LOST AND FOUND

Hey guys! Trust you have been very well. I have been doing very well myself. It feels like the month of April did a sprint. The days went by so fast! Well, it's great to have you here again.

This is yet another piece that leaves me in awe any time I remember the events around it. So relax and enjoy as you go on this ride with me

One of the things I detest is finding  misplaced things; I am sure you know the reason. Yes, that is right.  I  do not like to look for things at all. We probably have this trait in common, or better still you have a friend who is like me☺☺ So, I am not alone😆

 Misplacing your purse that has all your important complimentary cards and your identification card as well definitely does not put a smile on your face.

One of the days in June 2010, after a very long day filled with about 2 course work deadlines, I realized later in the evening, that I had misplaced my purse. As soon as I realized, I checked my bag, it was no where to be found; searched everywhere I thought it could possibly be, still did not find it.
I began to do a mental playback of all the places I had been to that day, and all the activities, to see if any would tally with me dropping a purse somewhere. No it did not tally😔😔😔

At this point, I wished for a technology that helped people find lost purses.

I started to get worried because, all my important cards were all in the same purse. I literally couldn't do anything without the card, as my identification card which gave me access to all the buildings in school was also in the purse.
To make things worse, I did not have any of my contact in my purse, so the possibility of getting the purse was really slim.
I remember just speaking to God about it and pouring out my worries about my missing purse to Him.

Good for me it was a Friday; so I had the whole of the weekend to at least figure out the next step to take. I tried to come up with a plan but the thought of spending some money that was not planned for to replace a missing identification card was not going down well on me at all.
I decided  not to allow it bother me, and friends who knew my purse got missing began to ask if my purse was really missing as I did not look like one whose purse was missing😊😊😊

Well well, on Saturday morning, as usual I take my time to catch up on sleep that was lost in the course of the week. By the time I was ready to go out; it was noon. All dressed, I take my key and begin to lock up when I see something in the pouch on my door. My door had a pouch that people could drop messages when I am not around.  That "something" looked like my purse but I needed to be sure before screaming and jumping in excitement.  I hurriedly went to the pouch, and guess what?

Yes, it was my purse! I opened it in excitement, and every single thing was intact; including my money.
It felt very unreal to me for days and even weeks, I mean its seven years now, and when I remember, I am still in awe
.
How did it get to the pouch right on my door? Till today, I don't know, I may never know, but you know what gives me joy is the fact that God is ever mindful, and has a way of putting smiles on faces even when all hope has been lost.

It did not occur to me that I could find my purse on a platter of gold. What amazes me still is the fact that there was no information in the purse that stated my room number or how I could be reached. Irrespective of these, the purse was still found. Can you beat that?

This experience gives a reassurance that God is ever mindful, and cares about the seemingly small issues that concern you.

Have you lost something or somethings,  a friend, perhaps friends, maybe opportunities, or even time, there is hope, there is good news. When God is  involved in your life, nothing is really lost. He will compensate you in grande style for all that has been lost.

Alright, thanks for taking out time to read this. I trust you enjoyed reading  it as much as I did writing about my missing purse story. As always, do well to share. I look forward to hearing your own story of something missing that got found eventually😊😊😊
Till my next piece, have an awesome time.

Loads of Love,
Smiling D

LIFE IS EASY!!

Hey guys. It's great to have you here again. Trust you have been very well. I have been very well myself. Alright, first things first, you guys amazed me last month.

Woah! Thanks for all the shares on the post "Face It" I received messages from far and near stating how  inspiring  the post was. Trust me guys, I can't count how many times, that post  also inspired me as the writer. So, again, thanks to you my friends from all over the world. I look forward to meeting you in person very soon.

Yep! So this post is yet another that has inspired me personally, and I believe it would  do same to you and even much more. Happy reading...

It's exciting  to go to places you have not been before, as long as you have your GPS running very well, and of course all the logistics are in place. So this beautiful day,  I really wanted to go somewhere I had never been to before. I checked my map and found out that it wasn't far from my house and getting there in good time and with ease should not be a problem.

I set out, get on the train, and get off at my stop. According to my GPS, getting to my location is only a three minute walk from the train station. I get off the train, out to the street, and all of a sudden my GPS begins to play a fast one on me. Perhaps it is not;  I just cannot figure out what turn to take. I probably did not pay so much attention in my Geography class in high school 😃😃😃  Almost immediately, I hear a very subtle voice telling me to take the right turn. Against the subtle "turn right" voice I take the left. I feel that the left  turn I take is the right one to get to my destination.

 I keep walking for more than  twenty minutes, and that is when I realize that I am definitely  headed the wrong direction. I mean a three minute walk turning to a twenty minute walk is sure heading the wrong way. I go back to the train station and take the right turn and guess what, in less than three minutes I am at the location.

O my goodness! To think that if only I had listened and obeyed  when I heard the subtle voice say turn to the right, I would not have spent twenty minutes figuring out a destination which was only three minutes away from where I was initially.

This experience said something to me again,Your life is easier when you listen. What is God telling you to do or not to do and you are not quite sure about it;and as a result you go your own route? If you feel you are hearing yourself, simply be real with Him and tell Him how you feel, and He'd definitely give you clarity  and you will know what to do. Listening to His voice definitely makes life easier. You want your life to be easy? You sure do! Then listen to His voice.

Alright guys, till my next piece; have an awesome time. As always do well to share 😊😊😊😊

Loads of Love,
Smiling D.

FACE IT!

Hey guys. It's great to have you here yet again. I trust you have been very well; and your February has been great. Mine has been very great. This post means a lot to me personally and has inspired me greatly. I thought to share; to stir up something in you. As always, relax enjoy, and of course do well to share😊😊 Happy reading!

I would not consider myself as one who loves to take risks and try out new things. I would rather stay in the lane I am most comfortable in. Little did I know, that a five-day trip would launch me into a new world of taking risks.

So whilst in graduate school there was a special leadership course which was optional for students. The modules looked very interesting; courses on global perspective, global awareness and even global enterprise. I had also heard great things about the leadership course and wanted to be a part of it; so I signed up irrespective of the very high demands of graduate school.  Part of the leadership course involved having a global experience and that meant you had the opportunity to visit a country that was of interest to you. 

As a child, my dad  told my siblings and I stories of when he was in Asia and how beautiful a continent it was. He also promised my siblings and I that he would take us to Asia. Well, we couldn't go to Asia as kids; he paid us back in other currencies though😊😊😊 So when I saw a country in Asia among the lists of the countries to choose from, I did not have to think twice before signing up.

We arrived Asia safely, after so much turbulence. Well, that is a story for another day. 

 The first three days involved a lot of workshops and tours. The last two days were majorly scheduled for team building activities. I mean, that was good for me, because I love to relate with people and team work has a special place in my heart; of course when all hands are on deck.😉😉😉

On the first day of the team building activities, the  coordinator gave the list of activities we were all going to be involved in. The initial activities were really tasking but I chose not to be dettered and decided that I was going to do it.

 As soon as the last activity was mentioned, I did not have to think about it twice, I was definitely going to back off. This activity involved a lot of risks; building a raft and sailing to the sea to get a treasure and sailing back to shore. Seriously, building a raft, and sailing? In something that seemed like a minute, a thousand thoughts ran through my mind. What if we did not build it well? What if we got drowned? What if the life guards could not come to our rescue in time. No kidding, the "what if's" kept flooding the timeline of my mind. Don't blame me for all those thoughts, I am an amateur swimmer. Well even if I was a professional, we are talking about the sea here.😄😄😄 

Almost immediately, I really do not know where that courage came from; I told myself, "D, you are going to do this". Before my mind began to tell me a thousand reasons why I should not engage in this exercise, I joined my team mates and began building the raft. Did I tell you it was a competition between two teams? Oh yes it was! As soon as we were done building the raft, we began paddling and sailing in order to get the treasure. My team tried her best to get to the treasure earlier, however, the other team got it faster than we did😢😢😢.

Well, it did not really matter to me that my team did not get the treasure; what mattered to me the most was that I was able to face that great fear and do what I had never done before. Till now, I look at the pictures, and I am shocked that I faced the fear and conquered it by rising to the challenge.

 This experience also gave me the faith that I can do what I think I cannot do. This is my word for you today, whatever it is you are afraid of doing, just do it. One phrase from God's word that gives me strength is, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". So, yes, sometimes, I get scared to do some things, but when I remember this verse and my experience on the raft I get encouraged again, and say to myself, D, you can do it, with God by your side you sure can do it.

You know what touched me the most in this experience, a lady came to me, and said, when she saw me engage in those tasking activities, she was motivated and said to herself, "If a lady like this can do it, I sure can". Guess what guys? She did all the activities I did as well; conquering her fears.

 I read something some years ago which said, "Do it afraid". So whatever it is, just face it, and do it. As I end this post, I am saying to myself and to you as well,  start doing all the things you have been afraid of doing, face it, and conquer it, and always remember that with God on your side, nothing is impossible.

I look forward to hearing your amazing story of conquest over that issue of dread.

Till my next piece, have an awesome time.

Loads of Love,

Smiling D.

PEN IT! SAY IT!

Hey guys!! It is always a delight having you here. I trust you have been having an amazing 2017. I am so excited about what this year holds. I have a great feeling that it's going to be an amazing year.  I am looking forward to every month, in fact everyday in this new year. You should too!😁😁

Oh yes, I know it is the end of the month already, but I needed to drop this to inspire someone as this has also inspired me. It's no news that you've got loads of plans for this year, that is really awesome. I am really optimistic that all your plans will come to fruition in the course of the year.

Relax and enjoy.................

So, four years ago, I had a desire to host an event for young adults, and to say I knew how to go about all the logistics would not be the truth. Yes, I always imagined the event being really grande and affecting all the participants positively, but when I thought about the execution, it sent chills down my spine.

Before, I began speaking to people about the plans, and requesting some of them to be part of the team, I drafted all I wanted to see at the event.  Everyday I took the draft and said it to myself. It got so good that I did not need my phone or printed sheet to say what I wanted to see at the event. I had said it over and over again that every part of me was conversant with the draft.

As soon as I had people who were happy to work with me on the project, I handed out the small printed piece, which contained everything I wanted to see at the event.  I told them to kindly read it out everyday, calling those things that are not as though they were.

It took several months preparing for the event, and eventually the big day came. Amazingly, all what I wrote in that small piece happened at that event. After the event, I took out the piece and compared what happened at the event to what was on the piece, it was just exactly what I wrote.

It's four years now and guess what? I still have that piece, and every time I look at it, it brings smiles to my face and reminds me that  what I speak has a great potential of becoming. So this month, all through this year, get yourself a journal, write all you want to see in every aspect of your life  and begin to say it everyday.

If you need to set an alarm to remind you that hey, its time to speak life, please do. Sooner than you think, perhaps later,  but at the very right time, it would still become your reality

Don't  stop thinking big no matter what comes your way. Don't stop talking big, no matter what life throws at you. I know from previous experiences, that speaking life eventually brings life. So, begin creating that beautiful tomorrow by writing it down and speaking about it today and everyday.

When it becomes a reality, as I know it would do well to share your joy. I look forward to hearing your amazing story.

Till my next piece have an awesome time. Oh, yes! As always, do well to share.😄😄

Loads of Love,
Smiling D

WARMTH ALERT!!

Hey guys! Merry Christmas in arrears; trust you had a great time with family and friends. I had a great time too.

 Yippee!!! I am so excited that in few days it would be a new year. A big thanks for making this year worthwhile, your comments,  likes, and shares put smiles on my face. It is always great to have you savor all the posts that come your way. 

 As 2016, gradually takes a bow, I thought to share this personal experience with you. The memory leaves, me in awe. Relax, enjoy, and do well to share. 

A couple years ago, I relocated to England. Prior to my relocation, I lived all my life in Western Africa; Nigeria to be precise which is typically very hot for the most part of the year. I hear and read about how the weather in England could get extremely cold. All these stories still was not a reality to me. 

Few weeks upon my arrival, reality becomes crystal clear. One beautiful day, the winter makes a grand entrance. The snow keeps pouring down for six hours nonstop.  I am not in the comfort of my house when it starts;  all I look forward to is getting to the warmth of my room. I get home very late and to say it is a cold evening would be an understatement. I have a quick hot dinner head to my room, get dressed like an onions in preparation for sleep. I tuck myself underneath the duvet, so confident that the next time I am waking up would be when my alarm goes off. 

On the contrary, in less than twenty minutes, I am up.  I just cannot sleep. I am literally freezing.  Don't forget, I am layered in warm clothing; my windows are shut as well. To think that my thoughts were that being in the comfort of my room with windows shut will keep me warm. No, they did not. Shivering continuously, I get off my bed. I head down where the meter is and try so hard to turn on the heating of the house. All to no avail. Did I mention it was my first week in the house? Oh yes, it was! I totally forget to ask my housemate how to operate the heating of the house. 

The worse part of the evening is that she is not home and will not return until dawn. After several attempts with no record success, I resolve to go back to my room. As I climb the stairs to my room, I am shivering. I lay on my bed under my duvet and speak to God with clattering teeth. I say, "God, I cannot sleep. I am so cold, please help me, I need to sleep".

Almost immediately guys, the strangest thing happens. I feel a blanket over me. I am not even kidding. I feel a blanket over me guys. Before I know it I become very warm, and in no time, I sleep off. The next time I am up is when my alarm is blaring. Of course, I snooze for another fifteen minutes before I finally get up.This is one experience; I just can never forget. 

Yes, it still is a mystery to me, but it did happen. It was that moment I realize again that God is indeed mindful of everything that has to do with me. Of course you too. If He did it for me, He can do much more for you. You can have amazing personal experiences with Jesus. 

So in this season,and even beyond, get personal with Him,and whatever is a concern, big or small,  He'd be right there by your side to help you. Give this a try and I look forward to reading your own experience.  Do well to tell a friend to tell another friend to read this. 

Loads of Love,
Smiling D.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Hey guys! Happy happy thanksgiving. It's thanksgiving today,and I am so excited. To say I had an amazing time with family and loved ones will be an understatement. Oh the food was sooo good! Even before dinner started, seeing all the food on the table brought joy to my heart *smiles. I mean from the mashed potatoes, to the gravy to the cranberry sauce to the turkey and of course not leaving out the very known Nigerian jollof rice. I really had to tell myself to take it easy on those delicacies.
Okay guys, enough of the food jist,I see you salivating already.*smiles.
 The highlight of today's thanksgiving, was when everyone on the table had to say what they were grateful for. That session brought tears of joy to almost every other person on the table as everyone had something to be thankful for. There's so much to be thankful for guys. You just may say there's really nothing to be thankful for,but you know what there is. You are alive, that's one thing to be thankful for.
 Sometimes, I get confused as to what to wear for a function, but that state of confusion makes me have an attitude of gratitude because I am able to choose from a number of clothes, shoes, and jewelries. That's something to be grateful for. Sometimes, I get tired washing the piles of plate in the sink, but when that begins to happen, I remember that the piles of plate simply means that there is so much to eat in the house. Oh some other times, I don't just want to lift a finger to do a chore at home,but almost immediately, the chores tell me to be grateful cause I have a house to live. Some other times,I am not just excited about the situations in the present, and just then I remember,that how I enjoy my today will determine the memories I have of them tomorrow, so I then decide to have a heart of thanksgiving. One thing that came to me as a dew of the morning, is to be thankful about my bright and beautiful  future. So,amidst the situation you are going through today, have fun enjoying with loved ones  because when you are thankful,it opens doors for more amazing things.  Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Loadsof Love,
Smiling D.

SOMETHINGNEW!

Hey guys! Good to have you here. There is good news guys. You want to give it a guess?...........
Yippee!!! Star's Delight is introducing podcasts. Awesome experiences and inspirations will be shared on various podcasts from Star's Delight,and we trust you would have an awesome time listening to the various podcasts that would be coming your way. As always,do well to share.  Happy listening guys!
 Here is the link http://mixlr.com/smiling-d/showreel/goodnews-2/
Loads of Love,
                                                                             Smiling D
 

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