Gratitude

Barbed Thorns…personal

March 8, 2017March 8, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha15 Comments

Image result for Christs thorns

Life’s not all peaches and cream
many have barbed thorns
silent groans
and
priceless tears.

Jacqueline

For the day’s that I feel lost and my heart laden with so much burden, Lord, I give thanks. Forgive me for making you too small in my eyes.’

On days that depression hits me out of the blues, I don’t fight it. I welcome it inside. I give it a seat to hear what it’s got to say with a box of tissue in hand and I cry with her when she moves me with her tales.

I make her a strong cup of tea, or coffee, sometimes even some soup and remind her of the many things that are good about her life. I remind her that she should never put her God in a box, but allow He who began the good works in her to continue because He is faithful to the end.

I remind her of her journey and path to emotional freedom and mindfulness. I remind her of her talents and the burgeoning future before her eyes’.

I stoke her hope and remind her to keep her candle shining because the flickers of its light sends out good vibes and helps her to find her way in the dark

I remind her of her resilience, her unwavering positivity, and can-do spirit. I remind her that she’s resourceful, a source of light, the love of many people’s lives and I have her laughing in no time.

I gently show her the door and ask her to roam free. I ask her to go into the light and shine as bright as she can. I tell her that she’s welcome to visit anytime she feels lonely, but I’m quite sure that she knows she’s not alone because I see her light steps as she sprints down the street and her laughter rings in my heart.

This is me talking to one of my other selves.

If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfillment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

Jacqueline

Gratitude

Tomorrow is Pregnant…

February 8, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha30 Comments

Trying to blog on my phone is a trying affair, to say the least. I haven’t sat down for more than a few minutes since I got to Lagos because I’ve got a lot to cover in just a few days. Lots of family and friends to see, laughter and gossip to catch up on.

I can’t believe how the days are flying past. I just boarded the plane how many hours ago on Sunday and now it’s Wednesday with only two more days to spend here.

I feel happy that I came and yet sad at the same time. Lagos is still my Lasgidi, though it seems as if things have been at a stand still with the poor government that has done its’ best to keep its people in poverty.

The wonderful thing about this place is the resilience of its’ people. The larger than life attitude towards life that they possess.

I am thankful for this opportunity to visit home once again. For family and good friends. For an epileptic light and internet service, bumpy, dusty roads 😉 it’s all good.

It is said that no one knows what tomorrow will bring and according to my people, we say that ‘tomorrow is pregnant and also backing a baby.’

Therefore, be wholly thankful for today that you have with you. There’s always something to be thankful for.

Jacqueline

Gratitude

For Tranquility…

January 19, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha5 Comments

Day by day I learn to see that new every morning is the Lord. My waking and uprising proof, for through sleep and darkness I’ve been safely brought and restored to life, to power and thought.

I woke up this morning with a sense of tranquility that I can’t even explain – not as if I’ve won that lottery yet. Not as if I don’t have many perturbing issues plaguing me, not as if there are not enough things to worry about in the World, yet I have tranquility.

I made up my mind that my days are far too precious to waste sweating all the small and random stuff. I chose to leave as many dramas as possible behind and get on with living a life, for my life is meant to be lived and not endured.

I choose to be thankful for everything even when there seems to be so much to fret over and so for today, I am thankful for tranquility. I feel an excitement bubbling inside me. I have no idea why or what the reason for it is, but I feel good and know that today is a good day.

Be blessed.

Jacqueline

Gratitude

When Men Choose To Bless You – Personal

January 5, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

Unprecedented gestures of kindness move me beyond what words can truly say and as I write this I search for the right words to express my sense of thankfulness.

It’s not my intention to embarrass this kind gentleman and because of that, I’ll leave his name out of this short note. I was raised to always be thankful and like my mother always asked us back then when someone did something for any of us, “Did you say thank you?” I hope you know that silent gratitude is not of much use to anyone because they are not aware that you are thankful.”

I received notification of a donation from PayPal and in all honesty, I was taken aback. For several minutes I checked through all my email interactions and address book and the sender’s name was not stored anywhere. There had been absolutely no exchanges between us.

I dashed off a quick email through the address that I saw on the PayPal notification and he responded promptly. His comments warmed me from tip to toe and my heart truly swelled with gratitude.

Why this unexpected gift struck me so deeply is the fact that I went to sleep tussling with how to manage the payment for my blog for this year only to wake up to see a notification of donation that will cover the payment of my subscription.

I was contemplating letting my subscription lapse and using free hosting till I sort things out, which is simply not the best option and would hamper a whole lot that I do on my site.

My other blog The Art of beautiful expressions cost me quite a bit to set up and putting both costs together is a luxury that I truly can’t afford right now, though I’m hopeful that they will soon pay themselves and leave me a little extra to bless others with.

What can I say, but call this GRACE and FAVOUR. It made me think of the gift of the mercy of God. Paid in full without asking for anything.

When men choose to bless you out of the abundance of their spirit, know that there’s a higher power in control. You’ve not earned it, for all good gifts around us are freely given and come from heaven above.

Thank you, kind Sir, for your blessing to a woman whom you’ve never met. May your pockets never run dry. May your cup overflow with blessings from above.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Gratitude

It Started With a Hello…personal

November 3, 2016November 3, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha31 Comments

Angels walk in our midst each day as strangers and this past week has been one of my best so far health wise due to a brief encounter and discussion with a total stranger. Image result for thank you image angels

My fibromyalgia has given me a lot of pains these past few months and just last week Wednesday, I had an encounter with a lady on a staircase where I was holding onto the railings and trundling down gingerly and by just saying hello to her as she walked past me in her ripped jeans and paint-splattered T-shirt we got into a brief conversation.

She recommended that I should try some Magnesium tablets that she believes would help. I was skeptical because I have a cupboard filled with x,y and z vitamins all promising what they don’t fulfill. I had done a full bloodwork recently and the doctor gave me another shovel of vitamins, so you can see why I was skeptical.

However, a little voice reminded two days later when I had a poor night due to pains to just try what the lady had told me. To cut a long story short, it works! I found it and right from the next day, I felt a lot better. For four straight nights in a row, I have slept soundly without waking to stretch or massage my aching body, so you can understand my pleasure.

To this stranger that I may never meet again, thank you with all my heart. I am grateful.

It all started with a hello. I always say that all good things around us are sent from Heaven above and I thank the Lord for the beautiful stranger who is an Angel sent to me on that staircase.

I am learning never to take anyone for granted because I never know when I might have a divine encounter because life has shown me that the angels who walk amongst us are just like you and me.

Have you been to my new blog? Please visit and say hello 🙂

Gratitude

Abundance of Grace

October 26, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha8 Comments

When I was a little girl, we would match to the beat of the school drum in our pinafore’s, singing in our high-pitched staccato voices ‘the day is bright, it’s bright and fair, oh happy day, a day of joy, the day is bright, it’s bright and fair, oh happy day of joy.’

The little girl in me has been humming this song each morning these past few days. Our weather is getting lovelier by the day. It’s no longer a melt in a puddle, burnt to bacon crisp temperature and I am so looking forward to making the best of this season.

The fact that nature blesses us with such respite is totally wonderful and yes, coupled with the fact that finally, I’ve launched my self-hosted blog, I feel light, merry and grateful.

I am fully aware that there are those who have multiple blog babies and quite frankly, I wondered how they kept up with all that and the rest of their lives with ease, but what each day teaches me is that once you set your heart on achieving something and you ask for the grace, it shall come in abundance.

Shall I tell you that my heart is filled with gratitude? Indeed it is! I didn’t expect the amount of support that I’ve received from you – my friends – once I announced that I’ve launched. You are truly an awesome community. Thank you.

When we ask, not only do we receive, but our abundance shall overflow.

If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfillment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog,Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

We will be having our monthly blog party this weekend – Saturday 29th – Sunday 30th. It’s a Halloween themed party. Stay tuned and hope to see you in your dreary, scary drags.

Gratitude

For The Gifts That Come From Above – Personal

October 19, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha10 Comments

There were times in the past that I climbed the steep heights of elation and then came crashing down to nothingness, that I was left feeling like a happiness junkie always in search of that elusive happy rush and when it wasn’t present I felt that everything was wrong with my world.

It took the conscious stepping back and trying to understand myself, trying to break down my issues, compartmentalize and address them one by one to grasp what was going on and how to deal with them.

The tendency was that if something was not right in one aspect of my life – for instance, shortage of finances, I would allow that to dictate how I felt about every other thing, thus missing the beautiful and little things that made my life better.

It’s taken years, soul searching and being in the moment to come to the point where I deal with issues as they are and not allow it/them to mar the rest of my joy.

As I sit writing this little note, I look back and I’m amazed at how the simple journey of journaling my gratitude and making the effort to discover myself inside this body of mine has helped me learn to live in the moment and to appreciate every bit of it.

I no longer seek the happiness rush from momentary elation, rather, I’m charting a steady course of contentment gained from living life itself.

I am thankful for journey mercies bestowed on my husband who returned last night from Toronto. For the great things and little things that I’ve been able to achieve, for the thoughts, inspirations, and imaginations that flood my mind, for vitality and the drive to stay focused and keep moving forward. These are not things that I could buy with money, but they are gifts that come from above.

If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfillment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog,Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

Gratitude

Going Down At Last – Personal

October 12, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha26 Comments

Image result for gratitude images

For the first time in almost forever, my scale has shifted downwards. I stood on the treacherous thing this morning and voila, before my eyes, the arrow was going anti-clockwise instead of standing rigid or shifting forward like it always seemed to prefer doing.

Losing a few pounds may not seem like much to some keep fit nuts out there, but the humbling lesson that trying to lose weight is teaching me is that age does count with these things. My body is no longer 22 years old and shifting these lovely bumps has become an uphill task even with eating sensibly and not indulging in all the sweetness out there.

We often don’t know what we have, or maybe we do, but we are unable to appreciate the enormity of grace that abounds in our daily lives that we get to take these things for granted and maybe even become blasé about them. I remember my svelte pre-babies figure and though she’s still somewhere in my head and in this ample bodacious body of mine, she’s been absent for many moons now.

I always took it for granted that I would get her back with the snap of my fingers instead the reverse has been the case for such a while, that some days I just feel outrightly stressed and all this has only made my fibromyalgia pains worse. I don’t like to dwell and moan over my pains, especially in my legs, however, it’s nagging presence constantly reminds me of the excess body weight that I’m lugging around.

As much as I don’t shame my present state, I’m not happy with it and it’s consequences healthwise, thus, I’m am seriously thankful that the excess is finally responding to stimuli. My hope is to stay on course and that it continues to go downwards till I get to my appropriate BMI for the sake of my health.

However it may be, appreciate who you are at whatever stage you find yourself, never take it for granted even as you work to improve your state of being.

If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfilment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog,Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

Gratitude

Moments Like This…. Personal

October 5, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha43 Comments

Image result for image of gratitude

I must be doing something right somewhere, though many times I question my own authority as a mother and call myself out for messing up now and again, but when you get a letter from your child’s school authority inviting you to an investiture ceremony because he has been chosen to be the school’s Head Boy, your heart can only swell in pleasure and gratitude.

Believe me, when I say that in a community where the percentage of black children is negligible, nothing prepared my mind to think that my child would be selected. It’s a new precedent for the school to have a black child as their head boy and moments like this make me thankful and a proud mother.

I don’t have all the material wealth to give to these young blessings who adorn my life, all that I have to give is my love, teaching them basic human values and hoping to do my best in raising children who will be worthy ambassadors of the humanity that they belong in.

Moments like this make me thankful for these things that bring warmth, hope, and rays of sunshine into my life.

If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfilment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog,Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

Gratitude

When The Cock Crows At Dawn…

August 31, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha23 Comments

Phew! We are halfway there before the first weekend since school resumed. Thanks to the alarm clock we have been able to crawl reluctantly out of bed again, even before the rooster crows – not that I have heard or seen any rooster in this concrete jungle that I live in; except on a plate – but this hardwired brain of this African child still remembers the cocks crow at dawn back in my fathers’ house.

I recall those days when we would wake up early, sweep the house with the broom made from palm fronds and bent to the waist, after which you dusted the furniture and ran several errands for my mother as she prepared the meal before you could get ready to go to school.

Things haven’t changed so much except the broom sweeping part – thank God for vacuum cleaners – I still wake up early to do the necessaries before we set off for the days business of school, work, after school etc.

It’s ironical that when I was back in my parents home, I thought that when I got married and had my kids, I would become what we refer to back home as ‘Thick Madam,’ who would roll around in bed and rise like an indolent Cleopatra with a retinue of handmaiden’s waiting to rub cocoa butter on my feet 😉

Well, the opposite of Thick Madam is the case. I hop out of bed, reluctantly resisting tossing the alarm clock out of the window whilst I hustle the children to get ready like a Sergeant Major as I run a mental list in my head of all that needs to be attended to for the day.

Today as I watched my trio file out after the runaround of getting ready, I acknowledge once again the beauty of having these blessed children. My house might be a bit messy most of the time but I wouldn’t have it differently. I appreciate the daily shebangs as these young souls grow, for I know that one day in the near future they will fly my coop, no longer littering the counter with breadcrumbs, dumping their stuff where it shouldn’t be and warming the house with their noise.

Who knows maybe in the near future, my house would look like the pages of an interior decor catalogue and I just might get to become a ‘Thick Madam,’ after all, but for now, it’s all wonderful and I am thankful to be like a Sergeant Major rising when the cock crows at dawn.

There are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfilment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.

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