MAMA's

So mother's day is here again and its pretty neat. The message at church was about the wonderful women of the Bible including Mary, Rahab and Moses' mom. It is pretty amazing what mothers do, you know. They cook and clean and have our best interest at heart. My mother just cracked me up when I called her this afternoon. She always make me laugh so hard with her unjaded vision of the world... yet she always warns of the dangers of this world and how not everyone may be wanting your success! I love her! Anyways, I called my aunt too who was not having such a great day because my cousin was being a typical teenager(rebellious).

Anywho, I wish I had lots of money 'cos the first thing I would do is take my mum on a well deserved vacation from home. She has been so dedicated in her effort to create a home for us that she totally forgot about herself and her dreams and aspirations. My mother lived in the UK for 6 months when were kids and after she got back, she promised she was never going to leave her children to be looked after by other people... and she hasn't been outside Ghana since then. Now that is commitment! Sometimes I wish I was more like her; so prayerful and God-fearing and such a warrior!

Anyway, to all the mothers who constantly seek all the good in the world for your children, I say happy mother's day and may God bless you for your efforts!

hrmph...money

Uhm...so I've been thinking about writing for a while now but I have just been putting it off because there's too much to write about. Sometimes I feel like I think too much about one topic and then when I don't feel like talking about it anymore, I go off on a tangent when that particular topic is not exhausted but I will try to stay on course. So I have realised that a lot of my friends are always complaining about how "broke" they are. Even my very well off friends always complain about being broke when they really are not. I do have issues with that. Why is it so wrong to talk about money? I s'pose if you really do have enough money to take care of yourself or you can ask your parents for some form of support when you are in a bind, you really should not complain and whine when people who are really in need are.

I think growing up, I was always made aware of my parents financial situation. If my father told us he did not have enough money, he was for real and we all understood that. I guess I could say that most of the kids I went to school with were from pretty affluent families and so they probably could not identify with being trully broke. I know people who can just call home and ask for money to be wired to them and it will be done. Just like that...and you know what they do with all that money? Go shopping! Seriously! I guess I could honestly say that my parents are not doing so bad at this moment in their life 'cos they got all our college education out of the way except Evelyn's. I am so proud of my parents for taking care of their own and other people's children especially putting others through school. That must not be so easy!!!

Sometimes I wonder if people's selfish behavior may be a result of getting everything they ever wanted without really having worked for it. A lot of kids I grew up with need to learn the art of giving and helping friends out when they are desperately in need without really expecting anything in return. I think it can be pretty difficult to do but I hope that someday when I make enough money, I can be as generous as people have been towards me. Maybe I can write someone a check for $300-$500 for someone's birthday like SM does!

hmmm...

So my little mind is still wondering and wandering as usual!... I have come to the conclusion that people can be very interesting, (as if no one knew that already) but our behavior towards one another can be very appalling! No wonder my parents love to watch National Geographic footages of animal life! Oh well, I was just thinking"what if we always said whatever we were thinking at exactly the time when we are thinking it?" No inhibitions whatsoever? Lord have mercy! That would probably start another war right? But really, what prevents us from being honest with each other? Is it the fear of rejection or being social outcasts. From the look of things, a lot of people do feel like social outcasts already so why don't we just blurt out our thoughts!? I have learned something about myself recently! Ah, the pursuit of self knowledge or awareness! Priceless! I think the reason why I don't care about some of my relationships with some of my friends is because I already have a very supportive family, my sisters are like my very best friends, my husband is an awesome listener so it makes it hard for me to have to deal with other people's crap!...lol... Sometimes T and I talk about friends and hanging out and all that "normal" people supposedly do. People always say it is not good not to have many friends when you get exclusive with a guy but my question is" what if the guy/girl is genuinely awesomer than your loser friends?...lol...uhm...I don't mean my friends are losers. Not at all. Actually, I have some pretty amazing friends. The thing is, for me, once I can offload on someone other than my hubby, and laugh and cry about stuff to my family without fear of judgement, that's the most important thing to me. Does anyone really need a ton of fake-a$$ friends instead of the very few good ones?...Certainly not! Oh Crap, its getting late. I forgot that I have to volunteer tommorow...off to catch some zzzzz:-)

Sheer Bliss!

I am blissfully happy!...I could try to explain but it will be x-rated so lets just leave it at that. I love ma boo! So I just got back from L.A.,California! Yes the trip did happen. Can I get an Amen!? Anyways, this was my first time so it was pretty low-key, no hunting for stars or anything crazy like that. It was great just to have some girl time u know. We (Mammie and Abena) stayed at Atsere Sika's place...hehe...I wish they had apartments like that in GR...dem apartments is nice!!! Child, you should see them. Anywho, I took the red eye flight back so I only got in this morning. We went totally crazy with the vanity shots on Hollywood Blvd. Loved it!...Anywho, I love the landscaping in LA! I love that you can see the hills and mountains all around even in the city! Totally awesome. It made Michigan seem so flat and boring from the plane. There's just too many people though. It looks like the houses are almost ontop of each other in some places but it has a very homey feel! Oh and it is a shopper's paradise too! Designer stuff and knock-offs!...too much! I love the blend of so many ethnic groups. It kind of reminds me of London a little bit. There's so much in my head that I want to put on here but I have to sit down and think it through. I need to be as articulate as I can be. we took lots of pictures!...Do I hear vanity!?...yeah but it was great!

cool

I was feeling pretty sexy today! Hubby took me out on a date. We haven't been on one in a little while. Dinner and a movie is always great! It was pretty sweet! We got all dressed up and stuff. He was looking pretty hot if I must say so maself.;)Anywho, I loved it. Things are looking pretty great too on the immigration side. God really is good.

I learned yesterday that "We cannot know the heart of God unless we have a heart for God." Sometimes I get a little confused with my thoughts about God but I think that's when I know I've taken it too far. I don't know what to make of Oprah's and Eckhart Tolle's whole teaching. All I can say is, I'm glad I didn't buy the book or join in the class. It just all seems too wierd to me. A lot of things seem to be twisted and I just don't know what to make of it. It feels like a new age teaching but if it is helping people to be better I guess it can't be all bad right? Oh well...

Did I tell you I love Baffour? If you wondering who that is...it's ma hubby;)he ain' t perfect but he's just right for me. We all can't be perfect:) He does little things that make me really happy and he doesn't follow any crowd or try to conform to anything and its awesome! I am thankful for that! He is quiet sometimes but he stands up for what he believes in. He makes me a better person because he always encourages me to keep a rein on my tongue.(It can be very difficult for me to do that especially when I am all passionate about an issue) I could go on but you don't want to hear all that. I could start preaching up in here!

I am not sleepy at all. I hope this California trip becomes a reality. Will be cool...Peace and hair grease! and peace in the Middle East!

ADDICT?

So I have finally come to the conclusion that I am a sucker for fashion. I am not necessarily trendy but I love to put whatever I feel good in together and it is a pleasure to hear people comment on how they look. Am I conceited and self absorbed then? I don't think so. Anyways, I have also come to the conclusion that:
1. I am a night owl
2. I am addicted to spicy/slightly salty food
3. I kind of enjoy soda/pop when it is available but I can overdose on water on certain days!
4. I am beginning to care too much about my body since I am technically sharing it with someone but I acknowledge that it is because I want that person(precious hubby) to appreciate it as much as I do.
5. I don't obsess about calories like most Americans do
6. I love reality TV... (bad habit!...it's got to go soon!)
7. I need to read more and write more poetry like I used to
8. I can actually come off as really quiet and shy!(outrageous!)
9. I do not care about some friends as much as I do and I need to work on it
10. I can be very legalistic
11. I sometimes care too much about what people think
12. I love some of my friends a lot and wish they were actually family
13. I am passionate about my family
14. I love Pina Coladas with no Banana:)
15. Banku is a weakness...add some grilled tilapia and its over!
16. I think about God and what He means to me a lot...constantly
17. I hate lies, being lied to, hypocrites and even the slightest form of deception is very distasteful to me
18. I am not perfect but I don't wallow in my imperfections
19. Infact I believe I am very special to God in a way that most people won't get
20. I am tired but not very sleepy right now... this shd go in my "about me" section

Another one of those GORGEOUS days!

It is absolutely awesomely beautiful outside right now but I don't really have much to do out there. I want to go for a walk but I'm feeling lazy like I've been for the past (almost)one year! Very bad huh? I've seriously gained like almost 7 pounds in the last year which is very weird for me because I did not gain more than 2 pounds my whole time in college. Gosh I guess I'm growing and my metabolism is slowing down. I've also been more idle than I have ever been in my life so that explains it. If you read this and you know me and you're thinking "big deal, you skinny one"...well let me tell you a secret, I was my heaviest in High school! Of all the places to be chubby, high school!? but I guess it was better being in boarding school at the time than anywhere else. I am very scared of gaining weight but I eat whatever I want! Does that make sense? If most people ate half as much as I eat most of the time, they will be very miserable with the weight so I am thankful in a way that all the BANKU I eat does not show on my body all the time!...lol...I have never blogged about food or my weight before so this is a little wierd for me I think. Oh I cut my hair shorter! and my behind is getting bigger but I don't mind one bit!

Best Friday!

So I woke up this morning and almost missed an opportunity to celebrate my identity! I wonder what meaning Easter has for people. For some people its Easter eggs and all the crap that America has made it to be. How can the significance of this day be reduced to such a thing? I missed service at my church which was at 11am but I made it to Grand Rapids First and it was pretty awesome. As I was sitting there listening to the pastor, it hit me all of a sudden that my identity as a believer is stemmed from this single act of kindness by someone who first loved me enough to go on the cross for me! Ah...what an amazing act! I've been thinking of this song most of the day even though up till today I still don't know all the lyrics. Thank goodness for search engines huh?...hehehe

Words and music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song;This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.What heights of love, what depths of peace,When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.My comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless Babe!This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save.‘Til on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.For ev’ry sin on Him was laid; here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain;Then, bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again!And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the pow’r of Christ in me;From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand;‘Til He returns or calls me home, here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!

I love the Best Friday!!!....

I can't help but wonder at the depth of love I feel when I ponder over these words! Thank you Jesus!

Friends?

I probably would get a lot of people mad at me after reading this...or not if they really look deep down in their heart and realize the truth about life and friendships. So I was in the shower yesterday(yes the shower!) and had this epiphany!...Well not exactly; I was just thinking as usual about stuff that happen during the day. At this particular instance, I was reminisching over my life and especially about the friends I've lost and the ones I've kept intentionally over the year. I guess I was thinking about the grace of God and how I have not been able to extend the same kind of grace to the friends who have hurt me in one way or the other over the past few years. Its one of the things that I do think about a lot. If you're wondering who's all that picture, that's me and my 3 sisters, Eunice, Joana and Evelyn!

A few years back, some friends of mine spread some rumors which I believed put my honor in question. That's an entry for another day. Who really thinks about honor these days? Anyways, so all te friends in question got on the phone and ganged up against the supposed instigator. I must say we acted like a bunch of grade schoolers and up till today, I wish it had not happened even though it straightened some things out. This brings me back to the whole friendship thing. Friendship is a very important aspect of everyones life. For me, even having a single friend who is true and faithful is better than having a ton of friends who only pretend to have your best interest at heart. From all the friendships I've experienced over the years, the ones who have made my life richer, are the ones who didn't speak maliciously about other people or make other people believe they were better than you. The ones who enriched my life are the ones who gave their best to me without expecting anything in return.

So really, what does it benefit some people when they insinuate and hint at untrue things about other people? I'm no exception; I've said things or thought things about certain people without even really knowing them and it really makes me sad to realize this. There's people that I have also cut off for good in my life because of little things but I'm working on not coming off us the perfect one all the time. It is difficult to deal with people because no matter what, you will always be let down because no one is perfect.

Beautiful Day...

Its so lovley outside! I went out to lunch with ma Calvin girls. It was pretty good times. Anyways, I've spent more time at Calvin this week than I have in years!...I guess I kind of missed being back there. Anyways, so we got to talking about relationships with people outside your own race. I guess it is the much easier alternative you know. It takes a lot of work to keep a relationship with people from different backgrounds. I'm not speaking from experience but from what other people have told me so I do stand to be corrected. I remember telling T that if I hadn't married him, I probably would have married a caucasian or any other race. I think I always say that but maybe when it came to actually working on it, it probably would have presented a lot of challenge. Its really amazing how I never really thought about issues like this until I started college in a far away place. I guess when you walk around a place where most people are outwardly like you, yout tend not to really consider it. Now I am acutely aware of people and being careful not to offend anyone. Sometimes it gets a little uncomfortable for me when people try so hard to be careful around me. It reminds me that I am so different from all these faces around.

My biggest thing I guess was being the only black(in my case milk chocolate with a touch of caramel) face in class. Sometimes when they would talk about issues affecting African Americans, I would get these stares or looks like I am representing all African Americans when I am not even American in the first place. In my opinion, racism will never be eliminated. Racial tolerance is what we should strive for. I know some people think they are not racist or prejudiced but we all are. Anyone can go ahead and chew me out for that but think about it...we pass little comments and think negative thoughts about some people every now and then which we will not necessarily voice out in the midst of them. Anyways, it is my opinion right?...I still got lots of questions! Peace in the Middle East!