Rainy day

On a rainy day,

the skies are grey,

The weather determines,

what we wear

how much we care.... for our well-being.

But at some point, it begins to clear up

and it's no longer gloomy, in fact, its beautiful..

Rainy day,

sometimes I really don't like you

but you wash away

all the dirt and filth

and everything

is clean again.

When the sky clears, after a rainy day

it's like dawn, a new beginning

a new chance to start over,

to be clean again.

Just like Christ washed away our sins with His blood,
so the rain washes away the stain of dirt

So thank you, Rainy day

and when you do go away,

we'll be glad to see you back again,
but only after a while!

Born to lead

Being born to lead may seem quite automatic. I mean, if it's an inborn quality, it's got to be as easy as breathing, right? You don't even have to exert yourself to do it. But is there really such a thing as a "born leader"? Are only certain people born to lead? Or is everyone born to lead in their own capacity?

 I may not be able to effectively answer those questions at this point in time but I've been learning many things about leadership recently. Some from the lectures of my class on 'Interpersonal communication' and some from God. Well, actually, mostly from God. :)
Among the most obvious things I've been reminded of is: leadership is not sitting on people and being domineering and dictatorial. I guess that disqualifies most of the presidents that Africa has seen.

 Something I had never realised is that leadership is not the position given to you by people. It is instead, a conscious decision made on a personal level. Being appointed 'chairperson' or 'class leader' or even 'school captain' does not necessarily make you a leader. Doesn't sound quite right, huh? It is true that leadership qualities have been seen in you and that's probably why you were appointed so, but You only become a leader when you decide to take charge of the situation, to coordinate necessary activites and remain accountable to your role. Before this conscious decision is made however, you're just a leader by name. Maybe you didn't even want that position but didn't turn it down because you felt you had no choice. Or maybe, you took the position so that you would enjoy the priviledges that come with it. That's why we see people in positions of leadership and think to ourselves, "Why on earth are they in that position if they're not doing what you're supposed to do?"  Sometimes, you can clearly see that they do not even want to be there.

God knows just how much this has opened my eyes to the truth and importance of leadership. As my philosophy lecturer once said,
     "A leader is one who knows the way,
           shows the way
                  and goes the way".

So in that case, does every one of us have the capacity to lead? Why do the 'wrong kind' of people get such important positions?  I'm still thinking and mulling that one over. One thing I do know though is a good leader always has a heart of servitude. And when they serve effectively, they too receive service in return.

What say you?

Over the last couple of months I've been reading Francine Rivers' 'Mark of the Lion' series and the three books have had a remarkable effect on me. I hope to be a proper writer one day and I really admire people like Francine who are able to use their gift as a form of ministry, 'cause that's what it is. Whenever I will write a story, God-willing, I'd want anyone to be able to see Christ woven within that story. I'd want it to be like eating pancakes flavoured with just a sprinkle of cinnamon. The amount of cinammon is just enough so you can taste it, but not too much that you can't taste the pancake anymore...that's kinda how I see Francine employing Christianity in her books. I pray that I will be able to do that in my own writings.

So the first book, "A Voice in the Wind" made me think a lot about professing your faith in Christ during difficult times and relying only on the strength you get from God. The story is set during the Roman era after Jerusalem was destroyed by Emperor Titus and revolves around a young Jewish girl named Hadassah who is taken captive and sold as a slave in Rome. Despite all the hardships she faced, she still managed to serve with love and at the end, her simple way of life led everyone to Christ. It made me sit and assess my own life. I found myself asking questions like 'If I were in the same position, would I act the same way?'

Forgiveness is one of the most important aspects in life. Unforgiveness can cost you eternal life yet sometimes, we don't fully understand the magnitude of forgiveness. We say we forgive but then everytime we see the person we can't talk to them naturally without having feelings of bitterness towards them. It's hard, I admit, it's hard to completely forgive as God does, but that's what He asks of us. Forgive, as Christ forgave you. Complete forgiveness means restoration of the broken relationship between you and the 'offender' (for lack of a better word). That means that you treat them as you did before the offense, love them, care genuinly, share with them... O God, even as I write this I can't help thinking, "That's difficult!" However, all things are possible through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.
This is my prayer for myself and those around me...that we will learn what true forgiveness is and let go of the natural need for vengeance we have deep within.

Forgive, forget, heal and live joyfully.

BTW: the photo is from another blog...

Camera work

yes!!!!

It finally worked! :) this was the photo meant to go with the post "This little light of mine". I took it myself on my first digital camera.

And the light shone through the darkness....

Is chivalry really dead?

I've heard people say 'chivalry is dead' and I've even used the phrase a few times myself. One day however, I was in a situation where I found myself thinking that chivalry must really be dead.

It was the usual morning rush hour when everyone in Nairobi is either trying to get to work or school and my normal priviledges of being dropped off at school had been momentarily taken away. So there I was, with the rest of the wananchi, waiting for a matatu to get me halfway to school.  As much as taking public transport in the mornings was a bit of a foreign concept to me, the moment I got to the bus stop, I knew that particular morning would prove to be a difficult one. There was already a tremendous amount of traffic accumulating on the highway and every matatu that passed was full. Since things were not looking too promising, my mother and I decided to walk to the bigger bus terminal, where we would have more hope of getting a bus or matatu.
On getting there, the crowd of people waiting was a clear indication that our luck had run out. There were no public vehicles in need of extra passengers. Just as we were giving up hope, a matatu came charging 50 ksh... 20shillings extra the normal rate. Not that anyone cared about the extra charge. In a moment there was a group of people, men and women alike, shoving and pushing to get on the 14 seater. My mother was lucky enough to get a seat. I was right behind her but some other ladies who decided that their business in town was more urgent than mine, unceremoniously pushed me out of the way and sat on the two remaining seats.
"That's what you get for being nice," I told myself, trying to get over the shock of being so blatantly mistreated. Fortunately enough, another matatu came in less than five minutes and not only was it bigger, but it was also charging the normal rate! The process of getting on however, was another story altogether. Every time I'd get close to the door, a man would push me out of the way, or stretch his arm over me and grab onto the bars next to the door so he would get on first. And each time it happened, it would be a man. By the time I got on, the only empty seats left were at the extreme back and I couldn't help but notice that the number of men was considerably more than the women. That's why by the time I sat down, I'd decided that chivalry was indeed dead. As dead as a doorknob (or a dodo, as my mom would say :) )
But then I found myself wondering what chivalry actually meant, who started it and who decided what passed for being 'chivalrous'. According to the Oxford Dictionaries online, 'chivalry' is defined as:

the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code: the age of chivalry

the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, namely courage, honour, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak: tales of chivalry and knightly deeds

courteous behaviour, especially that of a man towards women: he still retained a sense of chivalry towards women

Reading this definition helped me realise that chivalry is not a common behavioural trait for good reasons. It first came about during the medieval times when knights still played an active role in their society and women did not have much rights, if they had any at all. A knight was expected to be courageous, honourable, courteous, just and ready to help the weak. Even before you bring in his behaviour towards women, he was already such a gentleman. So what happened? Would it be just to say that how men are being brought up today is the cause of the death of chivalry? Or is it the way women are fighting for equality with their male counterparts? If you ask me, there's no way women and men can be completely equal. I agree with how women equality started out, because before women had rights, they were treated worse than animals. But it's now gone a little bit too far with women wanting to be able to do everything a man can do. I'd still want a man to take out the trash for me, open a door, fix the light bulb, change a tyre... All this is stuff I can do myself, but it feels nice to have a man do it for me. It helps me appreciate him more, and I believe he feels appreciated in return. Maybe it's just the way I was raised or the influence of the environment I've grown up in, but according to me, that's how the world is supposed to be. And that's why despite having experienced it a couple of times, I still get shocked when a man shoves me at the bus stop so he can get on first. I don't blame him, he probably knows from first-hand experience that being courteous will cost him a bus ride home, so he does what he has to do. But does it have to be that way? I'll let you decide for yourselves.

I'm hopeful of at least one thing...not all men lack the courtesy. Some still surprise us women with their 'chivalric' behaviour, whether they realise it or not. I just wish they were the majority.

Teaching old dogs new tricks...

While on holiday I’d been re-instated as the official dog handler at home, a position I hadn’t held in a while. All it required was cooking for Leo(our German Shepherd), giving him his food at the appropriate time and maybe, if I felt up to it, take him for a walk.

“Piece of cake!” I found myself thinking. But I’d forgotten about putting Leo back in his kennel in the morning, something he hated with all his doggy heart. He’d rather even have a bath, that’s how much he hated going back into his kennel. So I thought I’d be crafty and tempt him with a bowl of milk. It worked the first day; Leo followed me all the way to his house and went straight for the milk I placed in the middle of the floor. He was too busy lapping it up to notice when I locked the door behind him.

With such a successful first day, I was sure the same would play out the next day. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wrong about something before like I was then.

I started out as usual with the bowl of milk. Leo had realized by then that I was replacing the person who usually put him in and so he very cleverly sat at a distance and watched me walk to his kennel and put the milk inside. When I came closer, he immediately shot off like a rocket and kept his distance. I tried using all the commands he’d been ‘trained’ to respond to but to no avail. He did not ‘come’ when I told him to, neither did he ‘sit’ when I said he should. Instead, he gave me an amused look, tongue lolling out of his mouth, and ran off to chase the crows.

Frustrated, I decided to try one last thing and get out his leash so that he would come to me. It worked! Like the obedient dog that Leo sometimes is, he came running to me and sat as still as he could while I put him on his leash. Now, the plan was to leash him and force him into his kennel, but Leo had something else in mind. Once he was sure he was on his leash, off he ran in the direction of the gate. When I didn’t follow, he came back to where I was standing and ran off again towards the gate. He wanted to go for a walk! His mind had registered ‘walk’ the moment he saw ‘leash’ and there was nothing else that he would do until he had his walk.

By that point in time, I was at the end of my wits, so I gave up and let Leo stay out that day and enjoy his freedom. I blame the guy who usually handles Leo…he didn’t stick to the initial obedience training. Well, it's obviously too late now, the damage is done. And I've learnt you truly can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 

Even if the dog’s just 4 years old.

A more beautiful you

Something came to my realization this week. It's one of those things that you know at the back of your mind but when a new angle of the same fact comes up, it gives it a whole new meaning. So what I realised was this: there is no woman who does not want to feel and look beautiful, however stubborn or 'tomboy-ish' she may seem to be.

A few things helped me come to this realization, one of them being a reality show called "How do I look?". Under normal circumstances, you would not find me watching reality shows...they're just not my cup of tea. But this show caught my eye for many reasons, the first one being that it actually helps bring about positive change in people's lives. I'm sure those of you who've never heard of the show are probably lost by now, so i'll try and explain. :)
"How do I look?" is a show that gives women a chance to get a totally new look, from wardrobe to hair and make-up. To be a participant of this show however, you need to be signed up by friends and relatives who have had enough of your current look and feel you need a change. The women who come on this show...it's appalling at how badly they dress. It ranges from very suggestive and scandalous clothing to wearing sack-like, unflattering clothes. Most of them come on the show with a defensive attitude and start off not willing to change how they dress, even if it's directly affecting their interpersonal relationships. Once they've gone through the whole show and  have seen just how negatively their dressing affects their lives and  their friends and family, they willingly change how they dress.

Being a reality show, some may say that it's not actually real and that its scripted just like any other television show, but I find it difficult to believe what goes on in that show is all scripted. Watching the transformation that takes place in the women who participate is amazing. My mom and I usually watch it together and although we may not always like the end result, you can tell that the women feel beautiful at the end of it all. The 'before' and 'after' is not only noticeable in the clothes, the hair and the make-up, but also in how they stand, how they carry themselves...their confidence gets a major booster shot. All most of these women needed was to be shown that they could look beautiful and feel attractive once more. And although the show does not do a follow-up I'm sure those women don't go back to the awful looks they had before their make-over.
My best part of the show is at the end, after the revealing of the 'new' woman, when she gets a gift from the show. The gift always has something to do with the woman's current or prospective career and provides a great foundation for them to keep pursuing their dreams. If you ask me, "How do I look?" does more of helping the woman re-discover her beauty, intellect and skills than it does giving her a new look.

I'd said it was a few things that helped me realise all women yearn to feel and look beautiful. Well, actually, it was just two things. The second was my one-time chance at being a runway model!
My mother's friend has a clothes shop and she wanted to advertise her new stock with a flourish, so she organised a mini fashion show. I'm glad she decided not to use professional models because that gave my sister, her niece, her friends and myself a chance of a lifetime to be runway models. Her clothes range from size 8 to size 20 and so did the models. And you know what, the older and more full-bodied women looked better than us size 8's! :D We all felt beautiful that night and we helped the women watching the show know that they could look just as beautiful. None of us models was the 'ideal' body height, weight and shape for models but it didn't matter. We had fun, strutted ourselves and showed off a wonderful collection. It was an amazing experience. I wish every woman could get a chance to experience it.

To all the women, I know you've heard this from different sources, but you are beautiful, no matter what anyone may say. And if I may quote Johnny Diaz on his song: 'there can never be a more beautiful you'. It's so true that when you feel beautiful, it oozes out of your pores and you look even more beautiful on the outside. So even as you enjoy spending time with family and friends this christmas, feel beautiful, speak beautifully, smell beautiful, you are beautiful.

Merry Christmas beautiful people!!

this little light of mine...

I've been trying to post a photo I took for a while now but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I was really hoping to have that photo accompany this particular post for two reasons: one, it's the first photo I took with my first digital camera :) and two, it would have perfectly illustrated the main idea in this post. (In the new and improved edited version of this post, the photo's below!!)

The importance of light is one of the things we take for granted every day. It hit me with the constant power outtages of a few weeks ago when God knows what Kenya Power (or Kenya Paraffin as Clay Muganda referred to them) were up to. Those few moments after the lights go out are critical...they distinguish those with generators from those who use back-up lights, and the rest of us, who use candles. And for a few moments, you're groping in the dark, searching for the matches, then the candles, then something to put the candle in as it slowly drips hot wax on your fingers before you can breathe a sigh of relief. Now you can see again. 

Darkness is a prominent fear for many children and some people struggle with this fear until adulthood, especially those with traumatic events in their past. That in itself should show just how important light is to us. Without light, it becomes almost impossible to do anything. You can't read in poor light, it will spoil your eyes. You can't be sure of what you're cooking 'cause you can't see everything in the sufuria, you can easily cook an insect without knowing! You get the drift...

When I was thinking about this, I thought those who wear spectacles would relate better, I know I do. Every time I get brand new lenses for my spectacles, I walk out of the optician's and I'm amazed at how clear everything looks. It's like I'd been looking at the world through a blurry glass pane and someone replaced it with a brand new crystal clear one. It's one of the most amazing feelings in this world. And all this is possible....just because of light.

No wonder Christ used the parable of a light on a hill to explain what Christianity should be like. Think about it. Who in their right mind, would light a lamp, then put it under a table? Unless they're looking for something specifically underneath that table, they'd probably put the lamp on the table, not under it. And when a traveller is out in the darkness, they always look for light, because they know once they find the light, they'll probably find people and lodging.

  That's why it does not make any sense for someone to call themselves a Christian and your actions are not seen to be Christ-like. We used to sing,

   "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

     this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

     this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

     let it shine, let it shine, let it shine"

Everyone has a light to shine; everyone has something to share; everyone has a story to tell. It may not be easy to shine your light in today's ever-changing world, but light the candle anyway. It may flare up then look like its dying down, but if you're patient enough, it will get stronger and burn brighter.

King Solomon is recognized in history as the wealthiest man who's ever lived. Yet despite all his wealth, Solomon sat down one day and said it was all meaningless. Every pleasure he had pursued, every treasure he owned, he likened it to 'chasing the wind'. Have you ever tried to imagine what chasing wind is like? You cannot even see wind! How on earth is it even sensible to even think about chasing it? Now imagine all the wealth you can ever attain in today's world. It's all meaningless.

Today's reading from Our Daily Bread looks at what is valuable through the writings of Solomon and the conclusion they come to is that its the small things in life that make sense. Like waking up in the morning, taking a breath of fresh air, being able to see, feel, touch. Those are the meaningful things in life.

LE PREMIERE!

Love is a wonderful thing to experience, especially on special days like birthdays!!

The birth of this blog is associated with my special day and is one of the many ways I was showered with love and appreciation. This year, I was not so sure how my birthday would turn out 'cause I knew my mom wouldn't be around to bake me her infamous cakes like every other year...and I would be sitting exams on the day itself. That's why I thank God for the gift of love and friendship. My birthday was made special by those I hold dear, those I love and treasure, those I call friends and family. And despite the presence of an exam bang in the middle of my day, the day turned out to be wonderful.

It got me thinking...
Everyone deserves to feel loved and appreciated on their birthday. And everyone can.
The best thing about it is you don't need much money to do this. All someone needs are heartfelt wishes and appreciation from their friends and family.

Everyone should be able to use their birthday as a chance to look back and thank God, not just for life, but all the good things that came with the year. This should be especially true for believers for we know that Jesus Christ came not just to give us life, but life in abundance. It reminds me of the song we used to sing in Sunday school: “Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done, count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done”. This song is extremely practical…try it even now. Just think of all the good things in your life and you’ll feel better!

So for those of you born in December like me, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! We're blessed to be born in a month when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Borrow a leaf from my friends' book and use this season to spread love around!

Merry Christmas in advance! :) 

Joyeux anniversaire mon amour.

Salut Sheena, tu veux dire le monde à moi et vous êtes la meilleure chose qui me soit jamais arrivée. Ses sept mois maintenant et je suis amoureuse de chaque moment. Chaque fois que votre beauté me fait sursauter. vous êtes belle. votre beauté ne peut être égalé à aucune autre. Vous êtes la vraie essence du mot lui-même.

Je veux passer le reste de ma vie avec toi chérie entier. Vous êtes la raison que j'ai l'énergie pour aller après mes rêves. tu es mon rêve ultime.

Trois ont été persistantes mot sur ​​mes lèvres pendant un bon moment maintenant et ce que d'autres moment spécial que cela pour les dire.

Je t'aime.

Je t'aime.

Je t'aime.

Joyeux anniversaire mon amour.