Three hours away from death

Imagine it’s 8:55pm on 31^st December, 2015 and you are on a hospital bed. The doctor tells you that you have just 3 hrs to live.

Now think about the different thoughts that could be going through your mind at that time. Thoughts of different things you’ve been doing, both good and bad (especially the bad) will flash through your mind. You’ll probably start praying, asking for forgiveness of sins.  You’ll probably start to beg God and make promises that you’ll stop this or do that if only he would just spare your life to see a new day and a new year.

You are still alive now. Yeah, we made it into 2016. You may wonder...but I was not on a sick bed on 31^st December (or maybe you were), so how does this concern me? The point is we’ve all escaped death one way or the other; either cases we are aware of or those we don’t even know anything about. And here we are in 2016. Yeah, we made it. And many of us are still on the same road we were on last year. Have you forgotten all the promises and resolutions so fast? Have you started working towards all the goals you carried over from 2015? Have you started thinking of new things you can do this year? Are you still holding a grudge against that person? Why not pick up the phone and call him or her or at least send a message now? You’ll be surprised they probably don’t have anything against you and even if they still do, you never can tell the impact your call or message could make.

I’ll like you to read this piece carefully. It’s something many of us have seen a lot of times, I know.

3  There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3     a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6     a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7     a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8     a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

NOW is the time to heal, build, mend, love, seek peace... NOW is the time to reflect on our lives. NOW is the time to make the change. NOW is the time to drop the bad habits. NOW is the time to move closer to God.

There’s a time for everything...The time is NOW

My bag of cards

Going through some of my stuff, I saw my bag of cards again. Going through them one after the other, I couldn't help but smile at those beautiful cards with some as old as 12 years. Looking at some of the cards I've received over the years (Birthday, Valentine, Christmas cards), like I do once in a while, I see how the smallest things can mean a lot. I also realised the number of cards declined as the years went by.
 The value of cards have no doubt declined drastically, though many people never cherished them from the start as they feel it's intangible compared to gifts. All the same, cards are lovely pieces that stand the test of time. Yeah, I have collections of gifts (though many have been used and disposed) and there's also the huge collections of good deeds, pictures and memories that are forever in my heart. But somehow, my bag of cards have managed to go everywhere with me.
 Here are some cards in my greeting cards collection😁

Above all, remember anything given or done out of love, whether gifts, someone's presence, time or just a hug, should be appreciated. It shouldn't always be about the price tags.

So here is a big thank you to you all for 2015 and even the previous years. You mean so much to me 😁

The Lonely Road

As I sat down

With tears flowing freely down my cheeks

Memories come flashing back

Like a rushing wind

Thoughts cloud my mind

Thoughts of what was

What could have been

The good, the bad and the ugly

I’ve been through this road before

Yet, history repeats itself

Where my heart used to be

Where are those days?

The happy days where there was so much to look forward to

Where are those moments?

The amazing moments that took my breath away

Where are those actions?

The cute actions that blew my mind

Where are those words?

The sweet words that made my heart melt

Where are those times?

The times you were there when you should be

Where are those promises?

The reassuring promises that kept the spark alive

Where are those hugs?

The warm hugs that made me feel at home

Where are those ears?

The ears that listened to me

Where are those eyes?

The lovely eyes that made my eyes light up

Where is that heart?

The beautiful heart so good and true

Where is that future?

The bright future we were building

Where is that time?

The undivided time you had for me

Were they all lies?

Please tell me they were not

My eyes can see

But they don’t see you anymore

My ears hear clearly

But your words have gone faint

My heart still feels strong things

But it’s back to default

Where you met it

Where it’s used to

Where it loves to be

It's back to  me

I’ve crawled back to my shell

 

5 Reasons you can’t concentrate

Have you tried to work but it seems like something is holding you back from starting? Do tasks that you carry out on a normal day now seem difficult for you to do?  Do you feel so distracted with so many mails, deadlines, family issues and even social media? Do you find it difficult to remember the tiniest details? Do you feel like you just can’t concentrate and you are wondering what’s going on with you? Here are 5 things that could be responsible for your lack of concentration:

1. Stress

We sometimes feel stressed out when we have so much to do at a particular time. We should have it in mind though, that stress may not necessarily come up as a result of physical activities alone; one could experience psychological stress as a result of traumas or when the mind is burdened with a lot of thoughts. Stress could get worse than we think when we don't have enough rest and sleep.The ability to multitask is good, and for most of us, it’s a part of life ...but where do we draw the line between multitasking and overstressing ourselves?

Tips: Take a break once in awhile to relax. Take a walk, go on vacation, do something new, exercise, go see a movie, listen to good music, read a nice book, enjoy solitude once in awhile. Just do something that takes your mind off work and worries and keeps you alive. A 10 minutes walk could be all you need to relax after a long day. Above all, sleep well. There’s nothing as rejuvenating as a sound sleep.

2. Your environment

The effect of environment on our productivity and state of mind cannot be overemphasized. A clumsy desk, inadequate ventilation, poor lighting, uncomfortable chairs and noise to name a few could affect your level of concentration.

Tips: Try to work in a clean, ventilated and bright environment with comfortable furniture. Discover what works well for you. For example, some people work well with distractions around while some cannot concentrate where there is noise. It all depends on what you feel comfortable with.

3. Food

Not eating right could deprive you of some essential nutrients your body needs and leave you prone to diseases. Also, hunger and dehydration could slow you down make you focus less on the work at hand.

Tips: Take enough water, eat balanced diet and eat at the right time. You must have experienced at different times, a whole new energy to do something you found difficult before. Feeling tired? Food and water could just be the magic you need.

                

4. Poor job satisfaction

Many people are stuck with jobs they don’t like and sometimes find it difficult to quit because they probably need the money. When you are not enjoying what you do, concentrating becomes a big deal. When you don’t have access to things that can keep you positively engaged, you tend to get tired easily irritated.

Tips: Yes, things will not always go the way we want in life. But in the midst of it all, discover your talents, find out what makes you tick and work towards doing things you love in any little way you can. In the midst of chaos, find out that thing that puts a smile on your face and just like one of my favourite quotes goes...’when life shows you pepper, make pepper soup’

5. Lack of plan/ Improper planning

Each day comes with its unique opportunities, expectations and tasks. It’s easy  to get everything mumbled up when we don’t really have a grasp of what we need to do and how to go about it. We fail to achieve much without a plan.

Tips: When faced with a lot of tasks, make sure you have an idea of what they are about, have a plan as per how you intend to carry them out. Also, learn to prioritize as some tasks may need urgent attention while some can wait.

It's time to get back on track!

Stunner's collections

Are you a lover of African culture? Do you love to spice up your looks with lovely beaded jewellery? Are you a bride to be, planning your wedding? Then, you've got to check out beads from Stunner's collections.
Stunner's collections offers you a variety of beads, ranging from sets of necklaces, earrings and bracelets to customized wrist bands.
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E-mail: anusotunde28@yahoo.com

The Owner

We had you for a while
But the true owner took you away
Without notice

I never knew this will come up so soon
It's been so good having you around
We shared the sad and happy times
You gave the world around you your best
It really hurts that everything came to an end in just a twinkle of an eye
But hey! What can we do about it now?

I'm tempted to ask why
But that I will never do
The owner has control over everything
Who am I to ask why?

I'm tempted to break down and cry
But I'll hold myself
The owner has done the best for the moment
Why do I have to cry again?

It hurts that we watched the one that was full of life
Lie down lifeless
Words can't take back the shock
Condolences can't erase the pain
Tears will not b able to clean the hurt
Only the owner can give peace to our heavy hearts
And give us a lasting comfort

All we can still say is thank you
Because the owner has come to take you
To a beautiful place
A place of rest
Where there is no stress
A place of peace
Where there is no war
A place of wealth
Where lack doesn't exist
A place of joy
Where there is no sickness or mourning

We love you so much
But the owner loves you more
Have a wonderful rest in a world free of turmoil

This is dedicated to everyone that has lost a dear one. The true consolation can only come from God, the one that owns us all. May God give us the strength to carry on in difficult times like this. May the helper of the helpless uphold us.