'Selling' for Charity

This blog has spoken extensively on giving back to society, showing up for life and generally 'doing something'. You all agree with me of course! (or, should I say 'I believe').

It is another season to find out if we are really open to being selfless (no one is judging oh).

We have so many people all over the world who need (though they may not even be aware of it) only a chance and somebody to believe in them.

The Bliss Group is here again, organizing another Garage Sale, this time the proceeds go to Genesis House, an Arm of Freedom Foundation , a shelter for women who have been taken off the Streets; drugs, prostitution etc etc.

I do not believe that I need to write a long blog, or plead and appeal to your conscience to support in this, (if we can so name it) noble cause to give a very very tiny percentage of suffering women hope and succour. No matter where you are, reading this blog, I believe sincerely that you can do something, it takes only some determination on your part.

We have seen lives transformed through this initiative; we cannot rest on our oars, we cant not lift our fingers to help the less-privileged.

What we need by way of support:

Clothes: all kinds/furniture/electronics/bags/laptops/cars (yes)/books/CDS/DVDS/children's toys/children's books/accessories/shoes/CASH/kitchenware/household etc etc. You may want to offer a service, just holler at me.

Please note that we are not asking for cast-offs, we are asking  you to sacrifice something for a worthy cause; and...in addition to supporting, we of course ask you to be a part of the Sale. This is happening on 3rd Dec, in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

Please feel free to contact me by email, zouzousplace@gmail.com 

I would be most grateful if this particular blog is 're-blogged, shared, forwarded, transferred, whatever, just send it off everywhere. Thank you.

Please click on the Freedom Foundation website for more info:

http://www.freedomfoundationng.org/?page=1

I do not take your attention to this blog for granted; THANK YOU, and...

(really, please) Be Free Oh

Re-bloggin

I read a blog post on the Lagosmums' website a few days ago and it gladdened my heart. I had been waiting to blog it because it bothered me some.

I commented on the blog so you would find my addition there.

I have told her I would reblog it...so please click here

Free Gift(s)

People! Honestly, you may be getting tired of me apologizing each I ‘run off’ but it would be remiss and rude of me if I don’t, at least I think so.

I am still basking in the euphoria of my birthday; yeeees! Still. The celebration is yet to end, gifts are still coming in, dinners are still being arranged, in fact, I demand the celebration continue and last until the next one! 40 n Happy n Fab, no try me o.

Eh hen, so, it is the receiving of gifts that brought about this blog.

God used the story below to illustrate to me how I don’t trust Him at all to do for me what I desire.

A month ago, a friend had promised me a handbag, she had murmured something about 'giving away handbags in October' or something sha. So last week I reminded her and she told me that being the lady of integrity that she is (rolling my eyes on the big grammar), she would keep her word!

So, to her house I went, she opened the wardrobe and asked me to take out 3 of my preferred bags, and she would decide which one to give me. Difficult choice, because she is nuts about bags; imagine the designer; she has it or has had it at a point!

Meanwhile, I had seen this lovely blue Hermès that she had just bought (and that prompted the discussion), but because I was thinking how very expensive I am sure it is, I bypassed it but when she noticed it was not one of the three, she asked why the Hermès was not one of the them...I quickly reached up and exchanged the brown D&G I had with the Hermes o! And yes, you guessed right, yours truly inherited that very handbag!

Now, this blog is not about the material thing called handbag, or the fact that I want to announce I now own a ‘serious’ one (in fact sef, why not announce? Wetin?) but this simple, long story only reinforced, hard I should say, how we deliberately, with our hands and our lack of faith in God, miss major blessings. My heart desired the bag, not because of the name (I don’t do names, at least not deliberately, because whatever it is I wear or carry, designers or 'non-designer', I  'carry' them and give them a name! *very big and saucy grin* but majorly because it is cute and is in such a lovely colour' but I restrained myself because I had thought (what’s my business thinking for people??) that it was something she wouldn’t want to give away. How in heaven did I know that?? Oh, by the way, she wrapped up another handbag to take to another friend of ours. (This is the part where you apply to be this my friend's friend!! :-) ).

Someone once said that having prayed, move on, the ‘how’ and ‘when’ God does it is not your problem. So I say we should catch some sleep biko….but not miss it with our lack of faith. God's gifts are free, we are not to obsess over how we get them.

This lesson I learnt again, and true to God, He knows I needed it....have had a paradigm shift since then o.

And to the giver of this bag, going by what God said about give and receiving a hundred fold.... isn’t the possibilities of what you get in return endless?? OMG!!!! The possibilities are endless o!

BE FREE OH.

PS/ Meanwhile, picture on my profile: the t-shirt is a gift from the bestest group in the world: Bliss. They are certainly very free oh! J

Happy at 40

So! the day came and went...and I cannot say it was uneventful. Oh no! It was full of events o.
In fact, the events began the day before.

I was sitting jeje on my own o, I didn't know that a conspiracy had been on all the while I was shooting off with the mouth about doing nothing...people were snickering at me. And me, clueless, it never ever occurred to me that someone, somewhere may, just may take it upon his or herself to do something...That they just may love me enough to not let me hit 40 and go over 'uneventfully?' Honestly, I do my Wall of Fame an injustice because I under-estimate them! :-)

On Tuesday I was in my kitchen quietly trying to salvage this cabbage I had into something so it doesn't waste (see pic), when my friend, who had come home with me from a meeting said she wanted me to meet a friend of hers...I came out into my living room to the greatest surprise of all my birthdays, and I mean, all 40 of them...I ain't kidding! The surprise was TOTAL. No clue, no inkling, nothing. There they were, Bliss Group Babes (not forgetting our little addition who happens to be a man!) bearing this lovely green cake (one of my fav colours, and with a kettle on it, depicting my love for tea), drinks, wine, chicken, roses, omg, roses!!! And gifts..etc etc. OMG. It was a blast. They made my day.

Not over o: On the day itself: hmmm, God had told me that 'you will be 40 and happy'...of course I snickered (or laughed as Sarah did), because I have all these many pending issues and I thought, well, if You can manage to sort them all out before Nov 9, then of course I would be happy! Anyway, I went ahead immediately to print (see pic) and saved it someplace.
I had the morning to myself so I worked my BB responding to well wishes, I had my moment of fame on BB that day oh. My pictures were everywhere. In the evening my other women group (Women for Change) took me for a Chinese dinner....with more gifts pouring in (though I am still expecting that blank cheque sha o). We had a great dinner full of such laughter and a couple of tributes...well, they told me how wonderfully dependent and loyal I am etc etc. I tried not to let it go to my head though. The secret things belong to me  and God afterall! LOL.

I must confess that I was happy, I truly was. Not because my pictures were making rounds, or that I received so many calls, some great surprises because they were people I hadn't spoken to in ages, or that I received gifts...NO. I was happy right inside; the 'unexpalanable' happy! God was right; as usual. And for the first time in my life, I wished my birthday would last 48 instead of 24 hours!

Cannot emphasize enough....BE FREE OH.

Zouzou is 40

I opened my eyes today into my 40th year, actually that's not true oh! I didn't sleep until about 2am. I had to consciously carry myself off to bed to sleep; I didn't deliberately stay awake, and I wasn't 'pondering' on my life! Sleep didn't come because I had an exciting afternoon (that's gist for tomorrow!) So I decided to (for the first time ever) watch Mask of Zorro and Why Did I Get Married Too (yeye movie, the latter, if you ask me!)

So! 40 whole years. Don't know why I can't stop broadcasting that! *big grin* What a milestone. I am trying so hard to remember my 15th, 20th (I remember 18 and 19 well), 25th etc but they are hazy!. What a journey it has been. What a journey, I tell you. SMH. Full of memories; some good, some bad, some very bad, some really really good. But the sum total of it all has culminated into this 40. I have made good and bad decisions, I have been loyal, disloyal, betrayed and have been betrayed, I have loved and been loved, I have suffered 2 (oh yeah I can count) heartbreaks, I have hated, I have cried, I have laughed, I have tried to be a super woman, I have tried to be someone the younger people dare not emulate! In the midst of it all, I have known God....all memories. And I am thankful for them all.
In these past many years, one thing I can say is that nothing comes easy to me, ever. I am no aje-butter; don't let what you see deceive you. There is always a wait, a fight, a struggle a (heart-wrenching) cry but the end always justified the wait. And there is no stopping me because I know that as surely as the Lord lives, I am headed in a destination at which I shall inevitably arrive!

I want to say 'thank you' to every single person in my life. I keep saying it but mehn, I am blessed with people!!! Come on! I am too sorrounded by an incredible human support. Me, so undeserving!
I thank family (every single one including Zachary and Adiel who have just been born), friends, colleagues, church folks, blog and tweeter followers, random readers...for being part of the wall that holds up the Zouzou Building.

To God Himself for today, I dedicate this:

Love: Your Bitter Herb

It wells up from deep within
It grips my heart in a way no other does
It is bitter herb and unleavened bread!
Bitter because our ways are so different
It is sweetness even in its bitterness
Nothing else measures in the things that matter
My heart cries and longs for it
Who else can not care what I do?
Who else but You stand by me
...in my ugliest moments?
When my garments are all but soiled?
Who cause tears to well
Just by the whisper of a word
You, alone, rock my world
So, I stand loved
Regardless

Somehow, I wish this day would increase to 48 hours!
This blog wasn't planned so take it as it is!

Be Free oh!

Random!

I apologise profusely for having disappeared after 'Salt!' Again!!!

But this time, I was ill o. Just in case you are wondering what happened to me. Are you?? I had the flu...it was bad...I had never (and I mean it) experiecend that kind of chest and back ache oh. I came out of that experience thoroughly exhaused, nose sore! And, I am still sniffing so watch how you approach!

A number of stuff happening but those would keep for now....I woke up to a devotion I subscribe to this morning, and started to ponder on this part:

Don't count the years-count the memories.......Life
is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but
by the moments that take our breath away!

Now, its possible it's been read by many of you, as are so many messages, poems, stories etc etc out there. However, I am convinced one or two people need ponder on it. I know I do.

A friend told me a while ago that no matter what physcial things you acquire, they all could be lost in any number of ways, on any given day, but the only thing that no one can take away from you are your memories. so I ask, what kind of memory are your building? Which ones do you cherish? And in your memory, are you remembered? If yes, for what? If not, why not?

Ponder o. Ponder on your memories.

Th picture below is part of an extremely expensive resort in Mauritius...I would give anything to be lying on that green with a book right now...(building a memory, you know *wink*).I hope the peaceful sight brings you peace you.

Enjoy...and have a great weekend...we in Nigeria have a looong one coming up...mine longer cos I would be taking an extra day...I hope you caught on??

BE FREE OOOHHHHH.