AND THE NEW YEAR STARTS…

I have met many people in my life’s journey and I must say I consider myself extremely blessed to have met all. I want to say I appreciate you all. The best birthday blessing you can give me is to read and comment on this. It will go a long way to show how much you appreciate my March 28 this year.
A few hours ago, the calendar again turned for me, the year increased and the age changed yet again. I feel so blessed to be alive to add another year again with the different scenes in my eventful years playing all over again, allowing nostalgia to creep in quietly. I feel so lucky after treading so many paths – the illegal and legal, the good and bad, the ones that make me proud and the ones I regret. All in all, ope ni fun eleda mi to fun mi ni oore ofe lati wa laye (thanks to my maker for the grace to be alive).
I have had cause to be a student in many institutions while I was growing up steadily. However, we all remain students in the university of life. If you agree with me, that is where we live and school; the Boarding House where we only either make ourselves independent or enslaved as there are in my views no House Masters, Mistresses, Prefects or what have you. You report to the maker who has given you full control over your life to either make or mar it.
Without the input of many people in my past and present, I would have no chance to be here, neither will I be chanced to ink my mind. To the maker who yearly increases my age, experience, and maybe wisdom, I say thanks for giving me the chance to strut my stuff in the University of Life. It always is a privilege, never a right. It always will be a privilege I will appreciate till I return to the dust from where he molded me.
I can imagine how Momma felt seeing her first bundle of joy, the first result of her union with Dad. I’m trying to picture how Dad looked that beautiful Wednesday morning years ago. My Dad would sure have been grinning from ear to ear telling whoever cared that he did the ‘arrange’ that brought that baby over there into the world. To make matters funny, due to the fact that they place lots of premium on the male child, he would have been the proudest Adam in the whole wide world that morning.
The hen has finally hatched; the chick has become the cock now, going after Eves to also do his own thing his preferred way. Right from my nursery school days at Bodija International and Oritamefa Baptist Schools, I have always had this sense of responsibility, not wanting to disappoint anyone. That has stood me in good stead while I steadily grew ‘like a weed’. Having one of the best upbringings, modest but rich in values and love, I have been blessed every year of my life and I expect a lot more blessings as I add this to the years.
It is not as if birthdays are strange to me, this however is a special one for many who know the reason behind the ‘special’. I decided not to really look forward to it for a couple of reasons but common sense along with the thankful heart in me presently has overtaken that initial carefree attitude I had about my birthday celebration of this year. I have refused to get discouraged with some things which look as though they are not going my way now, I have decided to count my blessings.
I want to live after I die. Life after death is what people will say after I die, and I’m ready to be prayed for in death and my fruits, the seeds of my loins, be blessed for having a father that was and is a blessing to humanity. Nobody knows when he will exit this world. I therefore want to do all I must, the ‘dos’ and the ‘musts’ right on time so that it if I die today, it would be said that I was a blessing to all. I’m getting old and I’m trying to see what I’ve brought to the world. I want to be remembered for bringing love to the world and joy to the people.
Folks who are younger than me have achieved a lot more than what I’m currently boasting about. Contrastingly however, I have older folks who have not achieved a quarter of what I have achieved. I ask the creator for just one chance and that is to right all my wrongs and be the reason people celebrate and rejoice. Meanwhile, thanks for reading this, you have effectively wished me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.