It is the beginning of many, the unsuspecting choice to love. For once a baby is born, it is absent from the surroundings it knew as it quietly grew. The baby is cold and needs a covering. What more comforting than the blanket, both soft and beautiful. It is the warmth of which allows one to live in hostile conditions. I remember the day when The thought surfaced and the thought to include it in my travels. Not knowing I would meet you in hostile surroundings, it seemed only natural to stretch forth my hand in the form of a blanket and provide warmth where needed and thus the blanket served it’s purpose.
This picture was taken soon after I said goodbye to my Ghanian family. As I waited at the airport for my plane, I did not know the blanket’s journey.
This blanket I gave to my grandmother at a funeral. A funeral is the final goodbye to a loved one. It is here the comfort of each other is ever more important. This blanket to me is goodbye.
We as family are all people at the end. We are each other’s strength, we are each other’s pride, we are each other’s hope for a different future. Simply put we are.
We must never take our families for granted be it at hello, see you later or goodbye. Let us live a life of appreciation for the gift of family. Be it by blood or by water. Let us lead our lives in a manner more purposeful and conscious. Alert to the little time we have now. Ever aware of the grueling truth that it could all change tomorrow.
It is never easy to say goodbye. As my last post in the frozen moment stories, what better picture to end with than this, A blanket. A hello and welcome to the big wide world. As a baby it is the soft comfort in the hostile world. It keeps one warm in the cold and remains a constant source of comfort. It is goodbye at the end of a journey and lives on to comfort those remaining.
27 years of blowing out the candles so as to celebrate a mile stone of having made it to another year.
Simple celebration.
But with little deliberation it is obvious the numbers are dwindling.
Before a party seemed like a sea and you didn’t know everyone’s names. But that was okay for the photograph would suffice.
It was everyone you knew and then a few more. included in the celebration of another year.
As you get older, you notice the numbers are steadily lessen.
You are drawing nearer to the ever glaring conclusion, the sea is nothing without single droplets.
To see these droplets one must isolate them individually and appreciate the beauty of this intimate moment.
In the absence of droplets, close family and friends will do and in the absence of family and loved ones, a dress in the candle light is homage and the permission, an invitation to this intimate affair for right here you are represented and presently you are here.
It was a dress bought by my grandfather for my grandmother. It was worn my my grandmother, and her daughters and now it is worn by me. Not having friends and family in close vicinity is not always the best but in ways like simply wearing this dress it was as though my grandmother was that bit closer. A moment that is cherished for years to come is made by the little choices we consciously make.
My wearing of the dress meant that it was as a conversation piece. It has ornamental value because each time I tell someone that it was my grandmother’s originally they are awe struck. It gives me that sense of pride that I too can share in the past, bring it to the present and make it available for the future. This dress in the candle light is paying homage to my grandfather. It is as though it is made of a thousand threads of gold. It’s sentimental value glistens ever more brightly in the candle light and we are drawn into the then and now.
Wisteria is a vine that climbs and acts like wall paper to the outside walls. It reaches out and aims upwards. It’s beauty is best observed from afar off as then it can be viewed in its fullness. A friend of mine who introduced me to this vine looked at the Wisteria from a far off and described the Wisteria as being in all its glory. I looked and began to appreciate it and notice the times I saw it. The first time I saw it was climbing a mansion in the West Sussex. It was the same time when we had gone to Big Church Day Out. Let me tell you, fun was an understatement.
The second time I was able to witness it in its glory was when I got lost on my way to my first Toast Masters meeting. I remember the day was one where my focus and determination to make it to that meeting meant I overcame my fear of driving on the motor way. I can say it was worth it. Unfortunately I don’t have the picture I took as one day my phone decided it would be a good idea if it deleted all my pictures. SMH
The third time was when I was sat in the comfort of my bedroom. I looked out on my windowsill and there it was. petals and all. Up until this point I had witnessed it from afar, never feeling the need to get closer. Up close it is more beautiful. A midst the spectrum of purples, the complementary yellow hides near the heart of the blossom. It often gives you a glimpse of mischievous playfulness. Similar to a petticoat under a 50’s circle dress, the odd burst of yellow is like the sun peaking every so often from behind the clouds. In the moment it peaks, it is as though delight speaks.This, as you enjoy the rays unobtrusively kissing your exposed shoulders. It is spring time. A moment of tranquility and your mind is filled with joy and peace. For in that moment looking at God’s creation you are in awe at the intricacies and poetic nuances in the peaceful purple piece.
Art .
The ability to draw attention to what is often missed.
A full stop in a world that refuses to stop and ponder.
Using what we all have available to us, it is the depiction of feeling expressed in a tangible form.
I remember looking outside my south facing window and feeling privileged to be in this moment to ponder while I wait for the next day to come.
Spring in bloom.
A majestic covering of the walls in the dripping of lilac petals.
A stroke of the creator’s paint brush
A feeling of joy and peace
A sight of a delicate dance in the wind respectfully blowing
The romance of wedding day petals in wait for the dainty feet of the bride.
There is a certain softness and a moment in which we should allow ourselves pause and appreciate the moment we are in. Now for me Wisteria brings back memories of happiness joy and contentment. From Big Church Day out to Toastmasters and simply sitting on a chair. It really is the little things that bring us to a place of happiness.
To see with one’s eyes. To hear with ones ears. To touch with one’s passion.
I admire public speakers. In fact I am a sucker for eloquence and mental agility. It is the ability to rise to the occasion and take us on the journey with you. To invite one into your mind and while you shape your thoughts with ease. I guess I would say it is the poet in me who hears the words purrr as precision and brevity take audience.
This is a description of the impromptu speeches (table topics). You have from the moment you hear your name to the time you make it to center stage to prepare for this journey. The destination being the presentation of the table topics master’s choice. Feel the rush of adrenaline whilst trying to remain calm. It really is no use as this walk is one synonymous to walking the plank on a pirate’s ship. The moment is too short and the hungry sharks are waiting for a feast. Surprisingly the words begin to flow one by one. Sentences are formed and moments relived as you see the audience begin to engage. At first it is as though you have fallen into the dark and murky water when you realise it is as though you are walking on water. You are upheld with the warm faces of encouragement. It is not a pitiful stance but instead a collective embrace letting you know that in here you are safe.
To see this with one’s eyes is a privilege as you see the cogs moving in sync with the speech. It is when she relaxes into it, the moment she begins to tell a story. The moment of vulnerability. This moment you hear the purity in her voice as her tone warms the room with honesty. It is not about the persuasiveness of her message but instead the rawness of her reality. The passion is felt as she crosses the harsh seas. Holding firm your imagination yet effortlessly gliding from thought to finish.
My club’s motto is “Learning, Orating and Laughing (LOL)” To me Toastmasters is an opportunity to experience, express and exhale. To let loose and be so consumed in the moment you forget who’s listening.
The art of public speaking. Confidence, poise and eloquence.
The Voice (In my cousin’s voice) UK!! Wow I really like this program. I like the set up and the way it has been edited. Well we all know that when they edit stuff they can make anything seem more epic or amazing and that but I can say I am sold on the epic nature of Saturday’s show!
Okay so here I was watching it on Sunday night/Monday morning cause I’m late like that lol and the first thing that got me was when Becky Hill sang Ordinary people by John Legend (it was a beautiful rendition might I add)
That was not what got me though… what I loved is what will.i.am said about it
That song is special to me… (the song was about a relationship he had been in for 9 years) you took something that’s dear, that’s a piece of my heart.. I’m sitting there saying oh my gosh you’re singing my life
but she’s singing it her way and wow it’s beautiful!” Now for those of you that didn’t know… me being one of them till I watched the show lol… he wrote the song and that song was dear to him. You could see the sincerity in his demeanor of how much that song meant to him (He didn’t get her on his team as she chose the Jessie J..) …so that was thr first tug at my heart strings
Then came this guy!!! Jaz Ellington!!
And here will.i.am expressed his disappointment in not getting Becky before and how the song was/is a piece of his heart … so Jaz went on to sing it and brought both Jessie J and will to tears ( me too…at this point the strings of my heart are being pulled in every which way as my heart is connecting with the heart of the writer) as he sang, will sat there and you could see the music was taking him to that place he was when he wrote the song. Then Danny just put the icing on the cake…
“its hard to put into words what I just saw, you know the reason why this show exists is for moments like that (…) I can’t even describe to you what that means for us musicians (…) to experience something like that. Very emotional time”
It was in that moment I saw the beauty in music and what is lost in so many songs today.. the ability to feel and believe what you are singing. I saw more than the singer’s ability to sing but the true meaning of the song through the writer’s reaction of his words. Here it is evident that singing is much more than just a catchy melody but the heart behind the words.
As a people I cannot stress enough understanding truth and grasping meaning. Having an open mind and an open heart to new possibilities and experiences will mean that you experience life instead of knowing just the definition of life, love and happiness!
With that being said.. I love the show The Voice and that for me was one of the best auditions ever!!… not because of the singing but because of the power of the words, emotion and heart evident in each singer’s rendition. For will-i-am his life and his heart… just there open for others to experience and draw inspiration.
like his experiences and motive in writing that song, I want my life to be such that it inspires other people to live.
A good friend of mine once said that he wants to die empty.. having poured out everything into others for the betterment of their lives… he wants to be a teacher. What better way of living than to teach and draw experience from people. For life is about people and people bring life yet we cannot have life if we are not living. It is however only He that gives life which is why our life is not for the taking instead it is for a specific purpose.
I saw that it is not in the words but getting a glimpse of the author’s heart that will move you and make you act in a way that you never thought possible. Take the word of God for example, only by getting a revelation and a new understanding can you appreciate the words written and be moved.
“Your heart must be engaged before the stings of your heart can play sweet music” Faith-Rose Ansah 17-04-12
We’re just ordinary people with the ability to do extraordinary things. I will ask you to live your life in an extraordinary way, fueled with passion. Who knows who you might touch 🙂
There once was a young girl who loved words. She admired eloquence in speech. She admired articulation. She loved archaic utterances and phrases with meanings only the blue moon could answer. She longed to see the day when pigs would fly, the day when she too could make her way to cloud nine. She spoke in parables, Listened in riddles and thought in prose. Some called it different, she called it art. A poet at heart she enjoyed the finer things in life. So she perceived her surroundings with an observant eye, longing for stimulation of her mind by speech and elegance.
A gentle soul, a heart of gold, she found solace in silence. Here she could be alone with her words and look and understand new words. So she continued in her love, her heart growing ever fonder of the words that would make her flounder. Make her heart skip a beat. She found no problem listening to constant reminders of beauty patience and kindness. She had none but good intentions. So she looked with the intention to see the deeper meaning of euphemisms, experience the excitement of hyperbole. Unsatisfied, she found herself wanting more. Craving that synonym would evolve into something bigger. Wishing antonyms would maybe digress and come closer. She found herself frustrated and lacking peace; no longer satisfied with her golden exterior. She found herself looking at her words as somehow inferior so she searched for a deeper feeling. One she could be in. She found herself seeing the space between the letters. She couldn’t help but focus on the void between the words.
It was then she found herself wanting what words could not deliver. She wanted more than a constant reminder. She wanted a feeling. She wanted her whole being to be lost in the moment and feel instead of focus.
It was then heard the birds sing. At once she was captivated. At once she could read no more. Instead she looked longingly at the bird which flew. She listened to the joy in his heart and from then she thought it time to follow the music. For she had found a new love. One that stimulated her heart and soul in a way she had never known. The words were no longer enough. The promise of carefully placed phrases no longer held its previous allure. She no longer felt the same for polysyllables and found herself thriving in her heart of hearts. For her soul had been awakened and her eyes opened to the deeper feeling. The feeling called life! At once she felt her heart open. She heard her voice sing. Not as she had ever done, for she could feel the music in her every part. And so she closed her eyes and felt it from the heart. It was in this moment she was once again satisfied.
She could not contain this feeling, nor keep her joy to herself so she shared herself with those who would listen. Hoping they too would catch her fever and feel what felt so right. For she was living life and she sure was full of it. She no longer found solace in silence but sang straight from the depths of her soul. As she sang and those around her heard, they ran in their thousands hoping to live also as she. Filled with happiness and peace. No longer existing but living life!
The words in this story represent the earthly promises in our current existence. The words and Earthly promises that offer no reward and there is always something missing. There is never true joy.
The music from the heart represents being born again and having true joy and peace and living life but having that allure that makes people want some of what you got! Jesus Christ. Let Him be seen in all you do and everywhere you walk that others may envy him in you. People don’t need to be told they are going to hell. Instead people need to know and realise that they are nothing without Jesus. The things they see around today are passing and cannot satisfy like he does. People should see from how you live that Jesus is so sweet. People should see that God is love. Let your love be contagious as you love God and those around you. The kind of love that means you can no longer sit still and watch people walk on by but the compassion that means you will feel the pain of others and be the reassuring person reassuring others of the rest you have entered into and the joy that is over flowing. Therefore love others like God loves you. Do not condemn but embrace and understand people. For you are the salt of the earth but Jesus is the light of the world. Let him shine into the darkness of worldly existence.