Life
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26. Numbered Days
For the fourth time in a month and a bit, I have been reminded of death, and dying – particularly dying young and what those who survive are left to deal with. The first of these was listening in to a thanksgiving service for S, someone I had only loosely known from church over the… Continue reading
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8. Re: Running Behind
Photo by Andy Beales on Unsplash — In her Granta essay, Running Behind, author Stephanie Wambugu reflects on her relationship with (a lack of) punctuality. Weddings and church services are specifically noted in the piece – no surprise to anyone who grew up in an African context. As someone who is fiercely protective of their… Continue reading
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5. Small chops
The train home for me passes through Feltham, home to perhaps one of the more visible Nigerian food spots in Surrey. Today on a whim, I opted for a pit stop, aiming to satisfy my cravings for some hot spicy food. Tucking in when I finally made it home, I felt transported to one of… Continue reading
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4. Music & Me: On Life in a Song
The Poets & Writers prompt, Music and Me had me thinking about how many of my memories of growing up are inextricably linked to music. One example which has stayed with me for a long time relates to the Mariah Carey / Whitney Houston duet When You Believe. Growing up as I did in a… Continue reading
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1 . Of Rituals and Of Rest
For the Grateful Living poem/prompt of the month: Tea — I am finding that life with two little children can come at you fast; a constant battle for space, attention and clarity of thought. On any given day it is a struggle to prevent the almost five year old from plunging headfirst down the stairs… Continue reading
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The Best of Times… The Worst of Times
Photo by Bram Naus on Unsplash — Time and time again, I find Charles Dicken’s well worn opening to A Tale of Two Cities, the most apt way to summarise my year(s); the best and the worst inextricably mixed in my days. Whilst I have switched to wrapping my year around my birthday, most recently… Continue reading
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Being Seen
Photo by Marques Thomas on Unsplash — I catch his eye as I am trying to decide which aisle to go through, or if – with my stack of stuff – I can sneak through the self service tills. We exchange the nod, which I chalk up to being nothing more than that universally black,… Continue reading
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On Coffee and Conversation
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash — She is usually putting the coffee machine through its paces by the time I arrive on most days, she being the lady who keeps our machine ticking along, the water fountain up to snuff and our daily fruit bowl topped up. The wait for me is usually somewhere… Continue reading
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46: All In
Teetering on the edge of turning 46, nothing seems more representative of the past few years than a sense of drifting. I have to go back to October of 2019 when the chance to head out on my last stint of prodigaling came through to remember a time I felt genuinely excited. That sense of… Continue reading
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Becoming Prodigal – An Origin Story of Sorts
Image Source: Jon Tyson on Unsplash — I trace the beginnings of my faith journey to Easter of 1992, the enduring image of the day being standing alongside forty or so other people at the front of the bare, minimally decorated Assembly Hall of the College of Education Ekiadolor. I was there because I had been dragged there by my… Continue reading