HAPPY EASTER GUYS

Hi you guys, just popped in to wish you all a HAPPY EASTER....... May the resurrection power of our Lord Jesus Christ cause a resurrection of favor, peace, joy, happiness and joy in all your lives.

Hope you all enjoy the holidays. I am enjoying mine because i am not on duty throughout this long weekend....#Bigsmile

Luv,
Petite Diva.......

GETTING BACK ON TRACK ……….EMOTIONAL/SPIRITUAL CHALLENGE

If you all remember, some months ago I set some challenges for myself. With the exception of my hair challenge which I even revised, I have not faithfully followed through with my challenges. However about a month ago or so, I bought 2 books on an impulse buying spree. I felt guilty after buying the books but when I started reading one of the books, the guilt flew away. It was replaced by ‘God, thank you for ordering my steps to that place and thank you for providing me with the money to buy the books’ kind of feeling.

The name of the books are ‘Think like a man, act like a lady’ by Steve Harvey and ‘Secrets of an irresistible woman’ by Michelle McKinnney Hammond. I started reading the secrets of an irresistible woman because it is a Christian book and I wanted to know what it was all about. Also because I had watched the movie of ‘think like a man, act like a lady’ and I gave the book to a male friend to read first so that I can ask him questions when I was reading it so I felt I could read it later.

Reading the ‘secrets of an irresistible woman’ made me realize that my mindset on marriage, dating and courtship might need a little tweaking. She made me realize that I had never really thought about what marriage involved. And I don’t think I am the only one who is guilty of this. She explained that marriage is more than the ceremony; it is a life time work in which both parties are there to be a blessing to each other. It is more than marrying because you are old enough. It is more than having a husband or wife, it is more than sex, it is more than having children and it is more than having that ring(s) on your finger. She made me understand where I had been wrong in my previous relationships, made me realize what my heavenly roles as a wife and mother are, made me realize the kind of man that God wants me to have and made me realize I shouldn’t settle for less. She made me realize that I don’t need to stay idle and that being single doesn’t mean I can’t have a life that is meaningful.

I think one of the parts about the dating and courtship advice that I knew was meant for me was the fact that she said ‘if a guy doesn’t take interest in you and pursue or rather approaches you then girl, walk away. Don’t pursue him.’ I don’t think I have pursued a guy but I know that in my previous relationships, the guys never worked before they got me. I was always too easy for them and I never studied them well. And I also tried to make a relationship that I knew was not working, work by all means possible. I tried too hard! Well, I know better and hopefully my next relationship I would be wiser and do things the right way, the way God ordained it to be.

As I was reading that book, my friend asked if I had ever read any of Joel Osteen’s books. I replied that I had one that I bought almost 3 years ago when I arrived in Akwa ibom. I didn’t know the title but I later found out that it was the same one he was reading. He encouraged me to read it, that the book was a blessing to his life. With all that said, I bumped the other book I wanted to read to third place and picked up the book.

I am just at chapter 8 but I can tell you that I am kind of disappointed in me. I have had the book for 3 years and I never read it. The book has changed the way I look at life (I am borrowing his words) but that is the best way to describe it.  Oh! The name of the book is ‘Your best life now: 7 steps to living at your full potential’. I have come to realize that though some friends might not last in your life, they at one point would impact your life either for good or bad. Well even if he never impacts positively in my life again, I am extremely grateful to God for sending him to spur me to read the book. I hope I would be able to impact his life in a positive way too. Thank you Dearie for a time such as this (and before you all start hearing wedding bells cos I wrote dearie, he is just a friend. Nothing can ever happen between us! So get your minds out of there.) Maybe I should have written ‘Thank you Doc’ but then I wouldn’t be the drama queen that I am……lol. Anyway, thank you so much. You are the best, sometimes when you are not annoying me!

So yes, I think I am back on track on the emotional/spiritual challenge; I am reading at least one chapter a day and progressing gradually. I hope I would get my professional/study challenge back on track too. Actually I need to! I have 2 presentations to prepare for and update courses that I am going to attend this year, so I can’t play anymore.

As for my financial challenge, we are working on that with a vengeance because I have a major project coming up and I won’t allow my finances be the cause of not achieving that dream. So I have had to cut a lot of things and let people know that I am restricting myself so I can’t be anybody’s back up plan anymore. By God’s Grace, my 2^nd major dream of this year would come to pass. This is my year of dreams fulfilled and giving!

Well, that is all for now. I would have written earlier but my modem was acting up. Had to take it to airtel office only to find out that the problem was my laptop not the modem….*rollingmyeyes at this laptop….lol

Have a lovely, favor filled week guys……#kisses

Luv,

Petite Diva

MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION……….DIVA STYLE (PICTURES)

I promised you guys pictures of my day, so here they are. Hope you like them.......

THE ITEMS.............

THE RING..........

ONE OF THE GUYS THAT HELPED MY DREAM COME TRUE

THE MINI CELEBRATION.........

 The Senior Colleague......

 The Colleagues.........

Well, that is all folks..... Apparently i didn't upload the picture of the lip glosses, i would that later. i hope you liked the pictures.

Be Inspired,
Petite Diva...

MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION……….DIVA STYLE

I know you all know that my birthday was on the 4^th of March and Men! I had a nice day. I didn’t have a big celebration or anything but I had fun and I accomplished the first dream I had for this year.

I have always wanted to give to motherless babies on my birthday for years now. I had imagined how much I would give for so long. So last year I was led to give and to give away a very large sum of amount (at least to me). I had 2 options of the set of people I would give to, after a lot of internal wrangling I decided to give to the kids.

I wanted to give things that they need but people don’t usually remember to give. I don’t have a car and I was a bit worried on how I would get the items from the market. However God took control, he has blessed me with such an independent spirit and the ability to plan things ahead of time. I took it one step and one day at a time. Went to the different sections that I needed to go to each day or when I could and I was able to get public transportation in the form of tricycles to help me get the goods home. I also had 2 friends help me to take the items to the orphanage.

I normally won’t let people know that I did this but after inspiring 3 of my friends to also give on their birthdays I just feel that I could inspire more people by writing up on it. And maybe some of you that are inspired can inspire others and we can set a 'giving on our birthdays' thing rolling.....hmmm, that is a nice thought. 

I have always had a giving spirit and it always seem amazing to me when people act funny when it comes to giving. I once saw someone pray over a small amount of money she wanted to give a patient who was stranded after using all her money to buy drugs. The patient had thought the ATM machine would dispense cash and she would have transport money to go home but to her dismay it didn’t. So she asked for the little amount. When I saw what happened, I was sad because if I was the one, I would have given her without blinking or thinking about it. I know people in Nigeria can be fetish but this was a patient that just bought drugs worth a lot, you just had to know that she was not lying. I have always said that when I give with a clean and free heart and you want to use what I give you in a bad way against me, your actions would boomerang on you. That is because there is no way that God would not protect me from anybody’s bad intentions.

Anyway, how I felt about that situation was right because about 15 minutes later the patient came back and returned the money. Apparently as she was leaving she noticed the ATM paying people and was able to collect some money. She came back and was praying for the person that gave her the money. Personally if I was the one that gave her the money and did that, I would have felt bad but then again people are different.

Lately I have found out that people give with the intention of getting something in return and I think that is a warped mentality. For instance, how can someone say that because I didn’t give him a chance that is why he didn’t get a birthday gift for me or when I ask a guy friend that he should pay for a course I would soon take, the reply I got was ‘I promised myself that I won’t send money to any single pretty girl’.  I was pretty disappointed in both of my friends not because I needed the gift or the money but because it just showed that their giving habit needs to be reviewed.

I am such a person that doesn’t think of receiving when I give materially or emotionally however I know that when I need help, God would send the best helpers that I need and they would help me achieve my goals. This is not a belief based on just talk or faith alone; it is based on what I have seen happen in my life. So despite the fact that I have seen that people are not gifted in that area it doesn’t discourage me at all. I have learnt from Apostle Paul that not everyone is blessed with the gift of giving. I am just glad that I think I was blessed with that gift. So if I give you a big gift tomorrow it is not because I am expecting something from you, it is because the spirit to give has descended on me and I have decided to obey.

I know I might have yapped a lot but the essence of this write up is to inspire people to give. I get a serious high when I give. After dropping the items at the orphanage and seeing the kids and the joy on the faces of their caretakers and proprietor, I got a buzz that lasted throughout the day. I can actually say I had the best birthday ever in my adulthood. I couldn’t have done better. Giving that day has inspired me to do more, to go out there and achieve my dreams. No more writing of dreams in my dream book and not doing anything about it. It also made me think of the way I have been in my relationships.

 I have decided that I have too many things to do that I can’t afford to be anybody’s side chick again (that is a term for the 2^nd fiddle girlfriend) or someone that is being used for any guy’s selfish purpose. I am going to be too busy for that. It has also made me know that I am going to have to cut some people and things out of my life. I have a clearer focus of my purpose in life and have seen that some people and things I do have no use in helping me achieve that. I might offend some people but then I am getting too old to be dragging my feet in this life. THINGS HAVE JUST GOT TO GO!!

I am sorry it is a long post but I guess I got carried away. I would post pictures of the items I took to the orphanage later. I couldn’t take pictures at the place because the children were preparing for school. I took cake and drinks to work and shared with as much people as I remembered. And……drumroll please……I ordered a pretty expensive ring with my birthstones from a US based online shop and 2 Maybelline superstay lip gloss as a birthday present to myself. The items were supposed to arrive some days before my birthday but it didn’t. I was fuming already but I guess they wanted to surprise me because it arrived on birthday. A perfect birthday present……..yay!

I gotta go. Watch out for the pictures and I really hope I didn’t bore anybody but I was able to inspire somebody.

Luv ya,

An Older Petite Diva…..