favourtells

  A woman was asked last week on CNN why she thought it important to come out and be vaccinated. Here is what she said “I have kids. I want to be able to hug them, kiss them, and be with them”. Some children were playing outside their apartment with their friends. Sighting them from afar, their mother screamed “Come on, go inside; you are not the ones washing your clothes!” Every morning, I walk towards my aloe plants to see how they are doing. I gave them actual names, acknowledging them as lives. I was laughed at and jokingly called crazy. In some months, my aloes began to flourish-fat, green and pleasant to behold. I reflected on why I showed this intense care to my plants and I realized that I wanted to see what it felt like to care and be cared for. I loved it . ‘Why we do the things we do’ is a question we all must answer to get in touch with the power of our motives. What matters and doesn’t, depend on our answers.   The woman taking the vaccine was inspired by lo...

  While Kamala Harris made history by being the first black woman to become the US Vice President, Amanda Gorman also made history by being the first youth inaugural poet ever. Awe, amazement and wonder filled the minds of many- home and abroad. It was not just about the poem read but the wisdom and craft contained in it. In fact, a political commentator, Van Jones, described her performance as powerful and eloquent. He made further statements saying that the society is filled with so much data but  “data ain’t wisdom”. It is the reality of our society that data outweigh wisdom. This is the reason why I thought to highlight five themes from Amanda's poem that we could absorb into our lives in the midst of the data-filled world. I call them 5 VITAMINS because vitamins are essential for healthy living. Many a time, unforgiveness cloud our sense of judgment. It becomes difficult to see things as they really are. It could lead to biased thoughts, misinterpretation of actions,...

    "W here is my blood? Where is my blood?" a woman cried. She was sitting on a plank (usually used by traders to advertise their goods) in front of a closed shop. She folded her arms, wiggled her legs, and after about two to three minutes of biting her lips and nodding her head, she spread her arms in the air and screamed "Where is my blood!" The second time, she will bite her fingernails, thump her chest and say "My blood, My blood. Where is my blood?" and become silent.   People in the street regarded her as a mad fellow and no one identified with her as a neighbor, relative, friend, customer or a familiar passerby.   Days, weeks, and months passed, yet, each time I walked along that street, she repeated the same behavior. The owner of the shop she stayed in had travelled (so I heard from people).   Different situational analysts began to spread rumors about her condition. Some said out of sincere sympathy that she might have be...

  Lengthy talks compressed into fewer words. Here is the key. Decode. The mind comes into the world tabula rasa. It is a clean slate. The mouth is the pen; the words, the ink. The mind is the paper; the access, the medium of hearing. The mouth comes in contact with the mind. Boom! If the ink be bad, it blossoms. If it be good, it blossoms still. If the ink be bad, it is dangerous. If it be good, it is safe. If the ink be bad, it is poisonous. If it be good, it is life-giving.   These two seem to be involved in a daily, weekly or lifetime combat about who will prevail and what will stay. But, The mind is not totally helpless like a literal paper. It is not totally at the mercy of the external.   The access depends on its carrier. It   examines the ink   about to be used on the paper. It separates manipulation from collaboration.   It separates bias from fact. It differentiates between objectivity and subjectivity. It sep...

  From a personal view, 2020 has been a year of great happenings, most of which were overwhelming. It has been a year of discovery, innovation, self-sufficiency and interdependence.  It is a year that revealed the importance of family ties, friendship, and those little moments of love and care. It is a year that brought many apart and some together.   It is a year where the pressure on mental health tripled. In a nutshell, 2020 has been a year of massive change but most importantly, a year of abundant grace.     In education, there is a term called “Previous Knowledge” . This refers to what the teacher builds on in order to introduce a new concept to the students.  Failure to make connections with the previous knowledge could lead to students’ outright confusion. The students should be able to connect one plus one to two (1+1=2) before two plus one to three (2+ 1=3) and upwards. We are at the brink of a new year. It is a common and healthy practice ...

by Favour C. Ebube One person sees a shine and shrinks. Another sees a shine and shimmers. One person sights a shine and loses hope. Another sights a shine and braces up. One person, in the presence of a shine, is downcast. Another, in the presence of a shine, is uplifted. One person, in the midst of a shine, cowers in fear. Another, in the midst of a shine, celebrates with full Joy. One person views a shine as a threat. Another, views a shine as a call to thrive. One person badmouths the shiner. Another heaps up songs of praise to the shiner. One person, envys the shiner. Another, admires the shiner. One person, sees a shine, and strays from their path. Another sees a shine, and nurtures their path in faith. One person harbours the thought of failure at the emergence of a shine. Another harbours the thought of possibilities at its emergence. One person seeks combat against the shiner. Another seeks collaboration with the shiner. One person twerks the head and sighs with the mouth. Ano...

Grandma was sitting at the dinning table eating her breakfast. She noticed the change in Craig's behaviour for two weeks now. He clearly dodged his breakfasts with his "I am fasting" statement. Yes, Grandma had trained him in a strong Christian way, but she knew how stubborn he could be when it comes to partaking in a collective fast.  Infact, during the last fast declared in church, Craig was caught eating some fish hidden in his pocket. It was part of the fish grandma bought to make lunch after the fast.  Another time, he was caught fast-forwarding the hand of the wall clock in the sitting room. Grandma was puzzled. She reflected on how long he might have been carrying out this trick declaring "grandma, it's almost time. Let's start praying." "So, what happened?" Grandma thought.  "How and when did he become the pioneer of his own fast?" she nibbled the bread in her hands. "Craig" she called. There was no response. "C...