From Where I Find My Strength

Looking to the Hills

Psalms 121, verses 1 to 2: (KJV)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

I would be furthest from the truth if I claimed to be a preacher. I read my Bible as often as I can, and all I truly know is what I have come to understand along the way.

I am deeply fascinated by the strength of the human spirit. When we are faced with great challenges, we often search deep within ourselves, reaching for a source of renewal. Somewhere inside, there is a quiet pool that restores what we need, recharging hope and reminding us that we are capable of embracing the opportunities that come our way.

Learning Where Strength Lives

Sometimes circumstances do not allow us to be where we want to be. At times, we are unable to provide solutions or help in the ways we wish, and this can leave us feeling like a hindrance rather than a support.

I once upon a time met a lady who was holidaying on her own. She explained that once a year, she and her husband each take a solo holiday away from one another. I remember thinking what a wonderful understanding they shared, one rooted in trust, space and respect.

We can become so caught up in trying to please those around us that we forget to ask ourselves what truly matters. Where do I find my strength, and what does it take to be myself?

It has now been just over seven years since I've been experiencing a long-term, long-distance relationship and with every year, it has been different, wonderful, insightful, and majestic in it's own way.

This year, for many reasons, we may not be together for the month of December.
Yet this is not an issue for us.
We believe, with certainty, that in good time the best is still to come.

We will attend separate Christmas functions and meet different people. Our hope is that the connections we each make will remind us how vast the world truly is, and that some of those connections will grow into lasting friendships in the year ahead.

Recognising the Source

We have all faced a challenging year, but we have always held onto the hope for a better tomorrow.

Our source of strength and ability to use the wisdom granted to us, helps shape our lives in the direction that brings us closer to what we truly deserve.

 

Architect of Quiet Moments

On the Eve of Sixty.

Not with fanfare does a life accrue its gold,
But in the patient layers that its stories hold.
In lines of code that quietly build a world,
In timeless plays, on canvases unfurled.
A gentleman walks not with boast or show,
But with a depth of thought that others know.
A blog, his steady intellectual light,
An archive against the ever-fleeing night.

So, for this month, I’ll trace with careful pen
The landscape of your life:
Not just the peaks, but all the subtle shade.
Shaped by love, by history, by art so thoughtfully made.

Upon six decades lived in your unique ways,
We start not at the end, but in the sweet
Ongoing middle where past and present meet.
For sixty years are but a prologue told,
The next grand act is yours to still unfold.

Today, we raise the curtain on your year,
And say, with love: How glad we are you’re here.

 

Love Bites.

Beyond illusion and fantasy,

Reality unveils colours indescribable,

You can almost feel its touch,

A whisper in the wind, a warmth that lingers.

Smile, and its joy lights the soul,

Radiating through the heart, pure as gold.

But frown, and like a two-edged sword,

The senses shift, sharp, and cold.

Love, a tender grace, yet fierce,

It caresses, then cuts deep,

A beauty that transcends and binds,

A force that awakens or lulls to sleep.

In its bite, we taste the truth,

Of pleasure, pain, and all we seek.

A paradox that makes us whole,

Love bites—its mark forever keeps.

In The Silence of Night.

 

In the stillness of midnight's embrace,

Under moonlit skies, miles apart.

Missing you, my love, beyond measure,

Longing for us to be together.

Each moment lingers, time stands still,

yearning, Hoping for love so true.

In the quiet of night, I silently plea,

Hoping you feel the same for me.

A Journey of Continuous Learning in an ever Changing World.

I am reminded of my primary school days, after the school holiday breaks we would be required to write up compositions about what we did during the school break. Those who were fortunate enough to have been travelled out of the city or even the country, wrote fantastic stories while others, even though they wrote fictional stories still managed to use their imagination and write good stories. 

I always struggled to complete one paragraph, I found it difficult to transform my thoughts onto paper, as hard as I tried it was clear writing stories was not one of my strengths.

Over the course of my school days, I had a dream of becoming an author. Verbally I could tell good stories and I had a wild imagination, but the challenge of getting these words from my head on to paper seemed difficult. 

I enjoyed the school library and spent a lot of time exchanging books to read, I loved that feeling of being immersed into other worlds as different authors told their stories with such amazing brilliancy, some ceaselessly pushed the boundaries of their imagination, crafting worlds of intrigue, hope, and wisdom for us to immerse ourselves in.

Today, I am not that author I dreamt I could be and that's alright. In today's rapidly evolving world with advancements in technology we are able to craft our thoughts and ideas through various mediums.

A Journey Fuelled by Passion.

It was sometime in 2015 that I stumbled upon a website called Blogger. I had no idea what it was all about but curiosity got the better of me and I began to explore with interest what it was all about, it was an exciting discovery of this website.

Over a short period of time I lost interest in the website or maybe it was a case of allowing other distractions to take hold.

In 2019, I met Akin Akintayo, at the time of meeting him I had no idea that the earth, the stars, the planets, and the heavens were all in perfect alignment. About this, it will have to be a story for another day.

All About Passion.

Today, I want to write a blog that celebrates Akin, I want to celebrate his passion of sharing the stories about his life and world events around him. Today, I want to honor this remarkable man who has devoted himself to his passion of storytelling.

Akin continuously inspires everyone around him and it is clear that twenty years of blogging, is a twenty year journey of incredible writings.

Through his blogging we share his joys and pains, we share his successes, challenges, victories, and disappointments. Akin through his blogging shows us that pursuing our passions is the key to a fulfilling life, it is evident that his blogging is not a means to an end, but rather a labour of love.

His dedication is truly commendable and has driven him to achieving remarkable milestones throughout the years.

Perseverance, Passion, and Inspiration.

For all those we consider to be great in their craft, we know that in their journey they have met with their share of obstacles and moments of uncertainty, with Akin I have noticed that he has approached these hurdles with resilience and determination. 

Reading through most of his blogs it is easy to tell that he has transformed setbacks into stepping stones and has emerged stronger each time. 

The commitment to his blog, coupled with his unwavering passion, he is inspiring to everyone who has had the privilege to be following on his blog page.

Most times passion is often the fuel that drives ordinary people to achieve extraordinary feats.

Akin's years of dedication to his blogging is truly remarkable and commendable.

I read some where that the truest measure of success lies not only in personal achievements but in the ability to inspire others to pursue their dreams too.

Akin has undoubtedly through his blogs become a catalyst for inspiration and an encouragement to countless individuals to dive headfirst into their passions. His authenticity, humility, and willingness to share his knowledge has touched the lives of people from all walks of life, proving that when passion meets dedication, greatness is within reach.

Today, twenty years ago Akin started blogging and with this blog I write, I would like to express gratitude for the inspiration he brings into our lives.

Akin, here's to celebrating many more years of your work that emanates passion, dedication, and exceptionalism.

Congratulations, my lover, my partner, and my very best friend on your incredible accomplishments! 

The extreme of hangovers.

 

I haven’t written a blog for a sometime now and I always put it down to how I am still so comfortable with writing on paper than publishing anything online.

We are towards the end August but still I am still getting over all the events of July 2022, I had the greatest of surprises for my birthday month, I have been back in my hometown for close to month but still remember how Akin made it possible that we meet up and spend the month of July in Cape Town.

If before this birthday I ever said I had the best of birthdays, I lied, this past birthday must go down in my history book as the very best of birthdays ever!

Not only did I get to spend the day with the man I love but he went on to make that day extra special I got gifts from him all through the day, it was one thing after another and even a special gift from him that keeps on giving, so unexpected but most welcome.

We are approaching the end of August, but I am still stuck and re-living those moments, my mind replaying those events and to this day I fail to find the right words to describe the entire experience. I have never known to be given such attention, such amazing care, and he has the gift of knowing just how to plan and ensure all works for the best.

No Network reconnecting, No Buffering.

A long-distance relationship is always one of the hardest to maintain and the fact that after all this time we still standing is a great testament that in any relationship communication is key and for most of the time Akin and I depend on internet connections to work for our conversations and communications to be understood, we do try to maintain such.

In my home country it still remains difficult for a reliable connection, so It is always enormously special and most rewarding to be in the presence of Akin, without any buffering or network reconnections, spending time with Akin in the flesh is something I will always treasure, and I do believe one day we will find our way through such challenges, there is something enchanted about being next to the one you love without any hinderances, I hope those who can be together understand this, but then comes a sort of pain in knowing that this time together is only on borrowed time.

As much as people need to be alone, having that time together is most dear.

As much as we should enjoy every moment, at the back of the mind it plays on you that this is only temporary.

Learning to know more.

Many things were different, our first stay was in Camps Bay, quiet a distance from the city centre this time, I did like it but hearing of all the break-ins and home invasions didn’t help much, I know Akin on many nights didn’t sleep well and that was a great concern for me.  As much as nothing happened to us, it proved to be quite a challenge as walking around the area was bit of a strain as the Camps Bay area is very hilly, I got used to it as I walked the area a lot and I took it as my daily work-out routine.

As the days passed by, we settled in and made the space work best for us. Akin fell a little ill, I thought it was just his move from the Northern hemisphere to this Southern part of the world, I did my best to make sure his recovered and was comfortable.

Over time we have become very fond of Cape Town with the great planning skills of Akin we have by now done much of what Cape Town has to offer, between the both of us Akin is better at planning thing and making sure such plans work out accordingly, in comparison, he is the most organised, and I am not acting out on been biased.

 As time would have it, Akin took some time out to continue his study and development for the passion he has in his field of work, I took the chance to take a leaf off that and as well continued to study on a course of interest, Project Management.

As he booked an office space for his study, back home I tried to figure out what I’d do with my life as my pervious employment had just come to an end. I did spend many days reviewing my C.V and exploring what other kind of opportunities could be around for to me to explore.

I am not much of a social person, so I hardly ever explored those occasions to connect with other like mined souls, I guess I had my head filled with uncertainties that I lost focus, many times I tried to think of things to do, but its either we had done it before or Akin was not inclined or just too tired and not interested in the events ever presented. Even so, I know he had much on his mind as well.

There is so much I could talk about, but in all I am glad to have had time in person with the man that has changed my life for the better and I believe I got to understand a little more, for anyone in a relationship, remember he needs his space.

 I am grateful for the sacrifices that Akin undertakes to make sure we get this time together; he travels thousands of kilometres just to be in the same space with me and for that alone I am humbled and much appreciative of.

 I believe in time things do get better and better stories will be written.

Just remember that you are loved.

 You have your past which has shaped you into the person you are today - yet still your past is gone, but love remains strong.

It is your past that has shaped you and has made you strong enough to stand up for the person that you are today. The values you hold on so true that define you, have brought out a marvellous gem of that which is you.

You are surrounded by those who love you and care deeply for you and continue to care even more about you today even much more than yesterday.

Some who have only now just arrived in your life but care for you deeper than you may ever know.

Just remember, you are loved.

Happy Birthday Akin!

Happy Birthday to the most beautiful, intelligent, hilarious, adventurous, thoughtful, and kind human I get to call my love!

What a profound day to be able to celebrate your birthday with you. My life has been colourful since our paths crossed. You compel me always to be the best, to be strong and to face challenges with all ferocity.

Thank you for making life so full and never failing to make me smile. You are such an amazing, caring, and wonderful man, and I am one lucky boy to have a boyfriend like you! Not only are you the world’s best fiancé, but you are the best friend I could have ever asked for. I cannot wait to celebrate many more birthdays to come!

I find myself so thankful to God that on this day when you were brought into this world, He made sure though all the challenges He kept you safe and made you so much stronger than the world expected.

Now I have the honour to wish you the best happy birthday in the world! I am so thankful for you being in my life every single day.

I look forward to spending many more happy birthdays together.

Happy Birthday Akin! May your day be filled with great wonder, miracles, joy, and happiness.

                                                     

Midnight Thoughts

  

Only to be with the man.

 

In the way a lion exudes its strength,

True love is heard as a stronger voice.

  

We create dreams to build a stronger fortress,

We build on a hope that only time and distance can put to the test.

 

Time, a place in trying to understand eternity,

A belief in hope that time will deliver on promises made.

Yet we place our hopes and dreams for what we need in it.

Time is just a temporal location.

 

Thoughts become the central point to keep control.

What it should be and what it can be,

A power is given to belief.

A power that strengthens or a power that weakens,

it is a choice.

 

As loud as the clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls of whales can be heard,

the heart calls louder for him to hear,

the spirit longs to draw him closer.

 

One can only pray he has heard the call,

And this to hold till the time we are together.

 

Soon it shall be told of two hearts becoming one.  

 

It shall be that love will find a way.

A test and a challenge for love.

 For the first time in my life I believe I have found someone to love me, someone who has given me the courage to stand up for who I am and has shown me the independence I have as an individual, the strength I possess to realise I am deserving of love.

I believe I have found someone who makes me feel strong enough to stand up and accept who I am, not only to myself but also to affirm to those around me that what seemed impossible or unimaginable has happened to me.

I can finally stand tall and shout it aloud that someone out there loves me in just the way I love him.

It is amazing as it is wonderful.

I must admit that even though I have great flaws, this man in my life holds my hand and lets me know I am only human and that I learn and grow through my mistakes, I’m not perfect.

It is beyond our control that for now, we have a geographical distance between us, daily we can only through modern communications reassure each other of this love we share, despite the challenges we keep strong knowing soon we will overcome obstacles before us.

 It’s not right, it’s not fair. But we stronger together.

 It seems despite the obvious challenges Akin and I face that there are some out there that feel it is not enough that we face such difficulties, that some have taken pleasure in malicious texts to add to the challenges we face.

I have received various hateful emails that I have since debunked and refuse to take notice of their contents simply because what I have with Akin is between Akin and I, and that I will not give attention to their intent on trying to cause needless situations.

I have come to understand that with this great love I have found in Akin that not everyone will approve, and it already shows. But I am here to stay and watch this space for greater things to come.

Nothing that was meant for greatness comes easy, and I will not be shaken like a reed because this that I found in Akin  will grow and we will share this love for the better as we stand strong together.

Love will always win.