Your situation is not as bad as you think it is!!!

I'd like to share with you a story that happened decades back in the western part of Africa, in Nigeria to be precise.
     A young man, successful by every standard: highly placed in the society,  a commissioner to his state government, happily married and with kids. He was the envy of his peers, respected by his associates, & greatly loved by those who were opportuned to know him. All seemed to be going well for this young commissioner until.. disaster struck.
    His wife was blessed with the friut of the womb once again, hurriedly travel plans were put together for her to travel to put to bed abroad. A few weeks to her time for delivery, she travelled in the company of her brother.. After putting to bed safely, she set out for Nigeria.
    The proud father of the newly born baby expectantly waited to see his wife and baby. The other kids waited the arrival of their new brother /sister.
When finally the mother and child landed at the airport in the then Nation's capital (Lagos). The proud, excited father sent out an advance welcome party (consisting of the other kids and an elderly relative) from their enugu base to Lagos to welcome the Mother and child.
    They arrived Lagos safely, exchanged pleasantries excitedly and then they set off on a trip that was bound to change their lives and those of their loved ones for ever. They all (except for her brother who had to go back to pick up a material which they had forgotten, with the intention of coming after) took off on a flight from Lagos which was bound for their Enugu base but was to never make it.
The Plane crashed.
All the members of that family on board, perished.
    The man on that single day lost his wife, mother-in-law, children, & 'new-born child'. To him his world had ended. He felt he had lost every reason to live on. HE GAVE UP LIVING.
He resigned his appointment, sold his properties and moved to his hometown to live without purpose. In his grief he considered life in his old rural family house too comfortable: life in a place affected by unstable power, unclean water, etc.
    He again moved, but this time to his farmland to live. He built a hut in the middle of his farmland, surrounded by bushes and wild animals and away from human companion or civilisation. He must have wondered "why fight on. why live on"...
...  
    Last time i heard, he was rescued by the love of his family & friends and lived to tell the tale. it's not time to feel pity or sorry for him, cos God knows why he allowed it all to happen, when it happened, and how it happened. I am telling you this to encourage you to hold on and be strong, for what ever tide you face surely will pass away & joy shall come in the morning.
REJOICE & HOLD- ON.

love pt 1

Love...
Looks beautiful to new lovers..
Looks either so perfect or outrageously stupid to non-lovers..
Looks natural to insiders..


Love is not just a feeling, its a way of life..
Love is not just an emotional place to go to, its a world to live in..
Love is not just about how you feel, it makes you conscious of what the other person feels..
...

Love should never make you cry, a loved one could..
Love never regrets, infatuation, obsession, & lust has more regrets than the word regret..
Love never asks, it gives..
Love never ends, every other thing that has a beginning does have an end..
Love can neither be separated by distance, time, nor space..
...

Love is the only word that no definition has been able to do justice to..
Love has no boundaries..
Love is not possessive.. It is rather generous..
Love is selfless..
...
In love, we feel secure..
In love, we find shoulders to lean on..to cry on..
In love there is that arm to hold & uphold us..
...
Love never condemn, it corrects..
Love doesn't ignore wrong, it completely forgives..
...
Love is love.
...

love pt 1

Failure an ingredient for success: Thomas Edison

“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

Thomas Edison.

Failure! Failure! Failure!

That much dreaded result that no one wants or expects to have. The society abhors it, and individuals have learnt to do same. Failure is the inability to; achieve a preset goal, hit a preset aim or target, inability to get a particular/expected result, or plainly the inability to achieve a preset objective. It occurs due to: difficulty of the task, lack of adequate preparation for the task, or occurrence of ‘unseen circumstances’ during the process of trying to achieve a preset goal or result. 

Failure as defined by the inventor is the process of learning how not to do a thing (a learning process!). From his definition, we are to view failure from a positive standpoint. Thomas Edison who discovered the electric light bulb did not find it to be an all easy or ‘rossy’ venture. It is widely known that he had a couple of failures and setbacks in the quest for the electric light bulb. These failures where more than enough to discourage him from going further but his mentality, perception, and dedication kept him going at a time when intellectuality could do little or nothing to assuage the fears and doubts that had been built in the minds of those around -at that time-. He could as well have given up and relented from moving further and the price to pay would be a society of huts and lanterns in the 21^st century and beyond, up until another ‘Edison’ came along. Edison’s numerous failures were not a result of laziness or a lack of preparedness for as we can read from an excerpt culled from a Microsoft Encarta article on his life and work ethic:    

“Edison worked on his experiments with extraordinary intensity. He lived in his laboratory, getting along on four hours of sleep a day and eating meals brought to him by an assistant. He often kept vigils of 48 and even 72 hours when an experiment neared completion. Often, as in the cases of the electric light, the storage battery, and the experiments on synthetic rubber, success or failure depended on the discovery of a suitable material. In each case, he conducted thousands of experiments to find the right materials.
Before starting an experiment, Edison tried to read all the literature on the subject to avoid repeating experiments that other people had already conducted.” Perhaps the best illustration of Edison's working methods is his own famous statement: 'Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Accordingly a ‘genius’ is often merely a talented person who has done all of his homework.’

A Day with Thomas Edison

In 1922 filmmakers recorded a day in the life of American inventor Thomas Edison. From the first practical version of the lightbulb to systems for distributing electricity, Edison’s inventions quickly became essential to modern life. As seen in this film, he continued to work at his laboratories into his late 70s.

From the above we deduce and rightly so that Thomas Edison was rather a workaholic, he focused on his work so much that he spent little time with his family. He avoided most social situations, and often wore dirty shirts and shabby working clothes. Many of his associates also spoke of Edison’s virtues, however, such as good humor, even disposition, honesty, and genuine affection for his family.

Now we are left to wonder how a man with such work ethic -who seemed to at all time dot his I’s and cross his T’s- could have had as much failures as he did. Edison was always well researched and prepared for his experiments and work before he engaged in them. So we see, clearly, that failure was only a part of his preparation. In more than a few occasions they clearly paid off. I wouldn’t be wrong to say that if he had not failed severally he wouldn’t have succeeded once - so true- and I am sure he knew that and so he seemed to ‘enjoy’ it, though he hoped to change it (succeed).

We must learn to always be positive, because that same positivity is what we would breathe into all that we do and those around us: giving birth to hope, for ourselves and others. The message is not to love ‘failing’, but to use it as a stepping stone to greater success. To see every bad result as an opportunity to do better in the next try. To see every ‘No’ as an opportunity to ask again and get a ‘Yes’. To see every time we get knocked down and out as an opportunity to get right back-in and get victory in a rematch. To see every time we miss a target or goal as an opportunity to aim again and score a point... in whatever endeavour. Failure is a good enough reason to try again at succeeding. As a popular saying goes; nothing good comes easy and so we just have to try, try, and try again till we get it right. For the person we need to feel pity for is not the man who keeps on falling but the man who falls and never gets up.

Our motto should be; never back down regardless of what may, keep up the fight, stay in that race, with your eyes on the prize, for when you at the end brace the tape, all the sweat and tears shed on the way shall do nothing but make your victory priceless and your tale more sweet to the ear.

HOLD ON!!

Written by

Okoli Godson.

                                                        Thomas Edison

Farewell message to the graduating class 2006/2007 of lumen christi international high school, as delivered by Rev Fr. Theophilus Itaman. (Principal)

How time flies; it still seems like it was only yesterday that you were admitted into this noble institution as mere little boys into JS1. Today, the story is different as you have all grown into formidable young men who have been trained and refined in this citadel of learning and are now set to face the world's challenges. Schools like Lumen christi are designed to turn the student up (recruiting), sort them out (admissions), shape them up (teaching), shake them up (examination), and pass them on (graduation and placement). That is exactly what this school has done in your lives.
         I came into this school when you had been promoted into SS2, i watched you closely and saw a class of very promising talented boys. Together, we worked and you arrived at your final class in the secondary school, you continued to exhibit signs of maturity and greatness. One thing makes your class stand out as a unique set: your togetherness, the unity, and the team spirit. You all have been one in your work and play, you were always prepared to suffer together and laugh together. I must put on record that this is a very commendable virtue.
         As you leave the four walls of this school, this community and family, it is only proper that as your Father, your principal, your big brother and friend, i should give you a farewell message that you must take with you as leave to face the world as our ambassadors. While you were here, you learnt so many things from everyone within this community and your lives have been affected and touched by all that you imbibed from being students of Lumen Christi International High School.
         Learn to be yourself always no matter the circumstance, be principled, and be worthy of trust. According to the chinese philosopher, Confucius;"it is only when the leader is truly a leader, when the lawyer is truly a lawyer, when the doctor is truly a doctor, when the soldier is truly a soldier, when the teacher is truly a teacher, when the policeman is truly a policeman, when the husband is truly a husband, when the wife is truly a wife, and the child is tuly a child ... it is only then that our society can be restored."
         It was Joseph Fort Newton who said: a man is educated when he knows how to live, how to hope, how to pray,and is not afriad to die. As an educated person, watch the company you keep, for evil company corrupts good manners. Cultivate the virtue of patience; never be too much in a hurry, your time will come just be patient and be focused. Do not be afraid of hard work as enduring sucess is guaranteed by hardwork. Be prepared to be of service to both God and man. Be decent and modest in your appearance, in your speech and in all your actions;these make the difference between a man of honour and a man of the world. Above all, prayer is the master key. Give God first place in your lives and trust him to lead you.
         I have no doubt in mind that if you could pattern your lives after the above principles, you will suceed wherever you find yourselves. There is a saying that everything that has a begining must have an end; you began a journey through this school and have come to its end. It is always a difficult task to say goodbye to dear ones but the Lumen family has no choice but to bid you farewell, we shall miss you but it is time for you to leave us. Remember your motto always:"THE BEST OR NOTHING". We wish that you be the very best in all your life's endeavours. As you go, may God bless all of you. Wishing you luck as we bid you goodbye.