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2020--->2021

Can you believe it’s 2021 already? It seems just like yesterday when I joined thousands of excited parishioners in the church as we screamed Happy New Year into 2020 with our trumpets, whistles, confetti pieces falling from the ceiling, and echoes of excitement waving through the magnificent church building. Right beside me were my adorable daughters, somewhat annoyed that the excessive noise awoke them from their slumber; but they soon joined in the joyous chaos once I explained we had just crossed into a new year. Then again, it wasn’t just any new year, it was a new decade, the start of something glorious, the new opportunity to dream big and slide down the rainbows of endless possibilities to reach the pots of gold carefully laid out by exuberant elves.

     January 2020 went as planned. We started on our resolutions, our goals, our desires, our dreams, ambitiously. February 2020 started just like any of its predecessors. Cold (at least in Bowie Maryland), yet with perseverance, we looked forward to the summer months. We celebrated Valentine’s Day with Red heart-shaped cards and flowers, chocolates and cookies. Some even, with diamonds and pearls. Oh! To be in love.


     But then, right around the corner, faint whispers of despair roused. Something about a stranger coming from yonder the Pacific Ocean. We stretched our necks to listen; glued our eyes to the television and our ears firmly to the ground, wondering what this stranger wanted with us. By all standards, we were known for our "sanitary" practices so if anything, this stranger shouldn't find a place among us.


     By late February, the whispers grew louder. Interestingly, back in January, we had received the first of its many gloomy messages in Washington State and looking back now, we should have paid more attention, acted swiftly and nipped this stranger's tentacles in the bud. Sadly, we lost sight of the storm that was coming. Coronavirus Disease…COVID-19, they called it. This monster of a storm hit us hard. It broke apart homes, dismantled lives and separated generations.


     By mid-March 2020, we realized the magnitude of the storm that had invaded our lives. Because we a people created with resilience, we fought hard, we fought mighty and still fighting to sucker-punch the storm of COVID-19 to its grave. We. Will. Overcome.

     

     COVID-19 may have thought it was coming to destroy us, but it didn’t realize its arrival would build us stronger; this virus didn’t realize it would make millionaires out of many. Neither did it realize it would create gazillion of business owners. I doubt COVID-19 realized how it has helped shaped our communities to be more compassionate towards each other (although a few of us still choose to be evil over being good…I’m looking at those who don’t value Black Lives!)


     All in all, COVID-19 blazed in 2020 and boy! did it take some of our family members and loved ones. BUT, are we blazing so much brighter and gloriously that We. Will. Kick. COVID-19. Into. A. Thing. Of. The. Past.


     So, as we crossover into 2021, allow the spirit of freedom ride through your veins. Permit the whispers of hope to saunter through your heart and mind. Birth determination in your bosom that whatever dreams were derailed by the raging storm in 2020, they can become a reality in 2021. Darling readers, IT. IS. POSSIBLE. Read that once again: IT. IS. POSSIBLE. See with your inner, spiritual eyes that IT. IS. POSSIBLE.

     

     Now, turn off that television, put that phone and social media down, get off that couch (or bed, or chair) and begin. Unless of course you actually need these to start working on your dreams, then use them to chart the course of your destination, starting NOW.


Shalom.


By Latunde Bolarinwa June 24, 2021
Isn’t it interesting that when you conduct a google search for list of women who struggled with depression or mental illness in the Bible, the list usually consists of men and perhaps one or two women at most. Some might argue it’s because the Bible was mostly patriarchal; however, pages of Scripture are littered with stories of women…strong women who at one point in their lives endured the strains of a mental illness, whether short or long-lived. Mental Health is such a vital aspect of humanity. What makes us human isn’t merely our physical health and spiritual health. Without our mental health, we are incomplete. So it baffles me that we rarely speak about this aspect of our lives. What’s even more shocking is the stigma we (humans) place on those who struggle with an ill-health in the mental aspect of their humanity. Why is that? As I’ve always asked, if someone is diagnosed with cancer or diabetes, or high blood pressure or tooth cavity, or congestive heart failure, or found in spiritual ill-health such as lying, stealing, fornication, adultery, etc., do we automatically stigmatize those with these types of illnesses? Or do we empathize with and encourage them to seek appropriate treatment? I think most of us fall into the latter category. In the same token, those struggling with mental ill-health deserve such empathy rather than stigmatization. While the Bible describes many individuals dealing with all manners of mental illness, I want to share a few women and their plights: From the first few pages of the Bible, we read about the first family, their dysfunctions and shortcomings. Eve certainly must have endured Major Depression when her first son murdered her second son in cold blood. Then to watch that same first son being cursed and made a wanderer on earth (essentially becoming homeless, aimless and hopeless)! Many of us may not consider what Eve must have endured and though the Bible does not explicitly explain this either, we get a glimpse from the meaning of the name of another son she birthed: Seth means, “God has granted another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” What a trauma! (Genesis chapter 4). We don’t know Noah’s wife’s name but we are familiar with the experience their family endured—worldwide, colossal wipeout! Imagine being the wife of a man that received the task to build a world class ark/ship/boat/yacht/submarine or whatever you want to call it! Once again, I can only imagine. (Genesis chapter 6, 7,8,9) Barrenness drove Sarai, Rachel and Hannah to pull extreme stunts. Sarai going as far as upgrading her servant’s status to co-wife and imagine what happened when the said servant became pregnant by her husband, the same man she’d been having sex with for decades without success! (Genesis 16). Similarly, Hannah watched her husband impregnant her co-wife over and again while she (the most loved) remained infertile. Bible records in 1 Samuel 1: 10 that “Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.” The impact of such trauma in Hannah’s life was evident by priest Eli’s accusation ( 1 Samuel 1: 14). How can I conclude this writeup without the mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus! The horror to watch your son suspended in the air by several inches of nails in his hands and feet! Yes, she knew He was the Savior, she knew He was special, unlike the rest of her children. Still, no mother is ever prepared for such event! Again, the Bible does not discuss her mental state during and after these dark moments in the history of the world but we can only imagine that Mary stayed in bed most of those three days after Jesus had died, crying until tears dried from her eyes. The emotional toll it must have taken even long after Jesus ascended to heaven. Ever ponder about that? Amazingly, the stories of these women did not end in sorry or depression or sadness. That’s the beauty; knowing that God loves us and sees whatever we are going through. That’s why Bible verses such as Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11 have a special hold on my heart. Each woman identified in this article laughed in the end: Eve gave birth to so more sons and daughters. Noah’s wife and her family survived the colossal wipeout and set their feet, once again, on dry earth! Sarai (later called Sarah) gave birth to her own child, a son for her husband! Rachel whom Jacob loved very much gave birth to two children as well! Hannah of course gave birth to Samuel, a son better than ten sons! Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus also had other sons and forever known as The Mother of our Savior! Are you a woman reading this piece and wondering why you’re going through whatever it is you’re going through, let me encourage you with this: I am on this same ship with you. You might be in the deeper end of the struggle just as I once was, and I’ll be honest, it was really dark and scary. You feel alone, lost, anxious with no ability to pray. Remember how Hannah was described? In deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed onto the Lord; yet literally, no words proceeded from her lips. Here’s my step by step guide to come out of that deep end: If in a crisis, Text “NAMI” to 741741 Call/Text: (202) 304-8793 or Email: olatundebola2017@yahoo.com Schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor Request for PHQ9 assessment Request at least two weeks or few days wellness time-off from work Call National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression or 1-800- 950 - NAMI (6264) Find a Support Person or Group to confidentially speak about the situation. Pray: simply dialogue with God. The only formula for praying is the Lord’s Prayer and its as simple as talking to a friend. There’s no need for perfection during this dialogue. Shalom
By Latunde Bolarinwa May 9, 2021
Motherhood isn’t just a role, it’s a destiny that starts the moment your heart, without warning, connects with another heart—usually a tiny beating heart that flutters in your stomach. For mothers who begin this destiny in-utero, your heart sings a different tune towards this unknown being slowing invading your internals. For most, it’s a happy tune, an indescribable happiness mixed with mild anxiety over the safety of this invader. Day after day, week and after week, you begin to realize that it’s your destiny to provide a safe haven for this foreigner until its arrival into this cruel world. For mothers who begin this destiny ex-utero, you’re equally preparing for a role unlike any other. Your heart sings differently than ever before, a mixture of happiness and anxiety over acceptance, connection and so much more. There’s a constant silent question in the back of every mother’s head: do I have what it takes to raise this individual? This isn’t a question of financial competencies, though that too is important. This question is at the very core, a question of fulfilling her destiny of Motherhood.
By Latunde Onabajo May 3, 2021
By design, the human body has limitations, even if at its healthiest. For example, we can only bend our arms so far before snapping the bones into two. Or the fact that the muscles of the feet are designed to grow tired after long hours of walk/running or general activities. These aren’t necessarily negative limitations; they simply the body’s way of protecting itself from breaking down to beyond repair.
By Latunde Onabajo February 25, 2021
“Then He said to the woman, ‘I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16 NLT)
By Latunde Onabajo February 16, 2021
Have you ever experienced orgasm?
By Latunde Onabajo January 26, 2021
Genesis 2: 16-17 ; Genesis 3: 1-24
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