhere.

The Big C

A beautiful, honest and sensitive post.

12 ways to maintain the Christmas spirit after Christmas

The spirit of giving shouldn’t be only for Christmas.

I am hoping for some good karma

Has your site ever gone missing on you? How did you resolve it? Can you help Cathy?

As a parent, we all do it

A post that made me smile. Parenting is the hardest job we get to do. No manuals, no classes. You simply jump in and wade your way through.

Comments closed to encourage you to visit the featured links.

Regards and have a great weekend.

Jacqueline

Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

When Will It Be?…

August 26, 2017August 26, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

When the children resume school in two weeks, my hustle and rat race triples! Phew! I am already sweating mentally at the thought because no matter how much I try to make things work in auto control, there are many days when the wheels of my auto shuffle go wonky.

When the Summer holiday was approaching, we anticipated endless weeks of fun and relaxation (for the children at least), now the weeks have flown by so fast leaving chubbier cheeked children and their mama behind to deal with the consequences of our happy indulgences. No complaints from me. I’ve learnt that when you eat the cake, be happy with the memory and quit worrying about the calories.

I haven’t made much progress with all my work-in-progress in the past weeks, but that’s okay. I refuse to feel guilty for spending time with my family – I’m being productive in other angles. When the time comes, I will continue with zest and hopefully enough inspiration to get my third/fourth books done.

Let me make a confession to you, there are days that I wake up and wonder to myself if I am truly a writer or a pretender to the throne of writing. Is there a time when I’ll feel that my writing is good enough beyond passable?

I know that most times, I’m especially hard on myself when I have floundering thoughts on how to break through the invisible walls of this chosen path of mine.

When will that breakthrough be? Does anyone know when?

Jacqueline

Thank you, Linda, for the prompt ‘when.’ I don’t know how you do it, but your prompts always play into what’s going on in my mind.

Poetry Cards

Lonely…

August 25, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

To anyone suffering. Please Speak Out & Reach Out! Don’t Die In Silence.

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Gratitude

Well of Warmth – grateful musings

August 24, 2017August 24, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments

I know that life hasn’t been all sunshine and flowers for everyone – though some lucky folks got to see the Eclipse – not with all the ugly news filtering in from all around the world and when one listens to all these heavy news, it’s easy to get sucked under.

It’s easy to get depressed and to lose sight of the rays of the sun above the dark clouds. It’s easy to forget to remain in a state of thankfulness and to focus on the negativity. As if life is not tough enough already these days we wake up expecting another shoe to fall off, another dam to burst, another bomb explosion, another mad human mowing others down with a car, another Twitter outrage etc that we have almost become mentally conditioned to bad news that overshadows everything.

For me not to get immured in these negative things, I make a conscious effort to appreciate my little blessings wherever I find them. I focus on mindfulness and steer my brain away from the path of distress that it tends to venture to, to the path of wholesomeness. I also find that paying extra attention in showing kindness to others creates an emotional well of warmth – check this post on HuffPost.

As the week winds down, I am grateful for fruitful and grace-filled days. Though what I call my blessings may look insignificant in human eyes’, it’s wonderful to be alive and well. That is a priceless blessing. I hope you’ve got something to be thankful for?