This pretty much sounds like one of those motivational speeches. Oh yes! Oh maybe! in the sound of the great man who raised me

The pen is as much a symbol of vision. Once conceived and imprinted in every single part of our being can start a wild fire.

I’m not any different from the wagon that wanted to but didn’t. The lights staring right back at me, shouts of “Go for it” in my ears. Oh man! This life no go be kind.

Now that we are at this crossroad, I’m choosing to pick mine up and go write.

Over to you. Let’s go guns blazing.

If I knew how it would turn out
Then maybe I would have expected a different outcome.
The grey cloud surrounding everything
The somewhat bright light at the end of the tunnel
Getting increasingly dimmer each passing day
Casting doubt on what seemed to be a bright future.

How is one supposed to live through this life?
How is one supposed to hope when all seems to be fading away?
The dark shadows of our past that keep hoovering around our present~

Remind me of the vision
The vivid picture of the end
The hope that calls my name
And the faith that carries me through

Remind me of who I am
The soldier dressed in victory
The house seated on the solid rock

Remind me of the certain king
The sure hands that I need to reach my end
Remind me of him in me

Who am I
Who do they say I am
What defines me
What makes me me

Am I the child that grew up with big dreams
Am I the creative mind that learned to knot my tie
Am I the man that stood out from the crowd
Or did my make up define their opinion of me

My reality isn’t close to my dreams

But every single day on this journey
I look in the mirror
I can’t recognize the man staring back at me!?

Where did he go!?

What went wrong?

At what point did I lose my identity

Was it when I let fear Into my life

Or when my inequities hid His face from me!?

Oh, way maker, find me.

If at all I’m good enough to be me, then that is what I’ll believe

I am a child of God
Found in Jesus Christ

So who are you…..?

It’s hard to imagine how daunting the number 21 could be, but in reality it’s actually 35. Mathematicians may do the math and find the missing number but for many Ugandans, it’s better left out than flashed all around. We choose not to look at our victories as trophies but as stepping stones, and that’s exactly what the missing number is.

Living through each day seems like two sun rises and one sun set. It even gets worse when the birds fly over twice and yet the sun is still up.

But being under lock down might not be that bad after all considering the many impossibilities that have been made possibilities, the relationships mended and being built up that make it a blessing in disguise. I won’t deny, I’ve seen a number of negatives too, but let’s look at the positive side.

I’ve seen families pray together, one of my friends actually hinted on becoming a saint and another a pastor after this season, that’s how serious it is. I’ve seen women play soccer, men pay a visit to the kitchen and not just cut tomatoes but make things happen, families reunite, skills learned and time for rest maximized.

I choose to see the good in all this. After all, the best way to stay positive is to be positive. But as we sanitize and wash our hands, let’s not forget to be a blessing to someone somewhere, support a buddy! For as long as you’re alive, there’s hope. A live dog is better than a dead lion.

• 

Who ever thought sneezing would be this serious. Thanks to these days, I actually just found out that there’s what they call sneezing in and sneezing out. I don’t even want to imagine what sneezing in is…..so let’s spare ourselves. The hard rockets that cracked open neighbors ears at the sound of a cough are now fearfully dreaded. That explains the times I am living in now, coupled with uncertainty and cautiousness. I can’t remember the last time I washed my hands 30 times in one day. Some people may actually say those are few, but it’s that serious. One of the not so popular products on the market ‘sanitizer’ is now selling like hot cake all in the name of Covid-19.

Truth is we all need to stay safe in whichever way possible. But staying safe alone isn’t enough if you have nothing to hold on to. Like a rope tied to a tree, we too need to hold on to something to remain grounded. Question is, What or Who are you holding on to?

That moment you sneeze may bring worry but if you hold on to God, he shan’t isolate himself when you okwekyamula. So, Stay grounded! Stay safe!

Have you ever pictured that one person you never wish to meet in the corridors, trust me it happens quite a lot. That person that changes their mood all the time, oh yeah, most times it’s the boss. I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the person in charge, who fires the boss?

Often times, we have it at the back of our minds that someone is calling the shots, pulling the strings. At times we forget and I’m a victim of that too but that doesn’t stop them from doing what they do. I don’t want to imagine what they go through to do what they do, all I care about are the results, the fruits they produce.

A few days ago, I had an experience of such a nature. While standing at one of the beautiful places in Kampala, right next to a crossroad and with traffic lights beaming in red, orange and green, we noticed a child of about two years walk into the road out of nowhere, no one could tell where she came from or where she was going but thank God the lights were still red, but like I said earlier it was in Kampala and boda bodas with no respect for lights continued moving. The first boda bypassed the little girl and so did the second at a high speed but it didn’t knock her. Surprisingly, the little girl kept moving into the middle of the road with no direction until a Good Samaritan came and rescued her. Oh my! My heart almost skipped a beat.

But it got me thinking, who kept those lights red for that long, who made the boda bodas who had no idea about the little girl not knock her?? Someone definitely must be pulling the strings, the man behind the curtain. So no matter what’s going on around you, no matter the situation, God’s still in charge, he’s still calling the shots!

We’ve been calling it the love month, love week and a specific day had become the love day. Good thing the similarity in all this is ‘love’. A feeling expressed from the inside out. ‘Please correct me if I’m wrong’ I can’t really put words to describe this feeling, the one that makes eyes glimmer, lips twitch and emotions run shy. The same one that tickles goodness out of humanity, makes hearts beat in opposition to science or even sends a shiver down my spine ‘ouch’ Just the thought of it gives me goose bumps. In whichever way we express this love, only we know how but truth is, it is worth it. I saw people become humans, hearts beating to the sound of compassion and lives being touched.

A well-known group of people decided to go out of their way to see love blossom in its fullness as they decided to share in acts of love and bless those around. I didn’t know how much that would mean to someone till I looked into a once hurt young man’s eyes who had just been told how he is good enough, gifted and special. The tears that rolled down his face told a story only love can explain. Anonymous neighbors got to pay taxi fares for strangers as I can call them, trust me if you never knew what 1,000shillings would do in someone’s life then love just gave it meaning. Of course I can’t forget the flowers, the ones that smiled at the ladies in the colors of red, white and pink, yeah, that smile you have now tells it all.

But the best part was when we got to experience the eternal love of the one who said I’m not done with you and yet when we opened hearts to him and said no he still came calling. Truth is, I didn’t know how human I was until I experienced that kind of love. I’ve seen hearts beat, actions speak all in the name of love through this month and that alone has made this so called lonely place brighter than before. So how about we turn the replay together all through the year as we make love our song with a never ending melody.

“So this is it” Those were the same words that run through my mind the minute I put pen on paper. The beginning of a journey, one that actually doesn’t seem to be mine but ‘ours’. For the biggest part of our lives, we choose to focus on what our two eyes can see and what our minds can comprehend, but what if there’s more to what we actually see, the more reason as to why I’m here. That ‘what if’ may actually be something bigger. There’s more to ‘see’ than the letter ‘E’. So how about we leave behind what we thought we knew and take this head on, After all we “call a spade a spade”

I once read a tale about a group of people that turned this world upside down because of what they believed was right. Truth is I didn’t get to see any of these people or even get a glimpse of their acts, but all I did was read and remain astounded by what they did. Surprisingly, I’m now one of those people who believes they actually did turn this world upside down. Most of those great men may have died but what they did lives on forever, like the saying goes “You may not remember my name, but my acts, you will remember” But the question is, who told their story? Who wrote about their acts?
We can’t separate the writer from the doer. Without one, the mission wouldn’t be fully accomplished. After all, a written thought is a thought preserved for eternity. So yeah, this is it. Eternity needs to know of the great Acts happening in our day and time, and one thing is for sure, there’s no small and there’s no great, all acts deserve a write. Someone needs to hear about this, probably we will also turn the world upside down.

I know we are African and we say we believe by seeing, but how about we look closely at the picture being painted and see the beauty unfold before our eyes. The African Male won’t just tell ‘our’ story, but paint a picture of the Act with a shadow of what makes it speak so that men may see and behold.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton