Her Sides

Should he really be getting down on one knee in the middle of a crowded room and professing his love for you in the presence of absolute strangers? Does it matter if he gives you a ring formally or if you both just decide it’s time to tie the knot and you begin to make wedding plans? Are you really that hung up on the proposal or do you just want a good story to tell your friends about in years to come? Whatever scenario you choose to go with, I think it’s important that he formally proposes in a way that’s honest and memorable for both of you.  I really don’t believe that a proposal should always follow the norm—a dinner setting on Valentine’s day, with him going down on one knee and saying the magic words, “marry me.” I am an ardent advocate for creativity and honesty. I believe that the greatest proposals are the ones in which both people are comfortable enough to say how they really feel about each other without trying to put on a show—except, of course, if that’s the plan

Take a walk with me This life changing experience started when I was a freshman in college. Everything was seemingly going on as planned, or so I thought until something way bigger than I had imagined occurred and turned my life around. I went home for the weekend to spend sometime with my family. Just as I was about leaving the house the Water Corporation tanker came up to the house to supply water. The way it worked was we would bring out empty barrels and they would fill it up with water and we carry them back into the house. I figured it was one more thing to do before leaving the house so I decided to help my folks in filling the empty water barrels. I was almost done, when I slipped and landed on my right knee , just by the barrel of water inside the house. I immediately felt excruciating pains shoot up my body and I screamed out for help. My dad ran towards me, coming to my rescue. He had a friend visiting at that time and they helped me up; but I couldn't sta

  The steps of a  good  man are ordered by the  Lord , And He delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the  Lord  upholds  him with  His hand. Psalm 37:23-24 (KJV) Until I read this verse, a lot of the events in my life didn’t make sense. I couldn’t figure out why I did certain things and what came upon me that pushed me to go in a particular direction. I often wondered why I made some choices—good and bad—and what was going through my mind when I concluded on a course in life. But when I read this, it became as clear as the day. God ordered my steps, period! Military setup has always been a fascination of mine, and growing up around uniformed men fueled my interest all the more. One of the things I love about the way the army runs is order. When an order is given, it’s obeyed, no questions asked. I often wondered why someone would just do as they were told without questioning—simply believe that the person giving t

The Turning Point  Every man has a turning point in life; a point from which you know your life can never be the same again. For me, the turning point came through a scary encounter with death. Before the incidence, I had been completely focused on work. I worked almost round the clock to meet my objectives and targets at Microsoft. Five weeks before, I was on a rather long international trip, which had taken me away from my family. When I returned the only thing on my mind was to spend time with my wife. On November 22, 2009, I was very excited that I was making good my promise to take my wife out. I changed the battery of the car because it had gone flat in my absence, got dressed and was on my way to church with my wife. At about 6.20am, my black, tinted, Infiniti SUV was double-crossed by a rickety-looking car. About 6 young men came out for the rickety car and started shooting into the air with machine guns. At this point I was surprisingly very calm. I told my wi

One of the intricacies of being married is having in-laws. In my part of the world, this goes a long way to determining how happy or sad you are in marriage. I attended a number of marriage seminars before I got married and had heard a lot of talk about embracing your in-laws, but I really had no idea how important is was until I said “I do.”  My wedding day was really beautiful, everything I had dreamed of, except for the heavy rain during the reception. Thankfully, all the guests were seated comfortably in a hall, so we had nothing to worry about. I remember my wedding colors, two shades of pink, and the bridal party doting on me, making me feel really special. It was my day, my one chance to be treated like a princess, and I was loving every moment. I remember how happy and excited I was that morning when I woke up and got ready to go to the church—the hair stylist doing her thing, my sisters helping me into my dress, and my dad policing everyone to ensure that we got to ch

It can't all be fun and it can't all be serious; we all need a little bit of this and a little bit of that to live our lives in full. Finding the balance is learnt over time with experience, but it doesn't have to be your experience—you should listen and learn from those who have gone before you.  Older people have at least one thing going for them, and that's experience. They possess an aura that commands respect; it’s not their grey hair but the look in their eyes, that knowing look that says “I know what I am talking about,” and in most cases, they really do. They may not know how to use modern-day technology or navigate their way around the web, but one thing they do have is great knowledge that comes from experience. Have you ever looked an elderly person in the eye? I mean really stared into those deep black pupils? Sometimes they look distant, almost lost in thought. The layers of skin around them are mostly sagged and wrinkled. In some the eyes are dim

How daring are you?  A friend sent me this video of her niece during swimming lessons and I almost fell off my chair laughing. Her courage was both hysterical and a good reminder of what it is to be as daring as a 2-year-old. Notice how in the video little Sam throws the ball into the pool and it floats. Then she figures she could float just as well, and without a minute's notice to her unsuspecting father, she takes one incredible leap and plunges into the water. Without a thought, without fear, with absolute confidence that her father would be there if anything went wrong, she dives into the pool. As children, we all came into this world endowed with incredible courage and confidence. We believed in everything and thought we could do everything, including flying! But as we matured and life began to take us down different lanes, reality began to hit. We were cautioned against making mistakes, which gradually invited fear into our hearts. With every stroke of failure we u