YOU ARE!

I was seated on a hard rock cemented make-shift chair staring at the oceans and wondering how much body of water it was and where it stopped. It was endless and I imagined jumping into it and seeing how far it could take me. The oceans always move with such power. ** came to me and we began to talk about the million endless ways to die and planned ways to jump into the ocean. I was joking(no way I was about to die without smelling Canadian air first) but I get to tell this story a thousand times about the first time I fell in love. Most importantly, I could have distorted this story to make it sound cool and talk about the time I fell in love on an island.

When I think back to that week of my life, I think about the payphone and ** jokingly singing Drake’s hotline bling while play calling me or me holding his sweaty t-shirt after a long football match. It is filled with endless memories that mark what I might have understood by love. But the week ends, and like he predicted, we are swooped back to reality.

For the past couple of months, I have come to understand what at this stage of life, love means to me. I’ve watched my parents show love to themselves in ways which I cannot even comprehend. I’ve watched my mom even with tears in her eyes show her children love even when we have not extended that same privilege to her. And then, I am drawn back to the love which God shows to us in Corinthians.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1st Corinthians 13:1

I had a conversation with a friend who was explaining to me how love is abstract. At first, I agreed with her but I realized that of all the feelings a human could feel, love is the most powerful. Look at it this way, love leads to all of the other human feelings that exist; regret, disappointment, happiness, sadness, pleasure, guilt. The abstract side of love only means that there is not one universal way to love. It means different things to different people but all in all, God’s description of love is the most unblemished version.

Now when I think about love, I think about the long walk to Tarkwa Bay or the payphone because that was love as I knew it then. You know waiting for someone to ask you to prom and saving up your break money to get a present for someone. Or, waiting after school to watch a football match that you are totally uninterested in.

I also think about love always trusting and always hoping and always protecting because that is love as I’ve been shown now. I think about the constant battles with yourself on letting go. Deciding to trust someone who is miles away. Forehead kisses. Petty moves. Praying for a person. Hustling for a person like our parents do or maybe even just doing tik-toks with a person. All of that jealousy and anger( Corinthians said “not easily angered” and not “not angered” please). Did I mention the tears? And the inevitable pain.( There’s no escaping it. Jesus died on the cross to show love and that entailed a lot of pain please).

And I’m constantly driven to feel and express love regardless of where it could lead me because what is life without love?

Beautiful things land in our lives whether we are ready to receive them or not. Love never seeks permission. Love just turns up unannounced. And if you fail to welcome it with warm arms and an open heart, prepare yourself for a lesson from the greatest teacher of all ; regret – Chidera Eggerue

serendipity -finding something good without looking for it.

With all love,

Oluwayemisi