Lend Me Your Ears…

March 30, 2016April 24, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha21 Comments

Lend me your listening ears O’ people of mine,

That I may whisper the ancient words,

That I fed your forefathers,

So that you may be a Voice.

You are the land of a great people,

The land of the rising and the setting sun.

A land that overflows,

With the goodness that I have given.

Do not dance naked to the beat of a drum,

That goes thrumming in the dark of the night;

Lest you dance the dance of the dead.

Do not chase the fly senselessly,

Lest you enter the grave with it.

Do not join the madman in the market,

To nod at his music,

Hence, you know not who beats his drum for him.

Do not listen to the ramblings of depraved men,

When you cannot decipher their wisdom or mental health.

Shall you forget the directions your forebears gave you;

In pursuance of the Golden Fleece that only misleads?

Your truths and values, you’ve thrown to the winds.

Scattered like a flock of birds,

Pursued by the booming sound of wealth.

Caution, I implore, lest you cut the cord;

Thus, you shall reap only seeds of discord.

You grasp with greed, You grapple with misdeeds,

Robbing yourselves blind of all that is right.

Lend me your ears O’ people of mine.

That you may hear my Voice,

As I whisper to you in the blowing wind.

Image credit: Pixabay

Thank You!!

February 28, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

Gratitude · Inspiration - Motivation · Lifestyle

Why Not? Are You Too Much Of A Man?…

January 27, 2016January 27, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha39 Comments

Is it possible to wake up and express a heartfelt gratitude for everything, without a ‘but?’

Some gentleman openly made a scornful statement, asking why we should have to express our thankfulness and gratitude for all to see? Why couldn’t we just be thankful in our minds?

I thought it through and my wonder is, maybe he feels it’s not manly enough to be seen doing something as sissy as being grateful or thankful? Who knows.

Anyway, to this retort I say, why not? We talk about virtually anything and everything under the Sun. So why not gratitude and thankfulness? Must we save it only for the day of Thanksgiving, on 24 November?

Is it because the word carries the connotations of Religion or Christian tenets?

Well you are wrong! I think it would be wise to remember that the state of gratitude is a life tenet, which does not respect any doctrine, dogma, race, religion, age or sex.

Thankfulness is a state of being that is the mother of all virtues. When we are thankful, we have less to grumble about. When we are thankful, it makes the little that we have enough. When we are thankful, we are not going to be envious and envy breeds wickedness.

We don’t have to look far to find things to be grateful for: family, food, shelter, friends, clothing, seasons, life, nature, beauty, truth, salvation. The list could go on for decades.

A heart of gratitude opens doors of love, peace and plenty.

Today, I am grateful for life and good health. It’s really a privilege and nothing can truly compare to the promises that I have in God.

A grateful heart will always find satisfaction. May your heart find a grace for gratitude. Like the Bible tells us, ‘God inhabits the praise of His People.

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

Hope · Life · The Daily Post

No One Is Kicking This Bucket Yet!…

January 23, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha49 Comments

Thanks but no thanks WordPress. I still have a lot of life in me. I have no bucket list, thus no item 11 to talk about.

This is not something that I have gotten around to doing and doubt if I would do so, even though I know that it might seem the fashionable thing to do and what not, I have honestly never dwelt on it.

It’s not necessarily because I feel that I have all the time in the World because I don’t, but I am holding on to God’s promises of satisfying me with long life.

I am holding out for the blessings of seeing my children’s children and that my children will be like olive trees. As we know, olive trees are very long lived and bear bountiful fruits. I am holding on to this promise that I will not die before due season, but live to declare the good works of the Lord in the land of the living.

That said, I think that might be part of the reasoning behind my never having spent the time to make a long drawn bucket list. Where exactly on this list do I want to start from, because it would be a very long one.

Secondly, I am my own worst critic and tend to beat myself over the head when I set a long list of goals and fail to achieve them. It automatically sends negative signals of failing a promise to myself and I am seriously trying to get rid of those negative energies swirling around.

What I am trying to do is to look at the things that I aspire to achieve, break them down and focus on getting them done as much as possible without turning it into a do or die affair.

In some part of my mind, I feel as if a bucket list is self-limiting. What happens when I get to the end of that list?

Does it mean that I am ready to kick the bucket? No can do!

I think I shall pass on this assignment because, I truly believe that the journey of life should be savoured as much as possible, enjoying the joy that comes from the journey and not turn my life it into a big boring To-Do list.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

The Daily Post Kick It.

What’s the 11th item on your bucket list?

Hope · Life · Poetry/Poems · The Daily Post

The Answer Blows in the Wind…

November 6, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

Here I often sit and ponder,
As the days go by,
The rising and setting sun,
So quickly passing by,
Where yonder shall tomorrow find me?
It’s only God in heaven that knows!
For that answer my friend is blowing in the wind!

Will I mingle with the free?
Will I be among the living?
For these answers I do not know my friend,
For it is blowing in the wind!

Will I scribble to the delight of others?
Putting smiles and streaking hearts with joy?
For this I shall strive some more,
But the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind!

Shall I rock grand-babies on my bent knees?
Singing hush lullabies to darling little ears.
This I know not my friend,
For the answer is blowing in the wind!

Shall tomorrow meet me,
Sipping warm cocoa in my rocking chair,
Telling tales of days gone by?
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind!

Yesterday is gone!
Tomorrow belongs to God!
My today is a present gift as I sit here!
Let me be happy, and have peace!
I shall leave tomorrow’s answer, to the blowing wind.

The Daily Post prompt Six of one, half a dozen of the other

Write a six-word story about what you think the future holds for you, and then expand on it in a post.

Creative Writing · Haiku · Inspiration - Motivation · Life

Just For You!…

November 6, 2015November 6, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha14 Comments

Amazing that’s what you are.

♥Beautiful, Charming, Divine, Exquisite creation from High♥

Search within, for you to know.

………

Brilliant that’s who you are.

♥Fine, Graceful, Handsome, Illuminating masterpiece from God♥

Unwrap yourself, you will see.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Devotions · Love · Poetry/Poems

Naked and Not Ashamed!…

November 5, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha30 Comments

Empty my thoughts,

that I may feel the wondrous touch of your love,

In deep recesses that no light has seen;

♥

Expose my heart,

that I may understand your words,

through every conscious awakened pore of each moment;

♥

Unveil my inner eyes,

that its lifted sheen may behold,

the brilliant raw beauty exposed in its true nakedness;

♥

Unfold my wavelengths,

that my naked ears may become

attuned to the mysterious calls stirring from the deep;

♥

Pour me out,

that my uncovered lips may enthrall

with language only made known through exquisite expressions;

♥

Lay me bare,

that I may be denuded,

unmasked before your eyes,

naked, unafraid and not ashamed,

when you call me by name.

Devotions · Family · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Life · Poetry/Poems · The Daily Post

Chosen Treasures…

October 25, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

The term prized possessions sounds like I simply purchased them from a supermarket, which actually places a finite value on these treasures of mine.

We do not own our family/children but we are mere custodians of these young souls who decorate our lives and our families are gifts bestowed upon us.

The elixir obtained from experience shared, the roads traveled and joy from loved ones can neither be bottled nor sold.

My family are my pride and joy.

They are my treasures of inestimable value and for these beautiful ones, I am exceedingly thankful.

Every other material possession is disposable and replaceable. It’s simply there to satisfy a specific need.

Below is a short related prose that I wrote earlier in the year.

Life on a short lease….

Posted on May 25, 2015

In deed, nothing I have is truly mine,

I am simply a beneficiary,

Of the benevolence of a Supreme Being: God,

I am only a conscious receptor of goodwill and grace,

I am simply a custodian of blessings bestowed upon me,

A mere guardian of gifts innumerable.

Not to be taken for granted.

However we look at it.

I know this.

I am just a sojourner, a wayfarer.

Nothing I have is truly mine.

In response to The Daily Prompt Pride and Joy.

What’s your most prized possession?

Devotions · Family · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Life · Love · Success · The Daily Post · Weave that Dream

The Magic In Me…

October 19, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

Thanks but no thanks! I have absolutely no desire to be transformed into a mystical being.

Just a few days ago, you made me have Saintly aspirations, and I am still floating under the halo of such euphoric dream.

However, I believe in MAGIC!

I believe in the magic of a Supreme God! The Alpha and Omega.

I believe in the miracle of conception and babies!

I believe in the miracle of breathing free air that I contributed nothing to create!

I believe in miracles! They are all around us! They exist in our everyday lives when we choose to see them!

I believe in the magic of an enduring love that stands the test of time!

I believe in the power of hope! It enlarges your heart and expands your coast!

I believe in the magic of happiness, positive thinking and positive affirmations! It beautifies your life!

I believe in the power of faith and good works! It strengthens you!

I believe in kindness and caring! It has boundless rewards!

I believe in positive human values and good manners!

I believe in family: both the ones we are born into and the one we choose for ourselves!

I believe in the magic of gratitude; it increases you!

I believe in the magical strength of human resilience! Its your path to success!

I believe that dreams do come true when you believe in yourself and irrespective of your age!

I believe that life is beautiful even in its chaotic mundaneness.

I believe in the power of prayer!

I believe in myself and the magic in me 😉

NOW! That is magic!

In response to The Daily Post Do you believe in magic?

You have been transformed into a mystical being who has the ability to do magic. Describe your new abilities in detail. How will you use your new skills?

Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Life · Love · Poetry/Poems · Writing

Imperfect Parts Of A Perfect Whole…

October 8, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha41 Comments

Dare we take a peek? I shudder;
I shudder, should we dare seek to see;
Beneath our pantomime parades;
What turbulence lies under the facades;
Can the glare of the twisted mess found beneath;

Can the parts all broken, cracked, jumbled, mangled and messed up beyond measure;
Ever fit, not to cause so much displeasure?
Facades that shimmers and glimmers like timeless diamonds;
Yet within their confined cupboards they fight and grapple with their demons;

Painful warts underneath, score my soul like those of a soiled dove;
dirty, filthy, unbecoming, unwholesome tiny cracks everywhere;
The freckles of imperfection marks me brutally;
I am covered in sinful spots and dots;
A sore sight to the sinless eyes;

But who are these sinless eyes? Where are they be to be found? I ask;
Shall we dare to take a peek to see;
There are no sinless between you and I;
All broken bits of imperfections we are;
But yet he says;

Come! I beseech you;
Come to me with all your freckles and all your warts!
Come to me with all your spots and all your dots!
Disgraced, Broken, Discarded, Cracked, Twisted, Warped,Mangled,
Hopeless, Desperate, Ashamed, Naked;

However spotty it might be!
Come!
For my perfection makes your imperfection whole!
Come!
For I came to set the captives free!