Blessed Not Once But Twice

At 9 am on 10/11/12, we welcomed our beautiful daughter into the world and I'm just so awed by how God could make me bring such a jewel into the world. I've been blessed not once but twice; privileged to be a part of God's creative process. I don't take the honour lightly.

I don't take being blessed with kids lightly. I was that lady who really wanted kids but for some unexplained reason was finding it difficult. The road to having mr king was long and eventful and when we eventually got pregnant with him, we were extremely relieved and grateful.

When in March this year I found out we were expecting again, I was in shock. I had been content with being mum to one gorgeous boy and finally life could move on. We now had our much desired boy and he was just enough for me. I couldn't believe it, we weren't actively planning for another baby just yet. I was in awe. Eventually I wrapped my head around it and all I could say was God is awesome, He's bigger and mightier than what we can think. He's a miracle working God and I believe in miracles, they happen to me! A friend told me God told her he was making my life a sign. I totally agree.

I had a very uneventful pregnancy, I desired a vaginal birth although my son was born via an emergency Caesarean section. We got it. She was born perfect at 40 weeks and 5 days. It was quite a long labour but God showed Himself faithful.

Today, the eve of my 6th wedding anniversary to my wonderful hubby, I think about how faithful God has been and my heart is full of gratitude. Something we used to tell each other in our waiting period was that 'the first house in a city is not necessarily the most beautiful'. We also used to say 'delay does not mean denial'. Sometimes I wondered if those sayings were right but God's word is always true and faithful.

If you're waiting for something, find a word in the bible, hold on to it, remind God of it and even it takes a long time, God is faithful to perform His word. He's proven himself to me. He's faithful to perform what He says He'll do.

Now we've been married 6 years and we've been blessed with two lovely kids. If I had my first kid when I planned, it would still be the same thing I'd be saying.

I'm just really grateful and I feel very blessed. I'm married to a great guy, a wonderful father to our kids and God chose to bless me even when I didn't expect.

Happy anniversary to us, I'd choose my hubby over and over if I had to do it again. To the man who completes my world, I say: "I loved you yesterday, I love you today and will love you forever my darling husband. Keep being the best that you are".

On Friends and Friendships

Hello blogville (is it still called that or am I stale?lol) Lately I've been thinking about and assessing my friendships. I saw a quote somewhere that said 'friendship is not about who you've known the longest, it's about who came and never left your side'. I pondered this saying for several days and decided that it's mostly true.

I used to believe in the concept of one best friend. I'm very sentimental and emotional and when I call someone my friend, I invest a lot in the friendship emotionally. Unfortunately there are times when it seems my efforts or 'feelings' (almost sounds like I'm talking about the opposite sex) are not returned accordingly. I have come to realise it's not that these people don't like me, it's just that they see our friendship in a different light.

The bible talks about a friend who sticks closer than a brother. I reckon these are the friends who stay when you need them or the ones you can call on when you need them and you know they'll answer. They are those friends who you're not afraid to tell your innermost fears or secrets because you know they won't judge you. When you need counsel, they'll be there with the right one and when they don't have any counsel, they still listen to your ramblings, when you need a knock on the head, they can give you without being afraid. When you've done well, they're also there to rejoice with you. They can tell you the truth without blinking.

I have come to the position that not everyone is going to have that one best friend who is there through the years and knows all about you. If we do look closely though, we might be able to come up with a number of close friends who meet different needs in our lives and vice versa. If that's what we can get, then it's worth investing in the different relationships and keeping them going. Sometimes when I watch movies and see how some people have that one very close friend who is like family and knows everything about them like Oprah and Gail, I wonder what it would really be like to have that and then I realise those kind of relationships might exist but again might not be for everyone. They might also be easier to cultivate when people don't move away. These days though, it might be harder to cultivate such friendships with how much mobility we all have.

Over the years, I've watched how my mum has kept some friends. They might not see each other often but they're the same people she calls when she needs people to rally around her. They're there for her birthdays, her kids' weddings, same friends. What stands out is she didn't even meet some of these people till she was in her 30s but they have remained friends for about 30 years. They've watched each other give birth to their children, celebrated milestones together, sadly stood by some when they lost their husbands, now they're celebrating grandchildren together and many other things. My hubby and I then came to a conclusion that we haven't necessarily forged all our close friendships yet and that one could make the mistake of thinking one's life has already been lived when it's just starting actually. I'm keeping my mind open and seeing which of my present friendships or even new ones will make it into the future. I definitely want to have people to call on when I need them in the future.

In the past few years, I've met some amazing people who have been there for me in my dark times and in my good times. I want to take them with me to the future and I'm open to what God brings my way in terms of friendships. Sometimes it's as though I'm quite alone in this city where I live. I haven't lived here long enough anyway.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on friendships and learn a thing or two :)

Thankful For My Little Boy and Everything Else

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV) I've neglected blogging, yeah yeah, the busy line. My life is a flurry of activities at the moment. May God help me. I'm really grateful to God for a lot of reasons, I can't name them all. God has been far too kind so I'm just going to say what my human mind can remember. I'm so grateful for healing. The past 1 week has been a roller coaster with Mr king being admitted into hospital and all. He had to have a surgery to clear his airways. The surgery took longer than expected, apparently, he didn't breathe for some time. It was the longest 2 hours of my life. God glorified himself and brought our little charming boy back to us. He's back home now and recovering well. I'm thankful for deliverance, protection and safety for my family. Two weeks, hubby found a half dead scorpion in our dining area at night when I'd taken mr king to bed. Now Mr king is a professional cruiser and crawler and is all over the house, sometimes you find him rolling on the tiles, Next day, there was a small snake just outside where the kids play. God delivered us, I'm totally grateful. I'm thankful for that special miracle that God gave my husband and I. He's said He will use us as a sign and a wonder and He's being true to His word. I'm thankful for my darling hubby. He's just completed a programme and he made a distinction. With all he had to combine, the spirit of excellence on him is evident, God is faithful. I'm thankful for my charming little boy who's such a delight to me. He brings me so much joy with his antics and his recent love for patting my back when he's sleepy :) I'm thankful for my parents and siblings. God is keeping them alive, protecting the and giving them testimonies. I'm thankful for what God is doing in my friends' lives and helping them to make impact. Aloted's project superworking mum is really laudable. Rita has a book out that will impact lives, is making waves and will make more. So glad to have cool friends:) I'm thankful for love, for life, for friendship, for so many things. Over to you. What are you thankful for? Ps- I'm blogging from my mobile, so in case the formatting looks odd, please pardon me.