Happy New Year!

How did you cross over?

Where were you and what were you doing?

Like most Nigerian Christians, I was at Church, praying my way into the New Year. My husband used to take umbrage at this way of moving into a New Year but he's married to me now so umbrage or not, we go to Church.

I'm going to try really hard not to be preachy but this is my first post of the year (Yay!) so bear with me...

And now I've lost my train of thought (yup, old age).

Oh well, let's talk about a much maligned word - Resolutions.

Do you have any?

I do:

Write. Finish a novel and edit 3 anthologies.

Read 50 books.

Be happy. Take deep breaths. Don't be so easily offended.

Be emotionally independent. Do not allow other people's mood swings swing your moods.

Love. Be patient. Be kind. Do not keep a record of wrongs.

That's it.

There should be something about weight loss and exercise but those aren't resolutions. They are on my to do list. Speaking of weight loss, here's a little sumthin' from the wonderful Miss Wana Wana. It's called Weight Loss. I saw her perform it at Bogobiri and I loved it and her. If you ever can, see her live.

Anywhichway, Happy New Year.

Make Glorious Mistakes. Make Glorious Art.

PS. I figured out (more like discovered) how to do this. Phew!

The Meaning of Christmas

I don't know why, but I feel like I should start with a warning. I am a religious person. I am a born again Christian. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of a Virgin, sent to the world as a gift and a sacrifice for our salvation. I also believe Jesus Christ is God.

How can he be God, and God's Son? It is a mystery (as our Catholic brethren would say), and Scripture also tells us "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God", and that "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us".

What did that all mean? Jesus is The Word, who was with God in the beginning. The Word is God, therefore, Jesus is God. QED.

But this is not a theological argument, or my attempt to bash you on the head with my beliefs. It all boils down to what Christmas means to me. It's the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It's a big deal because Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection made it possible for a sinner like me to be rescued from a life without God.

Christmas is a big deal for me. So I celebrate it with my family. I celebrate with cake. I celebrate with good food. I celebrate in church, then at home.

I put together all the things I am thankful for - my family, friends, loved ones, good food, and good times, and I enjoy them, offering them to My Father in celebration and thanksgiving. It's my way of saying "For all these things You have given me, for all these things I enjoy, I say thank you because my pleasure and enjoyment of them would have been hollow without the gift of your only begotten Son".

That's what Christmas means to me. On that note, I wish you a Christmas filled with God's love, every good and perfect gift, and the enjoyment of loved ones, good food, and good times.

Merry Christmas!