Water Stills

Hey Hey..
How are we all doing?
Caught the Merriment bug yet?
When i was younger 3 things got me excited around this period
1. Close of school
2. Traveling home to Okrika  ...by boat!
3. Seeing all my cousins and the numerous things we would get up to doing.

Well, now no more school hols to look forward to.
Since my grandma's  passing in 2012 , and some cousins being married off..it just hasn't been the same traveling home  for the Christmas celebrations. We would rather meet up in the 'city' for family time. But I still have cause to go home often and of course I do it by boat 80% of the time.

I love the cool air that hits my face when am on a boat ride.
I love the way the boat bounces on water when there are waves, sometimes it does get scary sha . When big barges  or other boats on speed pass very close it generates huge waves and really rocks the boat.

Sometimes when i tell some friends that i am going home by sea, they go " oh brave one ".
If only they knew..
Am not that brave...and our waters is not as crazy as the bonny axis.
Then some go, "oh well you are riverine and  can swim "...indeed!
I can't swim jack!
I know i should hide my face... but that's the truth. Infact i am scared of swimming. I can count the number of times I've been to a pool. I've only attempted to learn how to swim twice and both times it didn't leave me any better...instead it increased my phobia level. I haven't given up totally sha...someday .. hopefully.


Recently ,when traveling i started taking some pictures .
Ermm, forgive the quality of the pictures ..i use my phone.

Red in motion

The waves this thing generates...

Going solo 

Partners
One rows,the other throws the net.

Colours on water 

An oil company vessel 

 

Tho, I love pictures am not that good at taking them. Once I got over the stares I get when I start taking the pics, I enjoy doing it. It's not a full blown love yet, but am loving photography.  
Maybe @Mfoluwa  would coach me some..
On IG one of my favorite pages is +Kitchenbutterfly  ,her pictures just give me life! 

I've been journalling off and on for a really long time. In the last couple of years tho, it's been a struggle to put pen to paper. I like going through my old journals-the ones i can find- smiling at my silliness, loving the growth i see, frowning at lessons to learn that are still on the slow lane ....etc
I need to start another..not just starting ,but being diligent with it.

To help my journal journey ,I would be introducing a #Journal segment on the blog. It would be like  a summary of the previous month, as much as i can share ....life, struggles , growth , my relationship with God, love , random....
Also ,that way even if life happens and I don't get to blog other stuff, I am sure to stop by with a monthly post. 
Looking forward to doing it.
Do you keep a journal? Do you enjoy doing it? 

See you soon shugars,
Love n' Light. 

Every Morning..

From somewhere, some distant realm I can't really describe, I heard the shrill ringing of my alarm. The tune of my alarm is some annoying gibberish..i chose it on purpose cos I had realized that when I used songs I actually like, I could sleep right through the alarm ringing. Eyes still closed, I stretched out my hand, located the noisy object and swiped to the right. That response had become automatic every morning. I laid for a few more minutes (translate 30-40 more minutes) before sitting up in bed.

" No matter how loud or insistent an alarm clock is, even two, placed near the ears of a dead man...he wouldn't wake up "- Pastor Ugo

I can't tell the exact moment I closed my eyes to sleep ..just like every other night
I can't tell ..moment by moment.. what happens around me when I sleep
Some say, I sometimes make low grinding sounds with my teeth..( I choose not to believe that).
I've been told I don't snore...thank goodness!!
I know I am not conscious to the happenings around me.

"It's of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning :great is thy faithfulness"  -Lamentations 3:22-23

" Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night..." - Ps 91:5

My feet hits the cold tiles ,at the same time some cold harmattan breeze caresses  my bare skin,making me notice I had taken flight to lala land without closing the windows all the way. I stretch my body, this way and that way...forward and backward..

"Everytime I see another breaking of the day I say thank you Lord "- worship chorus

I can breathe
I can see
I can hear
I can feel
I can move

I shuffle around and continue the rest of my morning rituals...
This is the day that the Lord has made...I, Tamie will rejoice and be glad in it.
Will you?


Nobody has the power to wake you up and start you on your day.. don't give them the power to spoil your mood /day. Choose to be joyful every morning.
Will you?

In ALL (not some) .... In ALL things give thanks!
(1st these 5:18)

Love and Light.
Tamie

12th

Happy new month shugars!!

It's December!!

Feel my excitement?  

December always does that to me. No matter how far I've been from my goals for the year , or how crappy I feel the year might have been, something about sniffing the 'December air' takes me to a happy place. 

A happy place. 

A thankful place. 

A thankful heart. 

Counting my physical blessings.  

And the non physical ones. 

Oh Lord I can't explain it but I am so grateful to you!!

I saw the quote below on nikki's blog..

Forgive yourself. When you wake up late.When you procrastinate.When you fail yourself.When you fail others. When you can’t leave the house.When you’re late paying bills. When you don’t have a job. When you’re failing in school.When you’re not pleasing your parents.When you hurt yourself. When you hurt others.When you lie to yourself. When you lie to others. When you love the wrong person.When you make the same mistake.When you feel defeated. When you lose your temper.When the last time turns into a time again. When you cheat yourself. When you’re not good to yourself.When you don’t have a plan. When you feel hopeless. When you hate yourself. When you’re impatient. When you tell yourself to give up. When you stop believing in yourself. When you lose faith. When you doubt yourself. When you forget to say I love you. Forgive yourself. - unknown

And I fell in love with the words. I read it over again, silently then out loud,repeated the words slowly,digesting it. It just feels apt that I stumbled on it at this time of the year and at this point in my life. 

I don't get excited about the end of the year because of the festivities, food, and the usual. Truth sef is ,I hardly do much food wise and 'gallivanting' wise this period. 
I get excited cos like a bursting dam whose doors are suddenly open, I see again how the Lord has been good to me and mine. God's goodness just comes rushing at me .
And it's a time that leads to a fresh start. Each moment is a fresh start,YES.... but there is THE New Year.

Are you excited about the end of the year? Got festive plans? Do share ..


Happy new month again shugars..
Welcome to December ......My month of Thanksgiving!

Xoxo..

Blog Book Tour / Giveaway

Hey everyone , how have you all been?
Is it just me or is this month so fast?! It's half way gone already.
Christmas cometh! :-)

In my last post, Nkem had asked about purpose and like i had said it was something i am working on. So imagine my delight when i read about Frances of Imperfectly Perfect Lives new book - 10 Steps To Walking In Purpose .

The author Frances Okoro is a Lawyer  by profession, a Writer and Christian blogger by passion and calling.

The title of the book is explanatory enough about the focus in the book, but the book actually explores more than just purpose [i picked up some wisdom  nuggets and did some needed reflections].


Intro
There has been an awakening in the hearts of men in recent times-an awakening to the fact that our lives on earth is meant for more- more than having an education- more than the great jobs -more than getting married and having a family.....

Men and women are awakening to the fact that they are not just aimless souls drifting through earth; they are here to fill a niche, manifest their light, give their talents and gifts to those who need them and finally, die empty.  
And this awakening has also found its home in my heart.  

 

Is there an awakening in your heart also?
Wanna continue reading?
I can't tell you about the book and not point you in a direction to get a copy for yourself ...there is love in sharing and i have  love for you reading this.

So there is a chance to get a free .pdf copy of the book, as Frances is graciously having a two weeks giveaway of the book.

Here are just some very simple rules to follow and then it would be emailed to you .

1. Share the book cover on twitter or Instagram ,referencing this blog post and with the hashtag #10stepstowalkinginpurpose .

Eg " Get your free copy of this book from www.itamiie.blogspot.com "
*don't forget to use the hashtag

2. Then leave a comment on this post with your email and Instagram user name/twitter handle used.



Dazall !!
Yes , that simple.
Participants who complied with the rules will be emailed their copies of the book on theMonday November 30th 2015.

I got a fresh understanding of walking in purpose when i read this book and i know you would also benefit from it too like i did....that's why am sharing with y'all .

Have a lovely week ahead shugars ..




Love and Light.
T.

Sisterhood

Hey shugars...yes, you reading this! 

Thank you for stopping by my space....
Tho' I may not see your comments, I 'see' your views...so I recognise your presence or your 'Waka pass'.   

Thanks for reading my lil words and drop your comments when you can.

So I got a blog award from the lovely Nkem of  HOME WORTH INTERIORS...(a cool interior blog).
I love reading blog awards, it's a way to find new blogs and get to know some more about the lovely people behind the blogs. 

I was quite suprised by the  nomination..and actually paused in surprise  for a min or two while I was reading her post lol

Thanks Nkem!!

Buh babe these your queshuns ehhhhh......

Anyway let's get the award rolling.....

So the Rules -
1. Give thanks and link to the blogger who nominated you. *done*

2. Put up the award logo on your blog. *will do*

3. Provide answers to the Jamb  questions asked.

4. Nominate 5 bloggers

5. Make up 10 Questions for your nominees to answer.

Answers to Nkem's Qs:

1.  Have you discovered your purpose in life and what it is. 

Me: At some point I thought I had, but now am not sure anymore. So this is one area am still working on in my life. 

2. Which one of your possessions has the most sentimental value to you. 

Me: My NKJV bible. It was a birthday gift from my mum. I have other bibles and have other gifts from my mum, but there is just something about this one...from the first moment I held it. Can't explain it.

3. If given another chance to come back to earth, what would you become?
Me: What the one who sent me purposed for me to become. 

4. Being rich or being fulfilled?  

Me: Both!!

5. If you could have a second home, where would it be and why
Me: I feel I haven't been to that many places to choose where I might like as a second home....
In Nigeria..maybe Jos, Outside Nigeria..maybe Canada .

6. Who is your mentor and why did you choose him/her? 

Me: Sincerely I don't have anyone specific,  I just have a number of people I really admire and learn from their lives as I see it.

7. Aside blogging, what do you do for a living and why did you choose that path?
Me: Am a medical doctor.
Hmn, the why- just because.
Unlike the typical med student story, I wasn't forced by my parents, I didn't have a dream where I was saving humanity from some plague..i actually had the chance to walk away, but still came back to it.
The why is kinda tied to Q1.

8. Criticism or Praise
Me : Both 

9. Where are you from and how did that shape your personality?
Me: Okrika in Rivers State in Nigeria.
Not sure of how that shaped my personality...I have one or two ideas on that but...let's leave it at Not sure. 

10. What three things would you like to change about blogging? (I assume mine, right?)
Me: 

. Consistent
.  Consistent
. Consistent.....and Bind Procrastination 

Nominate 5 bloggers..

1. Funmi

2. Juditherese

Her evening tale

Here's a continuation of the last blog post .
I didn't plan to keep the update this long.
Life happened.
Sorry guys.

So back to our tale.
******


I came up to see the parents 'from the dead'.
The couple came with the wife's sister.
Without asking any questions initially I needed no one telling me they were her parents.
The girl was a replica of her mum.
We asked her,babe who are these people to you.
And she said "my mummy and my daddy and my aunty"

At this point I didn't know whether I was angry, confused or...really I just didn't know. kinda felt like I was in a life nollywood studio.
Nurse B had already plucked a long cane on our way up.

I asked the mother for her side of the story.
She said the girl was playing out side, and she went o call her to get ready to go to church. She had a recital in church the next day and needed to practise. Little babe wasn't happy to have her play interrupted and said she wasn't going to church. Her mum went in to get her bag and when she came out,she didn't see her daughter.
She searched high and low around the neighborhood, walked down to the road, alerted her husband who was in the house too...they kept searching all afternoon till they got the call from their elder daughter.
Their eldest called asking of her younger sister, and was told about the search going on. She went on to tell her parents about the call she got, that her sister was in our facility.
That's how they came to us, to meet their daughter sitting comfortably with the nurses.

Then we told them her tale.
Gift's tale.
Yeah, her name was Gift.
How a pretty little girl spurn such tale still amazes. me.
The father just starred at her with disbelief and shock (I believe) over his face.
The mother looked like she would break her into two.
The Aunty raked and ranted and panted. She was so pissed at the girl.

Okay, so Gift, why did you tell such a story.?
Oh..she didn't want to go to church for the recital..
..her mum blamed her if anything got spoilt or broken in the house
..her mum flogged her is she made a mistake or did something wrong
"Did your dad also blame or beat you?"
"No, I like my daddy very well..he doesn't shout at me or beat me " Gift said

Short story....there was some making up, contacts taken and the family left.
And they lived just a street away, not the Jerusalem madam Gift had said.

********End


Two days ago a driver ran a tyre across the leg of a boy and they came our place. On asking some questions, he said he was a 17yr old orphan and hustler...he gave a tale..it reminded me so much of a recent tale.
And his name was Gift.

Weird coincidence or not...

An evening tale

I was lying down, willing my lazy self to go wash my hair and do some other things I wanted to do when Nurse B's call came in.  She said a little girl came to the facility and wanted to go to an orphanage. She wanted to take the girl to the nearby Wazobia FM but thought to call me first.
The gist sounded 'one kind' so I told her to chill, lemmi come meet them and hear it well.
I swung outta bed, put a jacket on and went out.

I walked into where they were and saw her.
She was seated in a white plastic chair, calm and all.
Being that I had heard orphanage, I had kinda thought I will see a scraggly looking kid, looking malnourished or with some physical evidences of maltreatment .
It was the opposite. She was clean, well dressed, neatly made hair, spoke sharp English, was smart!

I sat down and asked her story.
And the evening tale began.

She said she was a 10year old orphan.
That her parents had died in a car accident on the 28th of march 2015  and she now lived with an Aunty in a place called eliparanwo. She had run away three
days ago cos the said Aunty didn't treat her well. She had a sister who was 20 years old but had not seen the sister nor any of her relatives since after the parents died. She was also in the car when the accident happened but she survived and the parents died on the spot.
After she ran away, she met another Aunty close to her school (which she said she had stopped since march).   The Aunty took her in these past three days.. this new Aunty lived a close distance from our facility so she came to see/find out if it was an orphanage cos she remembered passing in front of it with her parents and seeing children in the compound.

I asked more about her sister. And she went on to tell us her profession and where she worked.
At this point Dr K a friend of the facility walked in and we summarized the story  for him. Fortunately he said he knew the owner of the establishment the elder sister worked and called him to contact her to come down to where we were.

I sat churning all she had said in my mind but there were still some holes and patches which didn't add up for me.

So we sat waiting for the elder sister to come.
I decided to leave and go do some stuff.
It wasn't quite 10 mins I left, nurse B was calling again.
That the parents of the girl were around.
My reply...
You say??


TBC..

Thankful For The 'Lil' Things

It's so easy to belittle some BIG blessings.

I have being guilty. 

Most times we don't know they are blessings until we loose them. 

We just regard them as the lil things.

It's normal to first remember and be thankful for the big things,but be thankful also for the seemingly little things.
#DailyThankfulAttitude

Sometimes it takes seeing or hearing someone's experience to buzz our gratitude button. 

Today I choose to be openly grateful..

That I can see
(and appreciate the life around me)

That I can breathe
(without aid or paying for oxygen)

That I can walk
(unaided, with so much freedom)

That I can hear
(for the beauty of conversations, for music..)

That I can't use the toilet ,do all my business there with ease and all by myself
(seeing someone in great pains of acute urinary retention, will no doubt make one thankful)

That I got an education -primary,secondary,tertiary..
(thousands if not millions never got this opportunity)

That I have food and can eat
( some have food but cannot eat, some can eat but have no food...)
I once met a young man who had a condition and couldn't even comfortably swallow water..not to talk of semi solids or solids.

The list is inexhaustible.
Once I want to start complaining about something, I pause..
..and start being thankful even for having the opportunity to complain..
..a dead man has no complaint.


Everything doesn't have to be perfect before we remember to be thankful.

Start by being grateful for that imperfection.
I came to learn that ....and I have seen things I had thought to be imperfect blossom into beautiful things.

#BeThankfulToday


Love and Light
T.

Bow down

....He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. 
He is the Eternal One!

(Hab 3:6b NLT) 

There is just this awesome feeling I get reading / hearing such bold and authoritative statements. 

What a great assurance!

Life throws so many shades and sizes of curve balls. 

And sometimes it looks like there is no way out..

Some issues just seem beyond our human capabilities. 

New Morning

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceaseth
His mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning..new every morning
Great is thy faithfulness oh Lord 
Great is thy faithfulness..

Growing up,during the family morning devotion ,the song above used to be my mum's favorite. I didnt really like the song. And sometimes i got tired of singing it every day.

Perspective: What do you see?

Some see a wall

Hard core granite wall 

High like the proverbial tree

In the middle of the evil forest;

Some try to get across

By climbing..

Jumping on it...

Some try shouting at it..

Maybe it would fall down

Like the walls of Jericho 

The 4th of August : Keep calm, The Lord has done me well!!

Each year when it comes around this time and I sit back and look at my life, I always come to this conclusion -

THE LORD HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME!!

If I had a million tongues

Baby Steps To Returning Loves

There has been a renewed love for some things lately for me. I say renewed 'cos I've kinda always liked or loved them but am putting more effort into them lately. 

Some were abandoned outta lack of time to explore them, some outta sheer laziness and procrastination. 

Sometimes I can be lazy for Africa Mehn! I am doing a personal deliverance for myself from procrastination. This type of deliverance is not a one time one, it's a daily one leaving no space for any backyard return.

So some stuff I used to love doing but took a back burner include :

READING 

This has got to be numero uno!!

I could read efritin!

Nothing is tying me down

I was listening to a program on radio recently  ( it was on handling rejections and moving past hurts) and the guest made a statement that caught me.

 She said : if you hold someone down to the ground and don't let the person go,you are actually also holding yourself down. 

A picture of these traditional wrestlers as they try to pin their opponents to the ground came to mind( lol I wonder why)  as I turned the statement over and over in my mind. 

 

Curtain fall

Yesterday was the beginning of a new month. I was pretty excited. 

A new month.

A new week.

The beginning of the second half of the year. 

And it was the end of the light of a colleague,an ex classmate. 

Soft spoken, nice, gentle, really friendly..

Always had a smile and a laugh -in - waiting. 

As I heard the news today I lost  every ounce of energy. 

I felt drained. 

I hadn't seen her since school, but through fb we connect. 

When someone you've known personally, talked with, laughed with, hugged is suddenly no more the emptiness of life just seems to hit you hard. 

I haven't experience the loss of people really close to me except my grandparents. 

Sleep on,J. 

May God comfort your family. 

My favorite this is that.

I really don't do favorites.

Source: Google

Some have got favorite book, music, brand, movie and even pen! Oh yes,pen! I had a classmate who would write with only the Schneider pen.

Some have  favorites but are not extremist with it. By extremist I mean if their favorite item or brand or stuff isn't there, their life goes on pause for a while or they would have a mini meltdown. 

I remember telling someone I don't have a favorite movie/book and  got the 'you for real' look. It's  okay to have that one thing that stands out for you any day or night.
But no be for everybody.
 Whatever rocks ya boat,i guess .

I've got things and brands I like,but I rarely do favorites and  cling to them. 

Back in secondary school when there was this slum book craze, and you get asked best this,best that, favorite this..it was always hard for me to fill and took longer time cos I never really had best or favorite anything. I usually just choose what comes first to my head, and down the line realise "oh,but I really like this too!"

Same with friends. 

I don't have A #bestie.

I don't have A #bff.

I've got close friends whom my heart beats or, and I can be crazy  with and all that. 

Again in secondary school I tried hard to have one, I couldn't be left behind mbok....but for where! it didn't work. I really tried  hard at It oh. Some silly things I did coming to mind *palms face*
Whoosai!

Puuhlease, do not get me wrong.. it's not bad to have that omnipotent favourite stuff. It's just not for everyone. 

I think one reason for me is cos I like / love plenty things and it's just hard and unfair to make one single choice. Also my love for some stuff can fade faster than saying ABC.

So to some things am loving now..cant say they are favorites but I really really like them
Blogs
* Ofilispeaks
*Dooney's Kitchen

Music
*Na you be God by Tim Godfrey, Eben and co
*My heart sings by William mcdowell

So whats your favorite this or that?
Do share.

Our Bond

He owns me

He knew me

He formed me;  fearfully and wonderfully

He knows me

He loves me

Immanuel ; now and forever

I am His

I am a child of the Most High.

                                                          

Jolly June

I love New!
New beginnings... new places, new people, new friends, new food, new love... you get the idea.
I love seeing a new day..a new month..a new year.
There is just something about a fresh start.

Source : www.sendmoneyhometoday.com 

The old is good.
Sometimes though, it gets too comfortable.
I like the offer of a fresh start.
I read blogoratti post on plans for the month. It's a good way to plan ahead for a month. The plans don't always have to be big changes or ultra fabulous stuff..they could just be something little that wouldn't matter to the next person but would put a smile on your face and make you feel glad that you did them. 

I usually make a mental list of such things...but I've realized most times as the month goes on I either forget or just give up on them. So I will be taking a cue to pen down a few.. my  month-to-do (MTD)..

 1. Drink more water.
I can go all day with just one glass of water. That's terrible I know. I know. I won't go on to say I will start drinking 4 liters a day but I would make a conscious effort to increase my water intake.

2. Read more books.Starting with the two I've been dragging my feet( or brain) on.

3.  Work on being more patient..with myself and people I relate with.

4. Visit a book shop

5. Cut down on spontaneous spending

6. Reduce the cluttering on my bed


June is the sixth month so I will leave it at six.

Got plans for June? Wanna share? Please do.
Happy new month!

Toodleoo.