Intruding into a family’s grief

I’ve just spent this evening in a bonding session with my niece. We made the stew together, made some rice and sat down to watch Michael Jackson’s memorial. Just an uncle and her niece.

And again, I was struck that although everyone idolised him, MJ was just a man after all. A great man, but a man.

I listened to his music and remembered that he didn’t just sing about boy meets girl. OK, he sang ’she’s out of my life’ but he also did ‘thriller’, ‘bad’, and many more. His great hits include ‘black or white’,'heal the world’ and ‘man in the mirror’.

But this was a time to focus on the person, the stories we heard less of, the Michael Jackson when he wasn’t singing or dancing. One superstar after another recounted stories of Michael, dealing with everyday human problems on a Jacksonesque scale. We learned from a fellow superstar, who’d been living the life since 11 months that at 5, Michael was a late starter. Today, we heard about the Michael who just loved to have fun, to laugh, even if that was after sneaking into Liz Taylor’s room to take a peek at her wedding dress and finding her sleeping in the room.

But we also found that his favourite song was ’smile’, not even written by him, but by Charlie Chaplain. I think it’s on the History album as well, isn’t it? And his brother Jermaine sang it with tears. This same brother had ritten the song ‘word to the bad’. You see, even superstar families quarrel; when they do, it can be so public that we forget that like families all over the world, they still love each other.

There was this black congresswoman telling us why she’d moved a motion in the federal house that MJ should be declared a national hero. MJ had been to the hospitals to see American casualties of the Iraq war. He’d talked to world leaders about HIV, helped struggling charities, hospitals, etc. In one sense, he’s probably America’s answer to Princess Diana (I’m sure some others have made the comparison, I don’t read too many newspapers these days).

Now I’m sure many would have spoken to an old woman a few weeks before her death and assured her you were praying for her, but who has the distinction of speaking to Mrs Luther King, wife of the legendary Martin, and an activist in her own right. And did you make that special call, taking time out of a musical tour as far away as the Middle East? Bernice, daughter of the Luther Kings, told us about the call, and how it brought a smile to her mother, who at that time could hardly speak, the effect of a stroke.

My niece was brilliant, describing things to me, so that I heard the music and ’saw’ what was happening. I’d been enjoying her visit so much, but I’d begun to feel I was finally getting old. She’d ask me about a singer I’d never heard about. I thought I was still up there, but she has Facebook, U-Tube, all sorts of other places, and I’m now struggling to keep up. Gone are the days when I could hold my own in any record quiz. But K girl knows Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie, by music and by sight. When I was growing up, I too knew music two decades before I was born. I’ll have to try her on Frank Sinatra.

Well, I’m not so old as not to know Usher, and was moved by his rendition of one of my favourite Michael songs, ‘gone too soon’. It’s on the Dangerous album, was never released as a single, and was written in memory of Ryan White, a young boy who died of AIDS. It was appropriate for MJ, and K described how Usher walked up to the casket. Then, there was We are the world. I remember thinking in my own cynical way, when Michael and Lionel wrote the song that they were just cashing in on crisis. I bought the record of course and liked it too, including so many other songs on the album that nobody else played. Then, he spoiled my illusion by writing songs like ‘heal the world’ and ‘gone too soon’ and I started to think of him as someone who actually cared.

You know what that preacher and activist said? I won’t write down his name for fear of wrecking the spelling. He said “some of you came to say goodbye, I came to say thank you”. He said something else, a reference to the child abuse allegations, but I can’t exactly remember. I’ll probably edit this post after visiting U-tube.

Marlon Jackson told of the story of walking into a store and seeing a man looking old and dishevelled, picking CDs. He walked over to the man and said “Michael, what are you doing here” and Michael said “how did you know it was me”? For most of the time, I wished I could change the channel, but first, there was no other channel, and second, I couldn’t tear myself away. And as Paris, firstborn of Michael interrupted Marlon’s speech to say her two sentences, delivered in floods of tears, I heard the CNN reporters say how brave she was. What do you expect? She’s just a 12 year old missing her dad, any other 12 year old would probably do the same, but this time, she had CNN and MTV and so many people watching her. In the end, I and K girl were just one family out of millions, looking into another family’s grief.

I’m awake now

Like everyone else, I’m waking up to the news. I tuned into the BBC World service this morning. Usually, when someone famous has died, it’s the last item on the news. This time, not only was Michael’s death first, it took half the news programme. Next item after Michael’s death was the arguments between Ahmadinajad and Obama over the Iranian elections.

I suppose I’m just like the newshounds, lapping up all information. I’m curious, what happened here? What caused the cardiac arrest? Was he in the middle of rehearsals?

Everything in the public domain suggests that MJ was already quite frail. Someone had said that it would be unwise to book for the last of his promised 50 shows. Apparently, if the 12th show was fully booked, the advice was not to book for show 13. He hadn’t done this in a long time; he’d appeared in court on several occasions in his pajamas; he looked frail in court; we knew all that. A rabbi who was his close friend and adviser said that MJ had a lot of emotional pain, and he transferred it to physical pain.

All over the world, people are waking up, or if they haven’t slept, mourning the loss of MJ. The BBC World Service have been reporting from Mumbai, Africa and of course the States. Everyone’s talking, including Quincy Jones, who produced Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, Madona and one of his former wives, Lisa Marie Presley. The last time I was moved to blog on an event, we were all celebrating Obama. In a sense, all the worldwide traffic of information is suggesting an international event of similar proportions.

This morning, I heard Germain Jackson speak on behalf of the family. In an emotional voice, he narrated the official account and asked journalists to respect the family’s privacy. Will this happen? I remember there was an ABC helicopter over the hospital. I remember hearing on the BBC that Latoia was seen coming into the hospital in tears. Everyone is using words like iconic and phenomenal. Somehow I’m not sure that journalists will respect privacy. Ironic that all MJ wanted was his privacy. He even sang songs about it. Remember ‘leave me alone’ from the History album?

Akin always said he loved the fans but hated the press. He would know. You wouldn’t believe that he holds down a job as a lecturer in a top US university. He’s my source of all entertainment gossip, but when it came to MJ, he talked like he had personal knowledge. He talks about passing people to the back of Wembley, after they’d fainted; about the push to get into the stadium; about watching MJ perform some incredible moves, right in front of his eyes. He even talks about shows he hadn’t been to, in Tokyo, India, etc and how the fans gather when MJ is around. He talks about MJ’s house, friends, fan club, even about friends he’s made from the fan club. When he talks about perfectionism, he talks like it’s a personal thing. He’s explained to me why it takes 4 or 5 years for Michael to release a record; how many songs are discarded in the process; how his shows are designed to achieve the spectacular.

I thought I’d give him some time before ringing him for the full low down. It would be a long conversation, and I’m sure I need some skills in consolation. I won’t be surprised if he’s designated to day as a holiday.

My niece is in Manchester. She sent me an email to say MJ’s dead. I called the family she’s staying with. They report that everyone suddenly rushed to the telly when the news broke. My niece always fancied herself as some media figure and was heard to say that she had wanted to interview Michael. She’s only 13. MJ’s greatest hits were released long before she was born.

Now, they’re playing ‘She’s out of my life’. Akin tells me that every time he performed the song, MJ would break down in tears. You can almost hear his voice shaking as he sings the ending, ’she’s out of my life’. He’s out of our lives now. Or is he?

You see, I too love to hear about celebrities. Two things strike me here; behind every public personality is a private life. Pity that MJ’s private life was so bound up in his public persona that Akin can tell me so much about it. After all is said and done, and despite the public persona, MJ is just a man. But the second thing I’ve learned is that when you really love someone, it’s warts and all. All those fans gathering and mourning have heard all the stories, but the real fanatics will defend, or at the very least justify MJ’s actions. They replayed his announcement of the 50 O2 shows. You know what he said to his fans at the end? ‘I love you’. People say it was for the money, but I think that’s not entirely true. I think that like you and me, MJ craved the love. I think he wanted to put up the perfect show, release the perfect album, etc as gratitude for the unquestioning love that people showed to him. Whenever I have come across that kind of unquestioning love, I’ve also seen the reciprocity, the gratitude, the willingness to do everything for the lover. I know that this is my own ideal too.

Flying is a strange experience isn’t it? If I’m flying long distance at night, all I can hear is the sound of the engine, everyone’s asleep or watching something. Sometimes, you can’t even feel the plane moving. It feels like I’m in a really wide cage, with loads of silent people, and a humming sound all around me … isn’t that what it really is if you can’t do anything but go to the loo, watch a video or go to sleep?

I travel a lot by train, and by coach, and by car, but those all feel different. Somehow, you feel you’re more in control. In a car you can tell the driver to stop at thenext service station; with a coach or train, just wait till the next official stop and get off. The truth is, as far as I’m concerned, aeroplanes force me to rethink my logic. The pilot talks about flying 30000 feet, as though that’s the most natural thing in the world? Is it? Then, my logic would say that when you’re flying, smaller things should feel more secure than bigger things, and yet, I always feel more secure in those huge planes than in the much smaller ones. But the biggest challenge to my logic is turbulence. How different is it from a potholed road? Yet, having traveled on many or these, I notice that drivers slow down when approaching a pothole. Aeroplanes don’t seem to. You feel this jarring and wonder why the piolot Is still moving at the same speed, or sometimes you even feel him moving faster … yet you bope he isn’t planning to slow down, in case that means more trouble.

I remember when I was a teenager, on one of my first long distance flights, we were going through some turbulence, perhaps over North Africa. My dad, as calm as a scientist, (which he is) was telling his frightened children that air travel was the safest form of travel. He said that the most difficult times were during takeoff and landing, and there was absolutely no problem, no matter how turbulent the flight felt. Of course, being my dad, I tried very hard to believe him, but I’m still not sure how convinced I was then. I’ve had two pilot friends confirm those words and tell me that even the smallest plane can withstand an enormous amount of turbulence. And I’ve watched enough programmes on discovery wings. So against my own logic, I actually believe this now. In any case, I can feel it when a plane is taking off. First, there’s the speed, then you feel the plane rising. Sometimes, I can feel the pilot willing the plane higher and higher, and all the force pushing the plane up from underneath. You can tell, much more than when a plane is in mid-flight, that should that force give, you’re going straight down.

Somehow, maybe because we’re close to our destination, I prefer landing. After the turbulence of going through the clouds, the pilot slows the plane, the tyres come out, and then you land. I even play a game, trying to guess the exact moment the plane will touch the tarmac. Then, you feel the speed, and the force. Maybe the pilot is applying the brakes, the engine is so very loud. Then the plane is slowing and just coasting till it reaches the gate. Mobile phones are coming on and people are telling their relatives that they have landed.

I was thinking these thoughts the other day as we flew in one of those smaller planes. I was also thinking of those days in the 80s, (maybe it still happens) when, if a flight had been particularly rough, the passengers would clap heartily as the plane landed. These was just an ordinary flight, just the odd bump as we flew, but nothing to worry about. We were preparing to land, the wheels had come out. Then, suddenly, with a scream of engines and accompanying movement, we were going up … and up … and up again. When we were stable at cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement. His tone was so soft that I didn’t catch what he said, except that we would now be landing in about 25 minutes.

It might have been all in a day’s work for him, but as I don’t fly every day, it was just a little disconcerting. That, and an incident on a flight a few days before had convinced me that pilots have nerves of steel. It was a very small thing really. I was on another small plane and the flight attendant had come over to me to go through the safety procedure. There was a pilot on his dayoff, sitting on the other side of the aisle from me. He said in such a calm voice to the flight attendant, “if there’s any trouble, I’ll look after him”. First, I prayed there would be no trouble, then I marveled at how he’d spoken as though I was a child going on a walk and he was going to make sure I didn’t hit my foot on a stone. He was so calm and assured that if I was ever in any danger, I wouldn’t have trusted any other human to look after me.

I had a friend who was once cabin crew for a Nigerian airline. She told me about how they were constantly trained and examined to ensure that they could face any danger. When you see them serving food and drinks, never forget that these people are brave beyond belief. We’ve heard of two incidents recently where planes were crash landed without loss of life … one was in Heathrow and the other on the Hudson river. Both pilots said in a matter-of-fact way that they were just doing their duty. This is my salute to all cabin crew and flight crew. Well done.

Anniversaries

Oh yes, it’s true. I’ve checked, and we’re in 2009. Can you believe that? I can’t even remember the last time I wrote something here. You know, Kui said she thought I’d make an excellent blogger. She forgot to add “when you’re not lazy”. It’s been such a long time, for a moment I couldn’t remember which was my username and which my password. And the site’s different too. I’m not even sure I’m doing this right.

So what happened. As I think about it, it seems that I’ve been entering some new emotional territory and trying to negotiate this new terrain.

Hey! It’s a new year. In the old year, I did so much; what’s a blog for, if not to record those things, the trip to Nigeria, and all the other news.

Maybe I’ll make a new year resolution to blog more. But then, we all know what happens to new year resolutions.

Anyway, I’ll try. I’m looking forward to this year. It promises so much. 2008 was great, things happened that had never happened to me before. Wow! Back soon.

Brilliant the Dinosaur

Whirlwind is back for summer. On Monday, over 40 children began rehearsals. Which means the actors had been together for a week by then.

As usual, there are already changes. I think we have the largest number of children, (I believe there are 41) but there are changes in the adult staff too. Mike and Myette still have overall control, but Cheryl who has direct supervisory responsibility for the children isn’t here this year. We have Becky who is already doing an excellent job. Saskya, Myette’s sister, and an ex-student of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts has been stage manager for as long as I know, but this year, she’s stage managing some posh production somewhere. This year, we have the pleasure of Izzy, a recent graduate of the Signet. incidentally, that was where Myette studied, and Alisdair who has directed the show on several occasions heads the school. Same actors this year, except for Tom, who is in Edinburgh for the festival. Instead, we have Andy, who has brought some new ideas and is already a hit with the children.

Hey! This is about Brilliant the dinosaur, isn’t it? That’s what happens in the play as well. You’d think that as it’s titled Brilliant the dinosaur, he’d be out from the beginning and leave a superhero at the end. Actually, he doesn’t appear until we’re nearing the interval. I can think of at least three reasons why. First, with a brain the size of a pea, he’d have very little to contribute. Second at 30 metres long, he’d probably be too unwieldy and third, it is a story, more about his effect on a family, than about him. He does become a superhero, because hen he is … (I’d better stop there before I give the plot away.

It’s a children’s story, but it’s got depth. It’s set in the future, and for that reason can examine such current trends as global warming, the environment, and working practices in the future. Dad works from home on a computer, but more worrying, there are hurricanes in England. It’s one of these that cracks a cave open and reveals a diplodocus that’s been asleep for 65 million years. The children grow to love him, but their parents are afraid of such a huge creature they’ve never seen before. That’s all I’m saying.Come to King’s Community Church from Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th at 7.30 PM. There’s an extra production on Thursday 14th at 2.30 PM.

You’ll see as usual, an excellent show, but you won’t know what preparations have gone into taking children who have not been auditioned, and turning them into professional actors within 3 weeks. Actually, some of them have been doing Whirlwind for several years now, but there are several new faces. One or two apeared for the April week and liked it so much they came back. Some have never been at all.

I’m running late. Have to be there at 8.45, and a morning of warm up exercises, rehearsals, group work etc awaits. One of my greatest joys this year was a first timer who burst into tears on arrival on Monday. He’d apparently had a change of heart. I was called to have a chat. I suggested that he try it for a day and see how he feels. He’s loving it now. Some of them have one form of disability or another. It’s inclusive theatre, no discrimination. All must play some part, even if it’s moving props around. Most manage to say a line or two, even the 6 year olds.

At this rate, I’ll spend so much time talking about this that I’ll be late. More later.

Recent news stories

I’d been thinking of this for a while. It started as I listened to BBC 5live one evening and the financial reporter came on briefly before the news. He said share prices had gone up and there was a cheer in the studio. You’d have thought that the guests and presenter each had huge shares and they’d been watching the news. But it’s all because economic news has been so gloomy lately, that one bit of good news had to raise a cheer.

Hey! But what do I know about these economic indicators? At about the same time, the World Food Programme was taking place. Some top official had been interviewed on the BBC World Service. He’d said the advanced countries needed to invest some staggering amount in developing countries, to avoid a food disaster. The interviewer asked if that was possible, giving the current levels of investment, and general reluctance of advanced countries … you know, promises that were not kept, … that sort of thing? He said it had to be possible if these same advanced countries kept spending so much more on arms.

Of course, the main topic of the interview was the presence of Robert Mugabe at the meeting. What was he doing there the interviewer asked? In reply our WFP official said he’s the head of state and (not in so manhy words) they need him there.

Mugabe certainly enjoyed his moment, using the opportunity of a rare trip to Europe, (where he is universally condemned by leaders) to condemn the West for wrecking his country, (presumably without his assistance). Apparently, Western disapproval is solely responsible for the mass starvation and superinflation in Zimbabwe. I’m sure Western leaders will soon be queueing up to invite him for a visit after such ringing endorsements.

But let’s get back to food. The UN Secretary-General wants 50 times more investment in African agriculture. MSF are predicting that Ethiopia is set for another crisis, as a result of rising food prices. So, that one bit of good news on the stock prices front was probably worth a huge cheer after all.

Interestingly, I’m so rubbish at stocks and shares that I haven’t even checked to see that the trend has continued. What I have observed though is food prices. I recently went to my local store and found the price of my breakfast cereal of choice had risen from 2.59 to 2.79. I was really unhappy especially because not too long ago, there had been a special offer on if you bought two packets. That set me thinking, and I soon realised that the prices of several other things had gone up lately. Soon, I’d have to remortgage to afford my shopping bill. But where? Aren’t all these banks suffering financial hardships too? Bradford and Bingley has just had an American investor in to save them from the plight of Northern Rock.

Apparently, all these unrelated news stories are actually the result of one factor, the rising price of oil. It’s blamed for everything, and when I compare the prices two years ago to current prices, I have to admit there’s something in the argument. It’s so serious that the BBC World Service held a 1 hour discussion on this issue on their ‘Have Your Say’ programme yesterday. So, go on, what do you all think of the oil price rise?

What do I think? First that the Oil producing countries have achieved what they failed to do for political reasons in the 70s. When they had the two oil embargoes, they probably brought the West to start thinking of alternative sources, to label OPEC a political, not an economic organisation, etc. But that was temporary. Soon, there was even an oil glut, the beginnings of Nigeria’s economic woes. Now that we all know that it’s not some political vendetta on the part of OPEC, we have all these top economists and experts scratching their heads and wondering why nobody had heeded the warnings that we were all getting too dependent on oil.

I heard an oil expert say recently that oil is indeed running out, and there is not much room for overcapacity. My simple mind asked if the demand for oil suddenly shot up? I thought the projections were for about 2020? And if our projections had been for 2008, then how come we weren’t warned earlier?

My second thought; Nigeria must be bringing in the cash now. Why don’t we hear about huge development projects like we did in the 70s when there was an oil boom? We don’t even know what the country is planning to do with all the money it’s making. Is it being saved? Used to pay all the debts that were cancelled a few years ago? Or perhaps someone has thought up the clever idea that at last, it’s time to repair our damaged refineries?

Meanwhile, that remortgage isn’t a bad idea, when you consider the prices of food, (which I eat a lot of) and of gas and electricity. I even hear that fuel prices in the pumps have gone up. I haven’t experienced that one yet, because I don’t have a car … good news for all my neighbours and the inhabitants of our good city.

Apparently, Yahoo Hotjobs is running a story on how workers can reduce commuting costs. Well, walk, take public transport, … that’s what I do. So when you’re late for something, you won’t blame the traffic, just the appalling public transport facilities, and horrible drivers who won’t let you cross the roads unless the traffic lights tell them to stop, or even the surprising walking distance between your ouse and where you were going, which you hadn’t calculated when you decided to leave your home five minutes before your appointment.

I’m back … already?

See! I told you!

Only a short one to say that Jeremy sent me a link to Nigerian proverbs. I haven’t fully explored it, maybe you might want to.

Jeremy is a mind of information. I remember when someone first told me that if I was looking for a number in church, he was the one to ask. Oh, here’s the link.

New friends and old ones

You know, it’s been a long time. I’ve spent a lot of the time meeting up with new friends.

In March, it was the International Conference of Nigerian Students. Wow! How many new faces? XN Foundation is doing great. The interest generated by participants of ICONS was wonderful. They’re keeping me on my toes, making me send newsletters, contact people, etc. Actually, it’s great fun, because I’ve made several friends, … one in particular.

In April, we had Whirlwind’s Easter show. Of course, you can’t call it the Easter show anymore, because of the changes in the British school term. Let’s just call it the holiday show. That was great too. It was the fullest one week programme we’d ever had. Normally, for the shorter programmes, we usually have a maximum of 15 people. Not this time. We had 30 (I think) and several of them had never been before. As usual, there were great reviews afterwards. I even had the chance to award stars (that’s this year’s version of the green stickers, for those who have been following my adventures with Whirlwind). And most of them promised to be back in Summer for the three week programme. If they do register, we’ll be full in no time, I think our capacity is 40. Maybe by then, I’d have resumed regular blogging.

Actually, I will soon. I was reminded by an old friend. Yes, I’ve been meeting them too. Morakinyo was with me in KC. He’d seen several things about me and sent me two emails, to two different addresses. Both found me, and after my response, he actually called this week. Now that was great. So people are reading this? I’ll be more careful what I write now, check the punctuation, … grammar … even the information. Or better still, I’ll write more often. Moraks asked when I last wrote something here. To my shame, I said a long time ago.

He’s doing great. He’s a Redemed pastor in Maryland, (the Nigerian version)with a wife and two children. Isn’t that just fantastic? I’ll visit when I come to Nigeria. You know, we were in the same dorm and we even played football together, when he wasn’t busy scoring the top grades in his class or playing football for Paynes House. I remember telling Ose how loyal Moraks was, … this was before he called. My bucket never disappeared from under my bed without Moraks going to the ends of the school to retrieve it. We were teenagers then, now he’s married with two children, running his firm and pastoring a church.

And this evening, (now that should be yesterday) I got another email, this time from Idy. I once went to meet Tutu at Heathrow; she was arriving from Nigeria. Actually, she hadn’t boarded the plane that day, she’d been harrassed by the police till she missed the flight. I didn’t know of course, because I was already on the train to London. As I waited and waited, this lady helped me, checked with the flight, did everything. She worked at the information desk. When I just waited, she’d come over, just to see that I was fine. We kept in touch for a while, then lost touch. And this evening, (oh that was yesterday again) She got back in touch. By the way, did I tell you that our first meeting was in 2000?

To all the new friends, … and the old ones too, thanks for staying in touch.

Winter Hibernation?

OK, I waited till well past April fool’s day before writing again. I remember thinking on Tuesday that if I wrote something, nobody would believe it was me. Actually, I wasn’t in much of a position to write, having spent the night on the London bound coach and returned by rail, the most expensive way to travel. You have to buy two single tickets for a return journey.

Sometime ago, I’d woken up to the sounds of birds and thought “ah! winter is over”. It’s great. Then I’d remembered that I hadn’t written anything here in ages. I don’t even have the excuse of the birds or animals. I didn’t fly anywhere, didn’t sleep through the winter.

If I’d learned public relations, I might have told you all about ICONS2008. I think it went well; it was in Hull and everyone said they enjoyed it … that is, everyone who attended. Despite the fact that we contacted more universities, we still didn’t have the explosion of numbers we dreamed. But we had some sensational speakers and a really enthusiastic bunch of delegates. They’re still bombarding me with emails. If you want to find out how it went, the photos will soon be out, but you can check the website now for details of speakers, etc.

Just before ICONS2008, IOA Consults was finally launched. That was March 1. I asked everyone who knew about it to just pray in their homes for prosperity and God’s grace and guidance. Thanks, it’s looking good, but don’t stop praying. Do you know, that’s one of the three things I prayed about at the beginning of the year? The other two are looking good too. The website is up, but I have a lot of changes to make. Thanks first to Sam and to Seun for tremendous help.
www.ioaconsults.com

It was good to hear Rinehart Bunke at the Festival of Life, (known to Nigerians as the Holy Ghost Night). He said how he’d started small, and how he now preaches to millions, telling people of all faiths and races about the love of Jesus. He talked about Pentecost. He said the fact that the Holy Spirit gave the disciples utterance in every language demonstrates that the gospel is for all nations. He said his son-in-law is a pastor and was once joking that he (Rinehart) was getting old and should be handing over to the young. To which he replied that he’s like a 747. It’s fastest at the end of the runway. You never see the brakes going on just before takeoff.

I’d better start writing about this big project, the annual conference of the OFNC. The chair of the organising committee is from our branch, so we’re heavily involved. We plan to introduce changes. I hope it’s a great conference. Speaker is George Adegboye. Check the website.

Have I been sleeping off the winter? Hardly. In fact, as I look at the clutter on my table, I’m thinking, “I need to get back to work quickly”. Actually, the past few weeks have been some fun. Ah, but then, … later.

I’m back

It’s been ages! Thanks to David Prince for telling me that I haven’t blogged since 1 Sept. Can you imagine that? I don’t know what I’ve been doing in that time. Sometimes, I just haven’t felt like facing the world with my thoughts. What would you make of my ramblings.

It’s late, so I have an excuse. You can easily just call them the words of a half asleep guy. But come to think of it, I’m surprised it wasn’t Damola who contacted me. She’s always quick to check up when I’m not blogging. Actually, she’s always quick to check up when I’m not ringing her. And now, I must call you soon. Can’t remember when I last spoke to you. Maybe it was your fault for telling me I should celebrate my birthday.

I have been hiding, I know that. Meanwhile others have been blogging. About four months ago, Damola sent me a list of blogs. Today, just because I couldn’t go to sleep I finally started checking them out. Really interesting, especially Funmi Iyanda’s blog

Thanks David. I’ve been reading your blog this evening, (morning). You’ve definitely been busy writing.

So why haven’t I been writing? Partly, I’ve been busy, and partly, I have a lot on my mind. let’s do the news, the things that are resolved, or resolving. The local gospel music show is going well, and Diversity FM is actually now on FM in the Lancaster area. I gather you can hear one of the pre-recorded gospel shows on Sunday mornings at 11 AM. I’m in church praising and worshipping, not in the studio, and definitely not listening, so I can’t tell you which shows. But I’m live most Wednesdays at 1 PM, repeated at 8 PM.
www.diversityfm.co.uk

Having said that, I’m not there in a fortnight. I’ll be at Torch House doing the other radio project, the one on Premier. It’s on air now, at 9 PM on Saturday evenings. I’m just one of the crew; I don’t know when any of my reports will come up; I haven’t even listened to any of the two episodes so far broadcast. Wedding yesterday and a party for new Nigerian students last week.

Yes, the session has kicked off; new students have resumed. It’s usually pretty busy about this time, showing them round Lancaster. It’s busy from about August, taking emails, answering questions, praying for visas, etc. I suppose it’s a good thing, but I’m always reminded of how transitory the student life is. Sometimes, I feel like the fixture in a changing world. Every year, I meet the new students in October, but the month before, I’m saying goodbye to the old ones. I know that next year, there’ll be the sad farewells. Sometimes, I’m not sure if I like being the student’s rep for the OFNC. You meet too many new people and you say goodbye to too many. It’s regular like clockwork.

Last week’s party was fantastic. It’s a good thing the weather was great, because my house had never been so full. People had to move into the garden. And to think that on Friday night at 9.45, I raced to the uni to get one more volunteer to help with the cooking. I’m always so worried because you never know how many will turn up, but this year, I left preparations till very late. Nobody can tell me any different; only God made it successful.

God has been really good. Sometime in September, we had two consecutive Sundays where the sermon came from the same passage. They were very different, the second sermon was delivered by a guest speaker who could not have known what happened the previous week. It was the passage about Jairus’ daughter who was raised by Jesus. On His way to the healing, the woman with the issue of blood had touched his garment. I missed the first week because I was in London; but I heard That it was great. Something about God wanting to satisfy us by healing or answering our prayers, but also keep us hungry and yearning for him. There’s the CD, but knowing me, I haven’t picked it up yet. I did hear Tony Ling though. He talked about two different people, a 12 year old girl, and a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. One went to Jesus, Jesus went to the other.

Bedtime. Something else. IOA Consults has begun. Website is ready, but it’s still being built.

Goodnight. Wish I could stay up as late as some of the bloggers I’ve been reading today. Laspapi for example. His blogs are timed at 4 or 5 AM.
www.laspapi.blogspot.com