Mum- You Are A Rare Gem.

For those in Canada, it's Mother's Day- 11th of May. Wishing all our irreplaceable mothers Happy Mother's Day. It's also Mother's Day in Australia, Belgium, Cuba, Ghana, Germany, Italy and the United States, to mention a few. On the other hand, countries such as Ireland, Nigeria and the United Kingdom already celebrated Mother's Day on March 2nd 2008. Still, wishing all mothers irrespective of their countries Happy Mother's Day. This is dedicated to the woman who gave birth to Iyanuloluwa and Oluwafunmibi, our mother, who is a huge part of our lives. First a daughter, then a sister, to some she's a niece to others an aunt, to some a mother and to others a friend and colleague. Most importantly, you are our mother- popularly called 'mummy'. Mothers we truly appreciate you all, it's our prayer never to let you down.

Mum,
You were the chosen one who birth us- your children into this world
For you, giving birth to us was not just another job you had to fulfill
Nurturing us to greater heights is your goal for all your children
Because with you, settling for less does not exist in your dictionary
You sacrifice time even when it seemed 'time' was running out
A mother's love- your love is irreplaceable
Sacrificing your time and money is just a fraction to the many things you sacrificed
Putting your dreams aside for a while to send us to the best of schools
Is never a problem for you
Giving has always been a big part of you
Your patience with us is beyond human imagination
You never hesitate to chastise us when we do something wrong
Just as you always encourage us and believe in us even when we didn't believe in ourselves
You truly are a rare gem
You have always been a source of inspiration, encouragement and strength to us your children
Your smile brightens the room just as your laughter is infectious and genuine
You teach us to be true to ourselves and never to live 'false' lives
Words to describe you and your qualities are very limited
You never condemned us when we did everything wrong
'In your eyes we do no wrong, even though in reality we do everything wrong'
It's great having a friend in you, even greater having you as our mother.

Señora Phygina Tolulope, you are indeed a Virtuous woman- a woman of inestimable value. It's a privilege having you as our mother. We your children are honored to know you as mother. May you enjoy the good fruits of your labour. You are priceless. You are a very strong woman. And you are a source [to the glory of God] of inspiration to many. May God grant us many more years of celebration {with you} in Jesus name.
Mum you're the BEST!
With Love...{Iyanuloluwa and Oluwafunmibi}

NEGATIVITY- An Obstacle

To all faithful and new readers she says a big thank you. What's that 'thing' you keep hoping to fulfill someday? Sky diving? Helping the under privileged? Owning a multinational corporation? Preaching the gospel and reaching out to people? Being the next President? Or buying the latest Mercedes Benz SLK55 AMG? For some, don't be surprised, maybe it's being a 'celebrity'...just make sure you make a positive difference as one. We all have dreams, hopes as well as aspirations and they take a lot of hard work and perseverance to be accomplished. But we also have obstacles which seem to prevent us from accomplishing our dreams. We have mountains that seem too rigid to be moved. Don't forget that in the midst of all this, there are people who fulfill their dreams, people who make the difference they always dreamed of. What did they do to get to where they are? Are your dreams so difficult in fulfilling that you are willing to let go of them?

Answers.com describes an obstacle as "one that opposes, stand in the way of, or holds up progress". An obstacle could be seen as a blockage, an hindrance, a barricade, an hurdle, a wall or an obstruction, to mention a few [it's your pick]. Negativity happens to be a form of obstacle, negativity could come in the form of 'friends', professors, family members, course mates, colleagues and supervisors [for those of us who work].

Did you know the biggest form of negativity comes in the beautiful and admirable shape of you [including the author of this blog], no exceptions made. You are thinking, how's that possible? She'll tell you...Although it does sound like she's in conflict with the words by placing negativity with 'beautiful' and 'admirable', it's a deliberate effort. The reason for this is, we always encounter people who send negative 'vibes'. People who discourage us and tell us we can't make it in life, people who seem to have taken 'discouraging others' as a part time or seasonal job. Not full time because they engage in other activities: Being that they are humans like we are. Note, there are people who think sometimes we should not engage in certain things because they might cause our downfall, we are not referring to this set of people. She is focusing on people who every time you tell them joyful things or share an excellent idea with them, they are fast to tell you what is wrong with that idea and that it's impossible to fulfill such a dream.

Now that said, as much as we have people who are very negative about things, we ourselves contribute to how dreams are fulfilled. Sometimes we have people around us telling us we can do it, we can fulfill our dreams, people who take their time to intercede {pray} for us, people who are ready to catch us when we fall and are ready to push us further. Because they trust in our abilities and see how great we can be if only we persevere. At this junction, from within we create obstacles by saying and believing we can't accomplish these dreams. When this happens, it becomes difficult to be determined or to work hard in fulfilling these dreams. In this your not alone, professing that you can and will, is the first step to destroying this obstacle called negativity. Working hard and putting words into action(s) becomes the effective tool in removing the mountain- obstacle completely.

As we go forth in this new week- a week full of opportunities, consider this and work with more positive people. Having a positive approach to life- as you begin to put action(s) to your words.
"The obstacles you face are...mental barriers which can be broken by adopting a more positive approach."- Clarence Blasier

It's a long one, but she is glad you made it to the end. Merci!

Ponder: 4 Ur Thgts.

Hola! Would leave you with something to ponder on as you journey through this new week. Being aware that with every new week there are new deadlines to meet. New goals that are set and waiting to be achieved; Make sure not to quit trying until you accomplish these goals. Don't give up on yourself. It's dangerous not to believe in one's self. Let's consider the following definitions;

Love is sacrifice- anonymous to giving.
Lust is selfishness- anonymous to collecting.
Patience is a great virtue {a fruit of the spirit}- comes with a great reward.
Faith- is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen {Hebrews 11: 1}.
Anger- a deadly disease, that makes us unaware of our senses
{Knowing that what one destroys within the moment they get angry is more than what caused their anger}.
Pride- a deteriorating factor which leads to destruction.
Procrastination- delaying what you can do now till later {is the 'stealer' of time, a smotherer of dreams}.
Trust- a factor, a relevant element which every true relationship should have {trusting God is the ultimate}.

We all go through difficult times and sometimes it seems endless. For those who don't already know, suicide does not solve the problem. If anything it adds to it, it compounds the problem of the family that has been left behind. Running from a problem does not solve it, facing the problem does. And it makes the person stronger. In life when you fall, get up, stand and move on.
"Action conquers fear"- Peter Nivio Zarlenga.

It has been great having you around. Hope to see you next week, have a wonderful week ahead.

RESPECT- Mister!

What have you been up to? Busy week? Hope you were able to rest this weekend. It's back to work this week. It's the beginning of a new week so we hope and pray for a fresh start. Right, let's get to today's topic. This one goes out to our fellas;

Scenario 1:
Smith goes out with his girlfriend to a function [occasion], at the function Smith meets another lady who he starts a conversation with. Smith ignores his girlfriend because he is talking to this other lady.

Scenario 2:
George constantly beats his fiancée every time he's upset.

Scenario 3:
Marvin's wife cooks his meals, does his laundry and keeps the house clean. Marvin never says 'thank you'. He treats his wife more like a slave than a companion.

What do you think of these three scenarios? Respect is the willingness to show consideration or appreciation. For now she would be focusing on our fellas in this episode. For a relationship to exist there must be two parties involved. Both parties have to [aside all other things] respect each other. As we are well aware, not all guys respect their partners- your partner being your girlfriend, fiancée or wife. The saying is, "the way a guy treats his mother is the way he would treat his wife"; Or girlfriend as the case maybe. Every lady deserves some form of respect from her man. She wouldn't be telling you how to show your partner you appreciate her, that's up to you fellas to decide. But it goes a long way to describe your personality when you appreciate your lady. In denotative meaning, respect is an attitude of admiration or esteem. Showing respect to your partner implies that, not only do you appreciate her, but you appreciate your relationship with her and you're willing to make your relationship work. To respect someone is to care, without respect you don't have a relationship.

To love is to respect, to respect is to hold your companion- your ladies in high esteem. Arnold H. Glasow said "the respect of those you respect is worth more than the applause of the multitude". Reflect on this Señor- let your actions speak louder than your words. Take care. Hasta luego!

A Poem- I'm Your Potential.

Success to all those preparing for exams. And to all workers, success in all your endeavours. Today she's going to do something different. She would be leaving you with something that she hopes would inspire you in a different dimension, positively of course. Before we unwrap our packages lets think back for a moment. What's your main purpose for living in this world. Is it known? And if yes, has it been fulfilled? Because as we all know the graveyard is filled with buried treasures. Are we utilizing our talents and potentials to the fullest? As you ponder on this, let's open our package for today.

I'm Your Potential

My name is your potential
I am all that you can be but not yet,
I am all that you can do but not yet done:
I was born the day you were born.
And I have being dying to meet you even though you didn't know me.
Interestingly, you've always known my twin brother:
His name is your limitation and I hate him so.
He says you can't do the things I know you can:
He says you can't be the things I know you can be,
But did you know that your limitation, is only my shadow.
And if you shine your light on me,
My shadow would disappear.
If you shine your light on me your limitation would disappear;
Why don't you shine your light on me today- now!
- Withheld Authorship

Your potential is what you are capable of doing and being but is not yet in existence. You alone have the power to utilize your potential. Moreover life would have no meaning if your potential were not fulfilled.
"With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world. "
-Dalai Lama.

A big thank you to all readers, those who have left comments, and those who have helped in one way or the other to promote this blog, to ensure it goes to greater heights. Her best prayers are with you. Welcome to the newcomers! Hope to see you around next week, God keeping us all. Keep in touch...Grazie!

Confidence- Self Esteem...

Heyy! How's everyone doing? First, she would like to thank everyone for their views, reviews, opinions, comments and contributions. We are free to tell others about this blog. As we all know, our aim is to be there for others. That brings us to today's topic; it's one word or two, depending on how we see it, but our lives somewhat evolves around it. Let's invite no one else but Self- Esteem to the table. Most of us might wander, what's with self esteem? Actually, self esteem as some of us already know is a big deal. A high priced product in the market with very few buyers. Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. People tend to have issues with self esteem, yet all it wants to do is supply to those who demand. But you know you can't have, when you don't make an attempt at asking. She could describe confidence as trusting or having faith in someone or something. While on the other hand she would describe self-esteem as having pride in oneself; self respect. Self-respect would be the identical twin sibling to self-esteem. Since self-respect is described as 'due respect' for one's character, conduct and one's self.

American businessman and publisher Bertie Charles Forbes once said; "Without self-respect there can be no genuine success. Success won at the cost of self-respect is not success. For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own self-respect." [For those of us who read the Bible the last part of the statement probably sounds familiar. Sounds like Mark 8: 36- "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"]. Losing one's self-respect leads to losing one's self-esteem, which could be seen as losing one's soul. Losing one's self-respect is like losing one's worth or soul. There is no self-esteem without self-respect. Your self-respect builds up to create your self-esteem, which in turn makes you feel worthy. [Someone of worth]. Many people, many of us have issues with self-esteem. Some of us, many from our relationships, past or present, from abusive marriages, from feeling we have disappointed our parents, guardians or loved ones, to those of us who have done things we are not proud of. But you know, when you fall, the way you pick yourself up matters a lot.

Insteading of picking ourselves up and standing upright, some of us crawl- on all four, while some of us slouch, and for those of us who don't slouch, we drag our feets. Those who pick themselves, arise, stand up tall, heads up high, and walk majestically [note: no dragging of feet or oneself]; They not only picked themselves up, but to gain back their self-respect and self-worth, they did not allow their past [mistakes] determine their present, and of course their future. Thereby re-gaining their self esteem. Self-esteem is a very crucial part of our being.
Have a great week! Adios...

Let's Talk Abortion.

Happy Easter! to those of us who celebrate easter. Thank God for the resurrection. For those who believe in God, imagine where you would be now without Christ. Would we even be in existence? Aiight, so lets go to today's write-up. Abortion.
Everyone's got different views on abortion, a very controversial issue indeed. Philosophers get into debates about when it is too late to have an abortion, and the right-to-life. Philosophers' principles and values are based on logical reasoning rather than on empirical methods. Looking at the denotation- dictionary meaning, of abortion. Answers.com defines it as; " Termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival." Just as there are various views on abortion, that's how various definitions of abortion exist.

Consequently, she would not be going in depth on this issue. She would be looking at it from a 'general' [subjective] point of view.When an abortion is carried out, doesn't the individual feel as if she is taking away a part of herself. It's true there are several reasons as to why people commit abortion. Not giving that fetus the chance of becoming a child, the right to life- to live. Limits your knowledge of what the child could have become if he or she was given life. The child is robbed of every chance of becoming someone great in future. Of actually having a purpose in life and fulfilling it. Imagine this...would you have been where you are today if your parents [mothers] had aborted you? I would love to hear our views on abortion, your comments are appreciated. May you be successful in all your endeavors. Below are some quotes to think about:

"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love - that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world."

"The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters"
"And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign." - Mother Teresa

To all the readers, thank you for being here. Remember the above view is subjective!