How Can I Repay You?…

October 28, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha37 Comments

Today’s Gratitude challenge on Colline’s blog meets my heart filled with a lot of appreciation.

How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?
I will raise a cup of Salvation, I will call on the Lord’s name!
My times are in your hands and you are my God!
Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil!
Unto you O’Lord, I give my all!

I am thankful that I am seated here right now talking to you and not at the hospital nursing broken bones or one of my young.

Yesterday evening, as I went for a walk with the children, we had just turned round the bend onto the zebra crossing which is a few meters from the house, when a Mercedes sports with it’s open roof came barreling round the bend. It appeared as if it even accelerated as it bore down on us. We barely managed to jump out of harms way by the whiskers of our teeth!

Luckily, I was clutching my youngest son’s hand as we dove for safety because he tends to lag behind. A lady with her child in the stroller, tripped over her Abaya as she also hurried along and fell in the process; luckily she wasn’t hurt and the baby didn’t tumble, except for her startled nerves and a small scrape. Zooming around in snazzy cars with a load of impatience seems to be the bane over here.

I will try not to exaggerate here, but as I shouted angry expletives, the fine lady driver stuck out her lacquered finger in an effing sign at us and zoomed along.

It was truly a struggle to stop the stream of swear words that were bubbling up to my lips and I am not sure if I would have stopped myself if not for my children. I try not to scandalize their senses.

Do I have a reason to be grateful or what? So many ugly scenarios had painted a picture in my head.

Thank God that Mercy said NO!

A heart filled with Gratitude, O’Lord.

Fiction · Short story · Writing 101 · writing ideas

He Was Father’s Good Friend…a short story for you.

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha46 Comments

Today’s assignment in Writing 101 – Day 19 Assignment: Feature a Guest is actually a feature that I would like to inculcate in my blog posts going forward.

It would be a way of sharing those articles/words that ministered to me during the week, as well as serving the purpose of neighbourly recognition and encouragement.

They could come in the form of quotes, pictures, stories, experiences, anecdotes, recipes, etc.

The idea is to share my own short story followed by the links to the URL’s of those things that captivated my mind, that made me smile, ponder, cook, dance, rant in my mind, inspired and motivated me during the past few days.

He was fathers’ good friend… a short fiction.

He was fathers’ good friend, but he wasn’t mine! Even though he worked very hard to be my friend, his sweetness repulsed me! He would visit a lot of evenings and occupy space with his large frame, guffawing at every joke even those that I failed to understand.

Many attempts did he make to pinch my butt when no one looked. Attempts made to squeeze my budding chest under the pretext of an uncle-y hug. He fooled them all by his pretense to be a good one!

Armful of candies to cajole and sweeten Carols little mind, followed by his clumsy, harsh breathing hugs. As she grew up she knew what it was. The day she found him out for who and what he was, is not one that she cares to remember. Even though the foggy parts of her brain sometimes brings up these better forgotten memories….of a sleepover that turned into a night of pain.

She faltered and haltingly told mother; how she was hurt and she can remember the redness of mothers face. The string of curses that spewed from mothers mouth and her vengeful promise to deal with him.

He came calling again, his cloak of conviviality all annoying Carol’s 9 year old mind and she hid at a distance, away from his treacherous hugs.

Mother gave him good helpings of the casserole (Carol wondered why he never ate in his house, wasn’t he just the gluttonous one, wanting to covet his neighbours goods) and copious doses of wine.

He drank and he drank. Little dribbles and droplets dotted his pale shirt and stood stark like blood.

He left under the haze of wine and thereafter, and was never seen again.

Now and again Carols mind drifts and she wonders whatever became of him. How did mother get the boogie man to stop visiting?

Father seemed sad for sometime. His friend came visiting no more.

The END

The posts that I would like to share because they spoke to me:

Bring in the Light I found this quite inspiring and thought provoking. It is up to you to choose!

Its the little things I simply fell in love with this post! *Hugs* Kelly

The Orchard – Horror story Thrilled and gave me the chills too 😉

The problem was me.. This is a beautiful story Mary Lou 🙂

What value system are you instilling in your children? Am I doing a good job? One always needs to ask these questions.

Anand’s Parodies & Caricatures He brings out the chuckle in me 🙂

Lynz real cooking Easy breakfast fix that the children love and saved me some time too 🙂

Putting Flesh on the bones Thank you Wallace for tips on how to put that story together.

Am I responsible for the actions of my adult children? This got me thinking.

If you are Be the best that you can be! Short and inspiring

Thanks good people. It’s almost weekend

Yay! Dancing Time 🙂

Image Credit: Businessinsider.com

Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Love · Musings

1 For The Teachers….

June 6, 2015 jacquelineobyikochaLeave a comment

Thank you may seem like such a simple word, yet it is a word that has the immense opportunity to carry a whole lot of meaning, appreciation, gratitude and it sometimes represents plain old-fashioned politeness.

From the very moment a person learns to talk, they are presumably taught how to say thank you. After a while it becomes an automated action, that we sometimes fail to know the value and then take a whole lot of things for granted without giving thanks.

School is out for summer holidays and as I watched my youngest hug his teacher goodbye, and told her how he would miss her, that little gesture spoke volumes to me.

At the start of school year, we had just moved to this vicinity/school district and I was a bit anxious as a parent as to how well my kids will adjust to their new schools and curricula, especially coming from British oriented school curricula to American curriculum. All through this school session, I had listened to their narrations about each school day while holding my breath.

At the onset, we floundered a little bit and agreeably some days were perplexing but we quickly caught on with the way the land lay on this side, and not one day did my children express a negative feedback or not feel like going to school. My worries about their adjustment and making friends soon turned to immense relief and gratitude.

After you as their parents, their teachers are poised to be the next most influential person in your child’s life and they are also responsible in imparting some of life’s most important lessons and social skills which are not detailed in the syllabus.

I have three children who are very active and there are days I wonder how a teacher manages to keep a bunch of fifteen to twenty-five children attentive for six to eight hours without pulling out all their hair in exasperation. I came to realize that the teachers must really enjoy teaching. They must enjoy having their students around them and imparting selflessly on these younger ones who look up to them for direction.

Most of the time, they go above and beyond their call of duty in the education of our children.

To the Amanda Spiegelman’s, Carolina Loria, Dawn Stevens, Haley Bassett, Gbemi Olowookere’s and the teachers of this World who give selflessly, saying thank you is hardly enough, yet this is one of the means to appreciate your kindness, support, patience and understanding.

In my place it is said that “we should keep our eyes open to our little mercies, because the man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life”, thus in my indigenous Ibo language, I will say, “Ji sie ike, dalu nu”. Well done and thank you all.

Some might wave it off and say you are just doing your jobs, but I firmly believe that you are doing so much more. You are helping to mold the future generation. Keep up the good work.