Un-LEash

Since this new phase of building relationships begun, I continued to cultivate habits to build the most important relationship I have - with God. See previous post on this. But as I evaluated where I hope to be, there are some things which I need to take account of. I had greater clarity in what I need and where I should be focused. In this new season (i.e., phase II), I want to grow beyond my comfort zone. I want to take chances and stop making excuses. I want to have a space condusive to the types of relationships I want and need. I want to continually remember that humility and forgiveness are fundamental to all relationships and to actively practice them everyday. I want to be the friend that is there, night or day, and feel burdened for my friends when they are burdened. I want to show love without even having saying those three words. I want to know when to let go of some relationships and which ones to strengthen. I want to know when to back off and when to step up. I want to u...

There are some moments in life I will never forgot, and the day my grandma passed is one of them. I was away from home, in Semester 2 of my Masters programme and trying to do my best to maintain good grades and my scholarship. It was a Saturday morning, and I was at my temporary home. The minute the call came in I knew. I remember crying on the bed and feeling so incredibly sad and alone. February 9 will always be a day I'll remember. But the December before that fateful day I will also never forget. I came home for Christmas, and grandma was celebrating her 80th birthday. There is one particular moment that stands out. One night, she was lying down and I was beside her. She did what she used to do when I was a child - she sang hymns. And I sang with her. It was hard because it was at the fore of my mind that that could be the last such moment I would have with her. It turns out I was right. A part of me wanted to be elsewhere, but I chose to remain and bear it...I am so very glad...

Christian or not, Job is one of the most controversial books of the Bible. I know I've had my fair share of questions - Who really wrote it? How did the author get such prime access to Divine happenings to know what happens in the heavenly realm in such fine detail? And how is God's response to Job so well documented? I can't say I have all the answers, but in faith, I am believing that the book is true...after all, that why it's faith! In preparation for my Sunday School class, I read through a part of Job again, specifically Job 38 and 39. I've read these chapters several times before, but it was only today that it hit me - God used his Sovereignty over science (primarily nature) to give Job the perspective he needed! Job had gone through a lot - he lost his wealth in the form of livestock, he lost servants, and lost his children. To add insult to injury, he then lost his health - sores and boils of the worse kind. His friends went through a slew of reasons why...

A few months ago, I started to recount my time in the Philippines - that was Part 1 . Let's now conclude the story with Part 2. By Thursday, W had been released from the hospital and was cleared to fly. Yay ! This was an answer to prayer, because I had already discussed with the planning team an extension to my time there just in case W needed to remain longer. But that wasn't necessary. We had sessions and a field visit from Mon to Thurs, and on Friday, we prepared to go home. Our flight was in the night so we had to day to ourselves. One of the Jamaicans - AH (not among the original team as he got days before) was my company for the day. We went exploring on foot, chilling and chatting. It was a good little impromptu tour. When it was time to head back to the hotel, it rained but we managed. We did get to eat different types of food and pretend to play the piano though. Keto cake Final meal in Manila Pretending to play the piano at one of the fanciest malls ...

I am a part of a church that tries to make a difference in whatever way we can in a downtown community. We do it by building relationships with the people who then allow us into their personal space. Only then can lasting and impacting change take place. Today, we met for our community walks...only today was a little different for me. I have options in terms of where I drive, and today I chose to drive one particular way, even though I was wondering why I would choose to go that way. I then had all sorts of alternatives in my head as to how I could avoid going where I was headed, but after a while I just drove as planned. When I was almost at my destination, I came upon an accident. It seem to have happened not too long before I got there. One car was in a light pole, and another was half way across the road, blocking one of the two lanes of traffic. I noticed that a lady was sitting on the side of the road, while some gentlemen were walking around, talking etc. I pulled over to see ...

In 2009, I started a journey of building my professional career, growing my character, and gaining confidence in a job that I enjoyed. I was the first person to work in that post, and I feel as though I did justice to it despite whatever challenges I have had. I met some wonderful persons and helped to build a culture of environmental sustainability. But after almost 10 years, I left. One may wonder if it was because I wasn't being fulfilled, or I didn't like working with the persons there. That couldn't be further from the truth! The opportunity to change jobs presented itself, I applied and successful! I struggled with whether it was the right move, particularly because such major changes are not easy for me and I loved what I did before. But in the end, I took the dive in faith! I felt as though God was saying that the time had come, and with that, I started my new post in October. Other reasons for the change was the increase in salary and the fact that change may be ...

THE BEGINNING: I've been to over 20 countries, most of them because of my job. But I can hands-down say I've never had a more adventurous, tiring, character-building, adrenaline-pumping trip than the one I took to the Philippines in May of this year. This post is going to be long, so I decided to do it two parts. My being nominated to go to the Philippines was because boss and manager in the division were both unable to go. No issues here! I've never been there and it was seen as another opportunity to see another part of the world. I also was to present on an area that I had to do research; it was a challenge, but I was up for it. I discovered that it would be four of us going including someone from my office (let's call him LJ). He had his itinerary first, so I changed mine to match his. Others - another female (let's call her W), and another male (let's call him J). It was therefore an even split of males and females. UP IN THE AIR AND IN-BETWEEN: The d...