Sunday, July 26, 2009

What you’re looking for...


Some while ago I asked the young lady staying with me to look for a particular napkin that we used mostly for my baby, or well, he’s more of a toddler now. I gave her the colour to remind her and left her to the search while I did something else. Minutes passed and then I checked on her, and was somewhat taken aback that she was yet to locate it. And then it actually dawned on me, does she know what she is looking for, so I had to ask her, “Do you know what you are looking for?”

While I pondered over this later that morning it struck me that the same problem affects us all in life. Do we really know what it is we are looking for? Truth is, knowing exactly what you’re looking for prevents you from missing it when it comes your way and to know exactly where to get it.

Taking you back to the napkin search for instance, if this young lady had remembered the exact napkin, she’ll recall it had been washed, ironed and kept. The challenge would now be to know where it wouldn’t have been kept and search the more likely places first. But as it were, she was checking anywhere possible for something that may match what I needed.

In relationships for instance, particularly one that could lead to marriage, my counsel had always been to know the kind of spouse you want. Many say it’s not nice to be too rigid, but truth is, if you can’t stand for your choice and wait for it, you’ll probably settle for anyone. Before I met my husband, I had a list of the must have’s for instance (maybe what many ladies would want though), God fearing, God loving, Intelligent, Caring and yeah with a good sense of humour. With God’s favour, when he came by, I knew it. The same would go for a job, an opportunity to bless, even material things like houses, cars et al.

If you don’t want to miss that thing when it comes, if you want to be able to sift through the available options quickly, if you want to know where you can start your search, then take time out to itemize the description or quality of what you’re looking for. You may need to even prioritize the list where applicable and probably ask around from valid sources (for me this includes God often), and on many occasions I have found what I was looking for. Taking this back to you…What are you looking for?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

A Legacy

Within the past 2/3 weeks, 2 well known people to me have passed on. One is the popular king of pop – Michael Jackson and the other a mum to a good friend of the family. Both news came with shock for me, because they were unexpected. Really, death is an unexpected event. Despite the fact that we all know one day we’ll leave this world, yet that “day “ is unknown.
These ones and many who have gone before them would have left such gaps in the hearts and lives of those who knew and loved them, but more especially memories and experiences. It has made me ponder therefore that what kind of memory and experience would we leave behind after we are gone? What legacy would we be passing on to those coming after?
Even if the day comes long after some of us may desire, our every day now must matter. Truth is, some things we do or say that may seem unimportant may be making such significant impressions in the life of that person we may not know or be related to, who will meet us or come in contact with us. So our conscious daily living would have to go beyond those we are related to us or those we know. Michael for instance never knew who Bukola Ogunfayo was, but I was a fan of his while growing up and particularly like the ‘...do you remember the time...” musical video and a few others he released. Also, this mum of our friend never had much interaction with me, but I recall her using her laptop at our friend’s on a visit to their house once and I was impressed that someone of the older generation was familiar with such tool.
How have you lived your life thus far, and what legacy would you want to leave behind? What would you like to be remembered for after you no longer walk this earth? I have reached, before now, a point of trying to affect lives positively, that led me to starting FOOTSTEPS, but I’m further challenged t o do more. To live better, to respond better, to talk better, to be better, so that one life somewhere will be blessed I was there. Also, I believe in life after death, that is why a long time ago, I dedicated my life to Jesus Christ and live consciously of His presence. Lastly, I will maximize my moments with loved ones and have good fun when I can.
What about you?