Saturday, February 2, 2013
This Blog has moved to www.inspirologosworld.com
Monday, April 23, 2012
InspiroLogos World - New and Improved!
Change is inevitable, so it's been said and rightly so!
When the change is positive and innovative, I welcome it with open arms!
In that vein, let me introduce you to INSPIROLOGOS WORLD CREATIVE CONSULT!
It's the InspiroLogos Profession, Products, Projects, Profile and the Blog, all in one spot!
Let me put it this way: it's all you need to know about who I am, what I do and what I can do for YOU!
If you're looking for creativity, ingenuity and inspiration that's customized for you,
then visit InspiroLogos World Creative Consult
What's the address? http://www.inspirologosworld.com
See you there!
Cheers!!!
Lady I.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The InspiroLogos Easter Tale
Today I had the privilege of using my gift in a way that not only blessed me, but made me a blessing.
I performed my own original poetic version of the easter story at The Throneroom, RCCG, Abuja. It was a phenomenal recitation with full band and back up singers and I think I was even more blessed than the persons who listened to me.
I wish you could've been there.
Nevertheless, those same words can be found below and I hope they are an inspiration to you:
THE INSPIROLOGOS EASTER TALE
T'was a cold dark Friday in history
One shrouded in deep mystery
As divinity clothed in humanity
Took a path that seemed like insanity
Evil around Him danced and pranced
As up Golgotha's hill, He slowly advanced
the cross on His shoulders though heavy, seemed light
Compared with sin of the world He bore that night,
Placed upon Him by none other
Than His very own beloved Father
At first glance, seemed an act of wickedness
How could the innocent be slain for the guilty?
A closer look reveals an act of loving-kindness
Done to wash the stains from the filthy
The Father could not bear to save one Son and lose all the others
So He sent His beloved to die for His would-be brothers
But that day the sinful tormented their Saviour
They taunted and mocked Him, in shameful behaviour
They drove mighty nails right through His hands
and His screams echoed all across the land
The cat-o-nine tails ripped the flesh from His bones
It stung more than a beating with stones
For with every one of the 39 lashes
His skin was marred by bloody gashes
The spear to His side drew water and blood
Gushing out like a raging flood
And they crowned it all with thorns on His head
When they should have worshipped him instead
Yet he begged their heinous crimes the Father forgive
Such mercy no human mind can ever conceive
He must have been in painful torment
But nothing compared to that dreadful moment
When the Father turned away, and let His son be,
"My God, My God why have you forsaken me?"
He cried out in agony and despair
As the bridge between man and God was repaired
Then breathed His last after He said “It is finished.”
And the power of that moment has never diminished:
Sickness was finished when he bore the stripes
Sin was finished when he shed his blood
Death was finished when he gave up his life
But defeat became history when he won the victory
In the most glorious moment of all
Sunday morning in Satan's stall
The prince of darkness had gloated for two days
Priding himself on his devilish ways
When suddenly he heard a loud rumble
and watched in shock as the gravestones crumbled
Alas he could only stare in dismay
As angels rolled the tombstone away
And when the King of Kings arose and emerged from the grave
The defeated devil pulled out his own hairs, screaming, “Nooooooo, he's alive?!”
At that very moment the host in that heavenly place
Thundered the same words through time and space
With Joy unspeakable and full of glory:
He's alive, He's alive, Jesus is alive!
Alive and well the Son of God is right now:
Seated in majesty beside His Father
Awaiting the day He claims his bride
And brings her to dwell forever at his side
What tale of love can compare with this one?
That a God would give up His beloved Son?
Divinity besotted with humanity
And not a tall-tale, but a joyous reality:
The indelible act at Calvary,
An incredible feat of bravery,
An incomprehensible show of love,
By the indescribable God up above
That astoundingly selfless sacrifice
Was a non-refundable bride price
Paid-in-advance, paid-in-full
And he gladly paid-it-all for YOU!
- - - - -
Yes!!!! Can you imagine the Son of God, on His knee
His hand outstretched to you saying "Will you marry me?"
And he's not offering a 6-carat diamond in a little black box
No, far better, he's offering eternity in a place
where the streets are made of gold
There's unending joy and peace and love,
No sorrow, no sickness, and nobody ever grows old! :-)
If I were you, my answer would be an absolute "YES, I WILL!"
And if that's your answer then someday I'll see YOU
at THE REAL ROYAL WEDDING!!!
A Very Happy Easter to You and Yours,
from Lady InspiroLogos.
I performed my own original poetic version of the easter story at The Throneroom, RCCG, Abuja. It was a phenomenal recitation with full band and back up singers and I think I was even more blessed than the persons who listened to me.
I wish you could've been there.
Nevertheless, those same words can be found below and I hope they are an inspiration to you:
THE INSPIROLOGOS EASTER TALE
T'was a cold dark Friday in history
One shrouded in deep mystery
As divinity clothed in humanity
Took a path that seemed like insanity
Evil around Him danced and pranced
As up Golgotha's hill, He slowly advanced
the cross on His shoulders though heavy, seemed light
Compared with sin of the world He bore that night,
Placed upon Him by none other
Than His very own beloved Father
At first glance, seemed an act of wickedness
How could the innocent be slain for the guilty?
A closer look reveals an act of loving-kindness
Done to wash the stains from the filthy
The Father could not bear to save one Son and lose all the others
So He sent His beloved to die for His would-be brothers
But that day the sinful tormented their Saviour
They taunted and mocked Him, in shameful behaviour
They drove mighty nails right through His hands
and His screams echoed all across the land
The cat-o-nine tails ripped the flesh from His bones
It stung more than a beating with stones
For with every one of the 39 lashes
His skin was marred by bloody gashes
The spear to His side drew water and blood
Gushing out like a raging flood
And they crowned it all with thorns on His head
When they should have worshipped him instead
Yet he begged their heinous crimes the Father forgive
Such mercy no human mind can ever conceive
He must have been in painful torment
But nothing compared to that dreadful moment
When the Father turned away, and let His son be,
"My God, My God why have you forsaken me?"
He cried out in agony and despair
As the bridge between man and God was repaired
Then breathed His last after He said “It is finished.”
And the power of that moment has never diminished:
Sickness was finished when he bore the stripes
Sin was finished when he shed his blood
Death was finished when he gave up his life
But defeat became history when he won the victory
In the most glorious moment of all
Sunday morning in Satan's stall
The prince of darkness had gloated for two days
Priding himself on his devilish ways
When suddenly he heard a loud rumble
and watched in shock as the gravestones crumbled
Alas he could only stare in dismay
As angels rolled the tombstone away
And when the King of Kings arose and emerged from the grave
The defeated devil pulled out his own hairs, screaming, “Nooooooo, he's alive?!”
At that very moment the host in that heavenly place
Thundered the same words through time and space
With Joy unspeakable and full of glory:
He's alive, He's alive, Jesus is alive!
Alive and well the Son of God is right now:
Seated in majesty beside His Father
Awaiting the day He claims his bride
And brings her to dwell forever at his side
What tale of love can compare with this one?
That a God would give up His beloved Son?
Divinity besotted with humanity
And not a tall-tale, but a joyous reality:
The indelible act at Calvary,
An incredible feat of bravery,
An incomprehensible show of love,
By the indescribable God up above
That astoundingly selfless sacrifice
Was a non-refundable bride price
Paid-in-advance, paid-in-full
And he gladly paid-it-all for YOU!
- - - - -
Yes!!!! Can you imagine the Son of God, on His knee
His hand outstretched to you saying "Will you marry me?"
And he's not offering a 6-carat diamond in a little black box
No, far better, he's offering eternity in a place
where the streets are made of gold
There's unending joy and peace and love,
No sorrow, no sickness, and nobody ever grows old! :-)
If I were you, my answer would be an absolute "YES, I WILL!"
And if that's your answer then someday I'll see YOU
at THE REAL ROYAL WEDDING!!!
A Very Happy Easter to You and Yours,
from Lady InspiroLogos.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Someone Loves YOU!
I Love You.
It's a heart-warming, spine-tingling, potentially life-changing phrase made up of three simple little words.
Imagine waking up every morning to hear those words gently whispered to you by someone who seems to good to be true...
Someone so rich, He owns the whole world and everything in it;
So smart, He can answer your most complex questions in an instant;
So strong, He can move mountains without breaking a sweat;
So considerate, He stays up all night so you can sleep undisturbed;
So sensitive, He listens to and remembers everything you say;
And, He's sooo fine that if you see Him once, you're gone!
On top of all that, He NEVER lies!
But if that is not enough, get this: He's so incredibly loving and compassionate that He already gave up His most valuable possession, the life of His innocent Son, for YOU.
No it's not a fairy tale - it's the gospel truth: He's absolutely in Love with YOU. For you, He can be all that and then some, and the only thing He wants in return is your love and whole-hearted devotion. But He's too much of a gentleman to take it by force!
Don't break His heart.
Think about it: the Immortal, Invincible, Omni-potent God offers YOU undeserved, undying, unconditional love today and everyday for eternity!
Isn't it an irresistible offer?
I
LOVE
YOU...
That's what He says to YOU today...
And He awaits with bated breath for your response ...
So what's it going to be?
- - -
Lady InspiroLogos - Loving Him right back!
It's a heart-warming, spine-tingling, potentially life-changing phrase made up of three simple little words.
Imagine waking up every morning to hear those words gently whispered to you by someone who seems to good to be true...
Someone so rich, He owns the whole world and everything in it;
So smart, He can answer your most complex questions in an instant;
So strong, He can move mountains without breaking a sweat;
So considerate, He stays up all night so you can sleep undisturbed;
So sensitive, He listens to and remembers everything you say;
And, He's sooo fine that if you see Him once, you're gone!
On top of all that, He NEVER lies!
But if that is not enough, get this: He's so incredibly loving and compassionate that He already gave up His most valuable possession, the life of His innocent Son, for YOU.
No it's not a fairy tale - it's the gospel truth: He's absolutely in Love with YOU. For you, He can be all that and then some, and the only thing He wants in return is your love and whole-hearted devotion. But He's too much of a gentleman to take it by force!
Don't break His heart.
Think about it: the Immortal, Invincible, Omni-potent God offers YOU undeserved, undying, unconditional love today and everyday for eternity!
Isn't it an irresistible offer?
I
LOVE
YOU...
That's what He says to YOU today...
And He awaits with bated breath for your response ...
So what's it going to be?
- - -
Lady InspiroLogos - Loving Him right back!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
InspiroLogos Wins Writing Contest
On the 1st of February, a good friend informed me about a writing contest.
Two days later, I entered the Martin Luther King's Day Human Rights Blog Post Competition, set up by Youngstars Foundation (youngstarsfoundation.org)
On Valentine's day I got a call informing me that I WON!
And two days later, myself and the four other winners were warmly hosted at the American Embassy Abuja by the Human Rights Officer - see all of us pictured above (I'm in the ivory dress).
It was indeed an unforgettable event and a wonderful opportunity to meet with great minds and passionate hearts and I am thankful to the Youngstars team and the U.S. Embassy as well for appreciating one of my God-given gifts.
So what did I write about?
The question was thus: "There are 30 Human Rights, which one do you think your society needs the most and why?"
For personal reasons that had and still have me thanking God for the fact that I still have breath in my nostrils, my very passionate answer is the article below:
LET EVERYONE THAT HAS BREATH LIVE!
A time to be born and a time to die … a first breath and a last one… these two breaths are common to all human beings. So also are all granted the time in between these two breaths: the time to live.
Everyone has a time to live and according to article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Furthermore everyone means everyone! “without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion … national or social origin, property, birth or other status” – and that includes every member of our society.
This third right is the very one I believe our society needs to preserve the most; because all other rights stem from this one.
We all, without exception, have a right to life. And in the time we live, we also have a right to liberty, i.e. a right to be free; and we have a right to security of person, i.e. a right to be safe. My paraphrase of the third right is thus: everyone has a right to live, free and safe from everything that is a constraint or threat to that life.
- Mrs. Ignorant stays in an abusive marriage, where she has been kept silent by fear of her husband, and remains for fear of the stigma of divorce in an African society, all because she knows not that she has a right to a free and safe life.
- Mr. Indigent, genius-potential, yet can barely construct a sentence in proper English and may end up an ‘area-boy’ living under the bridge, all because poverty afforded him a lousy education on the streets.
- Little baby Ailing, born with the chronic sickle cell disease, because his parents had not the necessary education on genotype testing and life partnerships, may not live to see his 16th birthday, and worse, may live his brief life-span believing himself to be somehow less of human being.
On and on, thousands of sad tales fill our society, of illiteracy, disease, poverty, ignorance and the many other threats to our very lives. We desperately need to build in this society the structures required for our people to live, free and safe. Every Nigerian regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or status should have access to a balanced diet, clothing, safe shelter, healthcare, education, employment and dare I say good governance, these are the basic things that will allow us live, freely and safely. The gross lack of these things for the average member, and the greater majority of our society is what threatens the very lives of our people and thus the very fabric of our society.
In the UNDP 2011 Human Development Report, a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide, Nigeria ranks 156 out of 187!!! Our adult literacy rate is just 70% when there are over 45 countries with a 99% adult literacy rate, our life expectancy is age 47, a whopping 30% below world average2. Based on these statistics it is painfully evident that as Nigerian’s our third right is at stake!
The masses depend daily on hand-outs from the philanthropic few in the wealthy class – they are being given fish instead of being taught how to fish! This is just not good enough. We need the Millennium Development Goals to become Millennium Development Realities – as much to the man in the state house as the man in the mud house in the most remote village in the country; otherwise we are indirectly saying that the man in the mud house is less than a human being. We need to transit from a bare existence to a bountiful life, sadly the majority have a longer way to go in that transition, and this is what adds to the greatness of the need!
If I could shout it from every Nigerian rooftop I would: “Let EVERYONE that has breath, LIVE!!!”
The farmer, the fashion model, the housewife, the student, the rich, the poor, the educated, the illiterate, the good, the bad and the ugly: all have a right to life, liberty and security of person. And it’s your right too, so fight for it!
What is life worth to you? Bearing the components of the third right in mind my estimation of the worth of life is as follows: though I speak the most polished of grammar, and dine at the table of kings, if I be wiser than professors, stronger than athletes, and smarter than geniuses, without liberty, what I have would be acutely insignificant, without safety, what I have would be painfully meaningless, and without breath in my nostrils, all of it would be less than nothing!
William Shakespeare wrote: ‘To be, or not to be: that is the question,’ I beg to differ. For when it comes to life, the question is never ‘to be, or not to be.’ Actually there is no question; because every man, woman, boy, girl and baby that breathes has the God-given, man-declared third right simply TO BE – alive, free and safe!
- - - - -
Lady InspiroLogos - glad to be alive, free and safe!
Two days later, I entered the Martin Luther King's Day Human Rights Blog Post Competition, set up by Youngstars Foundation (youngstarsfoundation.org)
On Valentine's day I got a call informing me that I WON!
And two days later, myself and the four other winners were warmly hosted at the American Embassy Abuja by the Human Rights Officer - see all of us pictured above (I'm in the ivory dress). It was indeed an unforgettable event and a wonderful opportunity to meet with great minds and passionate hearts and I am thankful to the Youngstars team and the U.S. Embassy as well for appreciating one of my God-given gifts.
So what did I write about?
The question was thus: "There are 30 Human Rights, which one do you think your society needs the most and why?"
For personal reasons that had and still have me thanking God for the fact that I still have breath in my nostrils, my very passionate answer is the article below:
LET EVERYONE THAT HAS BREATH LIVE!
A time to be born and a time to die … a first breath and a last one… these two breaths are common to all human beings. So also are all granted the time in between these two breaths: the time to live.
Everyone has a time to live and according to article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Furthermore everyone means everyone! “without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion … national or social origin, property, birth or other status” – and that includes every member of our society.
This third right is the very one I believe our society needs to preserve the most; because all other rights stem from this one.
We all, without exception, have a right to life. And in the time we live, we also have a right to liberty, i.e. a right to be free; and we have a right to security of person, i.e. a right to be safe. My paraphrase of the third right is thus: everyone has a right to live, free and safe from everything that is a constraint or threat to that life.
- Mrs. Ignorant stays in an abusive marriage, where she has been kept silent by fear of her husband, and remains for fear of the stigma of divorce in an African society, all because she knows not that she has a right to a free and safe life.
- Mr. Indigent, genius-potential, yet can barely construct a sentence in proper English and may end up an ‘area-boy’ living under the bridge, all because poverty afforded him a lousy education on the streets.
- Little baby Ailing, born with the chronic sickle cell disease, because his parents had not the necessary education on genotype testing and life partnerships, may not live to see his 16th birthday, and worse, may live his brief life-span believing himself to be somehow less of human being.
On and on, thousands of sad tales fill our society, of illiteracy, disease, poverty, ignorance and the many other threats to our very lives. We desperately need to build in this society the structures required for our people to live, free and safe. Every Nigerian regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or status should have access to a balanced diet, clothing, safe shelter, healthcare, education, employment and dare I say good governance, these are the basic things that will allow us live, freely and safely. The gross lack of these things for the average member, and the greater majority of our society is what threatens the very lives of our people and thus the very fabric of our society.
In the UNDP 2011 Human Development Report, a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide, Nigeria ranks 156 out of 187!!! Our adult literacy rate is just 70% when there are over 45 countries with a 99% adult literacy rate, our life expectancy is age 47, a whopping 30% below world average2. Based on these statistics it is painfully evident that as Nigerian’s our third right is at stake!
The masses depend daily on hand-outs from the philanthropic few in the wealthy class – they are being given fish instead of being taught how to fish! This is just not good enough. We need the Millennium Development Goals to become Millennium Development Realities – as much to the man in the state house as the man in the mud house in the most remote village in the country; otherwise we are indirectly saying that the man in the mud house is less than a human being. We need to transit from a bare existence to a bountiful life, sadly the majority have a longer way to go in that transition, and this is what adds to the greatness of the need!
If I could shout it from every Nigerian rooftop I would: “Let EVERYONE that has breath, LIVE!!!”
The farmer, the fashion model, the housewife, the student, the rich, the poor, the educated, the illiterate, the good, the bad and the ugly: all have a right to life, liberty and security of person. And it’s your right too, so fight for it!
What is life worth to you? Bearing the components of the third right in mind my estimation of the worth of life is as follows: though I speak the most polished of grammar, and dine at the table of kings, if I be wiser than professors, stronger than athletes, and smarter than geniuses, without liberty, what I have would be acutely insignificant, without safety, what I have would be painfully meaningless, and without breath in my nostrils, all of it would be less than nothing!
William Shakespeare wrote: ‘To be, or not to be: that is the question,’ I beg to differ. For when it comes to life, the question is never ‘to be, or not to be.’ Actually there is no question; because every man, woman, boy, girl and baby that breathes has the God-given, man-declared third right simply TO BE – alive, free and safe!
- - - - -
Lady InspiroLogos - glad to be alive, free and safe!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
National Hospital or National MORGUE? ... Part 1
February 1, 2012
I requested and was granted discharge yesterday from the female medical ward of national hospital. When I was at the ward entrance preparing to leave a lady walked up to me and said she had lost her mother and was now leaving, and that the mother died because the nurses "did not bring oxygen on time!" I have no reason to doubt her because my own experience was the worst admission experience I have ever had (and as a sickle cell survivor over age 30, who has been hospitalized in several countries on four continents, that's saying a lot!) I decided since my blood transfusion was completed, other discomforts aside I had better leave while I can still walk unassisted!
Here's a little advice from me to anyone going on admission at the National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria:
National Hospital Admission Requirements by Lady I.:
Kindly take the following or be ready to do without:
1. Bed - (I was kept in a chair at the entrance the emergency area receiving I.V. Fluids (drips) for 6 hours waiting for a bed space, meanwhile a member of staff on admission had a 2-bed room all to herself).
2. Pillows - as many as required
3. Blankets (take two or three, some to place upon the lumpy, torn, poor-excuse for a mattress and on to cover yourself)
4. Fan - the A.C. may not be working.
5. Hand fans - the sockets in which to plug an electric fan may not be working
6. A. C. Remote - there is only one for the entire floor, so you will have to go to the nurses station to borrow it every time u need to regulate to A.C.
7. Bucket - none in the bathroom, upon request the nurse said patients bring their own!
8. Toilet paper - Hello? ... no explanation necessary
9. Kettle - if you need a hot bath, the one available is 'for staff' but a nurse can gladly sell you one for N2,500
10. Mop - you will need it - (the faulty plumbing resulted in water seeping into my room from the bathroom.)
11. Scarves or old clothing - to plug the massive holes in the ancient mosquito net (I had to use my t-shirt!!!)
12. Mosquito repellent and lots of it - nevertheless whatever your ailment be prepared to treat for malaria after admission
13. Magnifying glass - to carefully examine the tablets the nurses administer to you before you swallow them!
14. Ear plugs - the nurses spend hours gisting in unpleasantly loud voices so u will need these if you hope to sleep (I had to use my blackberry earphones)
15. Gloves - Alas, the Dr. cannot examine you without them, though you may purchase a pack of 6 from a willing nurse. (my roommate was approached and declined purchase!)
16 - TV: optional. (a TV stand was present in my room with no TV on it, and the ceiling above the stand had been blackened by smoke from a previous fire, i dared not ask! hmm..)
17. Wheelchair - to take you for x-rays, scans or other procedures (I rode in a creaky, dilapidated one that Mungo Park may have left while exploring the Niger - it had a rope tied across the front instead of foot pedals, and the handle fell off while the attendant was pushing me, no joke!)
18. Lots of cash in small bills - to bribe the sole attendant available to carry out any procedures relating to ur care in a timely manner (Since i did not bribe anyone, it took 3 days to get registered for a scan already paid for on the night of admission!)
19. Bottled water - you will most certainly be given several tablets with not a drop of water to swallow them!
20. Food - suggested (I was not given any meal forms on admission, no one inquired about my meals for the first two days! No matter cos I had no intention of eating the food anyway, however my roommate's exploits with the hospital kitchen staff tell me I wasn't missing anything!)
21. A phone with long-lasting battery and inexhaustible credit and doctors on speed-dial: you will have to personally call the doctors severally to make any progress with your treatment so ensure to get names and numbers of every doctor you meet.
22. Calculator - to keep monetary accounts (an attendant was sent by a nurse to tell me my deposit was exhausted and I should pay for drugs while it turns out I have an outstanding balance yet to be refunded as of today!)
23. At least 1 Able-Bodied relative/friend: this person must be ready to stay with you night and day to serve as a human call-bell for the nurses because the bells do not work and the nurses do not check u on their own; the person must be aggressive and ready to battle the nurses for your medication which is otherwise always late. (My mother, God bless her, had to personally go with a friendly doctor to get the blood for my transfusion because the nurses kept us waiting for hours claiming there was no one to go and get it!)
24. A thorough knowledge of your condition and treatment options or a Doctor friend/relative who has one and can monitor your treatment or else the more you see the less you will understand!!!!!
25. A praying tongue - if you can't pray, recruit people to pray for you, but believe me, you will know how to pray after the first night! As my mother will pray "may God not let any of us see sickness" Amen!!!
Disclaimer: - You have been advised. Failure to bring any of the above may result in any or all of the following ailments in addition to whatever you already suffer:
A - Neck and body pains from poor sleep positions
B - Red and sore eyes from little or no sleep
C - Sore throat from arguing with nurses over late and/or wrong medications
D - Diarrhoea from strange foods
E - Insomnia from creaking doors, leaking taps, mosquitoes singing and biting and loud chatter of nurses voices
F - Skin irritations, itching and/or body odours from no bathing
G - Malaria, undoubtedly!
H - Any and all other effects of negligence including worsening of your condition, new ailments altogether, and/or untimely death.
Selah!
So, what exactly happened to elicit the above advise from me?
Watch out for the story in detail:
National Hospital or National Morgue … Part 2:
Coming Soon to InspiroLogos World:
Lady InspiroLogos - Alive and Writing, Despite!!!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
My Thoughts on Valentine's Day ...
Just a little something I wrote, as featured in "A Love Story" - Vol. 1 (Magazine)
Enjoy!
- - -
Red. It’s the most popular colour of the day. A dozen red roses, perfectly scented, hand-picked and delivered to your door. Champagne on ice, served with juicy red strawberries. Presents beautifully wrapped with red satin ribbons. The Gucci curve-accentuating gown, the flawlessly-manicured shimmering fingertips, and the oh-so-kissable lips - all flaming hot RED!
Red. It’s the colour he imagines his account will soon become, as he watches his date, whom already took shopping earlier in the day, excitedly order the most expensive items on the exotic menu in rapid succession!!! Ouch.
Red. It’s the colour of her eyes and her tear-stained, flushed cheeks, as she re-reads for the umpteenth time, the text message he sent minutes before their big date: “It’s over, I’m in love with someone else ... I’m sorry.” Double-ouch.
My thoughts on valentine’s day undoubtedly include memories – the fond and the not-so-fond. How could I ever forget excitedly opening one of my very first valentine’s day cards in high school, wondering who on earth it could be from, only to discover it was addressed to one of my classmates and not me! (Apparently, she had also got my card from the same guy! Can we say ‘playa without game?’ ... funny now but believe me I wasn’t laughing then.) Anyway, one of my fondest memories came on a very uneventful valentine’s day when, late in the afternoon, I strolled into the living room and saw a card addressed to me. I carefully read it, absorbing every line and gravity of emotion in every sentence, and reaching the end, I smiled – it was from my mom.
Everyone has thoughts on the subject of valentine’s day, but I think we all agree it’s a day to express love. What that LOVE is exactly, is where we may not all be on the same page. A thousand people could give a thousand definitions, but I get my definition of love from Love itself – God. Love is patient, kind, doesn’t envy or boast, isn’t proud, rude, self-seeking or easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs and doesn’t delight in evil. It rejoices with the truth, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. (1Corinthians 13).
Well, what are my thoughts on valentine’s day? ... Hmm. I’ve never been one of those people who lament about not having a date on valentine’s day, or who insist on a significant celebration of the day; that is not to say I’m averse to commemorating it. Perhaps it’s because my birthday is four days after valentine’s day, and the anticipation of celebrating my birthday overshadows the valentine’s day fever, or perhaps it’s because I’ve actually never celebrated that day with someone I’m in love with, not yet. Thus Valentine 2011 is particularly special to me because I’m engaged, and looking forward to what in effect will be my first true “Valentine.”
In a nutshell, here’s what I really think about V-day: it should be a day to express true love, especially to the people you so often take for granted throughout the year - the one’s closest to you, those people who you actually love and treasure the most. True love doesn’t seek to receive or insist on getting - it GIVES. V-day should be a day not just to say ‘I love you’ but to show it by giving. Yes, presents are nice, (I’ll take a thoughtfully-chosen gift any day!) but far above those, the most priceless gift you can give is YOU: A listening ear... An insightful compliment... A selfless act... A timeless audience... A soft answer... An unhurried embrace... A heart-warming smile... hmm.
Red... It IS the most popular colour of the day... It’s the colour he imagines... It’s the colour of her eyes... But it’s also the colour of the fluid running in the veins of every man, woman, boy and girl – blood. Your life is in your blood; and the laying down of one’s life for another is the ultimate display of true love. Permit me to share here, an excerpt from one of my poems, titled “What’s the colour of love?”
What’s the colour of a starving family, getting a hot meal from a stranger?
Of nakedness clothed in beauty, or being rescued from intense danger?
What’s the colour of complete guilt deserving of judgement, instead receiving mercy and grace
You’re dreading disdain, but receive honour; you expect a cold shoulder, but get a warm embrace
Tell me the colour of a man laying down his life for another
One that’s neither father, nor mother, not sister or brother
Tell me that, and then my friend, the colour of love I need not name
For THAT colour and Love’s hue are one and the same!
Bottom line, I must say I do believe we should show true love to one another on every one of the other 364 days of the year; but on Valentine’s Day, it wouldn’t hurt go the extra mile, and give the ones you love, and perhaps those who have no loved ones, just a little-bit-more of YOU!
_ _ _
Lady I. - Wishing you and yours an unforgettably beautiful Valentine's Day!
Enjoy!
- - -
Red. It’s the most popular colour of the day. A dozen red roses, perfectly scented, hand-picked and delivered to your door. Champagne on ice, served with juicy red strawberries. Presents beautifully wrapped with red satin ribbons. The Gucci curve-accentuating gown, the flawlessly-manicured shimmering fingertips, and the oh-so-kissable lips - all flaming hot RED!
Red. It’s the colour he imagines his account will soon become, as he watches his date, whom already took shopping earlier in the day, excitedly order the most expensive items on the exotic menu in rapid succession!!! Ouch.
Red. It’s the colour of her eyes and her tear-stained, flushed cheeks, as she re-reads for the umpteenth time, the text message he sent minutes before their big date: “It’s over, I’m in love with someone else ... I’m sorry.” Double-ouch.
My thoughts on valentine’s day undoubtedly include memories – the fond and the not-so-fond. How could I ever forget excitedly opening one of my very first valentine’s day cards in high school, wondering who on earth it could be from, only to discover it was addressed to one of my classmates and not me! (Apparently, she had also got my card from the same guy! Can we say ‘playa without game?’ ... funny now but believe me I wasn’t laughing then.) Anyway, one of my fondest memories came on a very uneventful valentine’s day when, late in the afternoon, I strolled into the living room and saw a card addressed to me. I carefully read it, absorbing every line and gravity of emotion in every sentence, and reaching the end, I smiled – it was from my mom.
Everyone has thoughts on the subject of valentine’s day, but I think we all agree it’s a day to express love. What that LOVE is exactly, is where we may not all be on the same page. A thousand people could give a thousand definitions, but I get my definition of love from Love itself – God. Love is patient, kind, doesn’t envy or boast, isn’t proud, rude, self-seeking or easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs and doesn’t delight in evil. It rejoices with the truth, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. (1Corinthians 13).
Well, what are my thoughts on valentine’s day? ... Hmm. I’ve never been one of those people who lament about not having a date on valentine’s day, or who insist on a significant celebration of the day; that is not to say I’m averse to commemorating it. Perhaps it’s because my birthday is four days after valentine’s day, and the anticipation of celebrating my birthday overshadows the valentine’s day fever, or perhaps it’s because I’ve actually never celebrated that day with someone I’m in love with, not yet. Thus Valentine 2011 is particularly special to me because I’m engaged, and looking forward to what in effect will be my first true “Valentine.”
In a nutshell, here’s what I really think about V-day: it should be a day to express true love, especially to the people you so often take for granted throughout the year - the one’s closest to you, those people who you actually love and treasure the most. True love doesn’t seek to receive or insist on getting - it GIVES. V-day should be a day not just to say ‘I love you’ but to show it by giving. Yes, presents are nice, (I’ll take a thoughtfully-chosen gift any day!) but far above those, the most priceless gift you can give is YOU: A listening ear... An insightful compliment... A selfless act... A timeless audience... A soft answer... An unhurried embrace... A heart-warming smile... hmm.
Red... It IS the most popular colour of the day... It’s the colour he imagines... It’s the colour of her eyes... But it’s also the colour of the fluid running in the veins of every man, woman, boy and girl – blood. Your life is in your blood; and the laying down of one’s life for another is the ultimate display of true love. Permit me to share here, an excerpt from one of my poems, titled “What’s the colour of love?”
What’s the colour of a starving family, getting a hot meal from a stranger?
Of nakedness clothed in beauty, or being rescued from intense danger?
What’s the colour of complete guilt deserving of judgement, instead receiving mercy and grace
You’re dreading disdain, but receive honour; you expect a cold shoulder, but get a warm embrace
Tell me the colour of a man laying down his life for another
One that’s neither father, nor mother, not sister or brother
Tell me that, and then my friend, the colour of love I need not name
For THAT colour and Love’s hue are one and the same!
Bottom line, I must say I do believe we should show true love to one another on every one of the other 364 days of the year; but on Valentine’s Day, it wouldn’t hurt go the extra mile, and give the ones you love, and perhaps those who have no loved ones, just a little-bit-more of YOU!
_ _ _
Lady I. - Wishing you and yours an unforgettably beautiful Valentine's Day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
