**When Will My Morning Come?***

*This story is fictional, but the thoughts of the girl are mine*

The mansion was so quiet that anyone walking through the hallways could probably hear the sound of a pin dropping. All the palace princes and princesses were still fast asleep. All the royal eunuchs, servants, and slaves were also at their resting quarters. Princess Ayana slept in the fourth wing of the palace. Something caused her to wake up suddenly. It was just 4.00am in the wee hours of the morning. She smiled...hoping it would happen today. She was hoping the morning will come, and with the morning that a lot of amazing things would happen. So she put on a shawl and drew closer to her window pane. After opening the windows to let in a bout of fresh air, she sighed and waited for one more hour.

After numerous trials of counting sheep, an hour elapsed...then she began to see what she was looking for. The horizon. The apparent intersection of the earth and the sky, divided by the light from the early morning sun. Golden streams of light were pouring in through her window. She sprung up in joy...the morning was here and no one should be missing the sight of the horizon.
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So she quickly lifted the hem of her luminescent green floral garment and began to race towards the other three wings of the palace. Her sisters, her sisters. They shouldn't miss the horizon...she had to wake them up before the moment passed them by. She got to the first room, and jumped on her oldest sister's bed. "Joanna, Joanna...I can see the horizon right now, outside my window." She was in utter disbelief when her sister adamantly pushed her off the bed and dismissed her with a simple wave of her fingers. Joanna hissed and slept back. Unfortunately, her other two sisters gave similar responses...and her countenance fell. "When will my morning come?" She asked herself. Every time she saw the horizon, she felt empty because no one shared it with her. She felt that it wasn't real because no one acknowledged the morning sun.
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Then all of a sudden, it dawned on her. Her morning was not everyone else's morning. Her morning was NOW. Her morning was when she decided to see the horizon. She must embrace the moment and enjoy the scenery. She must enjoy the gifts of joy that came with her morning. It was not dependent on any one, neither was it dependent on any thing. Then she danced back to her room, humming to herself...she stuck her hands out the window and received the rays of light with a smile.

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When will your morning come? Your morning is right now, as you read this piece with a smile on your lips. Your morning is not dependent on your surroundings, your family, your friends, or your partners. Your morning is whenever you decide to receive it from God. It took me a few hours last week Friday to determine that my morning was here and now, and also that I had the joy that came with it ("Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.")
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God is giving you, my readers, a brand new morning right now. It doesn't matter what happened yesterday or in the past few seconds. I can see the horizon. I can see the rays of light pouring in through your window. You just need to accept this revelation, and let go and let God.

Really, Sincerely, Truly Forgotten?

There she was. Hidden in the darkness of the wardrobe. Drowned in a silence that was felt inside the four walls, as opposed to the boisterous hullabaloo of the outside precinct. She peeked through the two hinge holes and admired what she saw. She looked back at herself and felt disdain for what she saw. She saw in herself someone with less potential than the rest. The girls outside the wardrobe were dressed just like she was, the only difference being that they were outside, and she was inside.
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They wore beautiful short multi-layered tulle over-skirts, with top layers gathered into sweet scallops with satin roses. Sequins decorated the bodice sections and ribbons the waists. During the first few weeks of practice, her teacher complimented and pushed her more. She was a flexible cat, and she was a beauty to look at. As the weeks dwindled slowly towards the final dance, her teacher stopped looking at her and focused on the rest of the class. She didn't understand...

But today was the final dance, and she was inside the wardrobe...willingly.

At this point she thought of what to do. Should she wait until the others remembered her? Should she wait until she heard the dance teacher's soft voice asking, "where is Titi?" Should she sneak out, pull her friends aside and ask the dreaded question, "why hadn't no one noticed her absence for the past one hour?" She thought she was the best on the team. How come they were dancing without her? Her insecurities came flooding back...as sharp as the first time they came. One by one the guests came in, grinning in anticipation of the final dance. Surely, someone must find her...before it was too late. Unless she was forgotten...
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Finally she heard Mrs. Twitter ask, "where is Titi?" and she breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the wardrobe into the lime light.
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Of course, our little dancer wasted so much time on irrelevant thoughts. The reason the dance teacher focused on other people was because Titi was the best, and she had already perfected her skills. All she needed was a little more repetition.

Instead of shying a way in a dark wardrobe wallowing in self pity, she should have been helping the others. She should have been a mini-assistant and an encourager. She should have shared her knowledge and put her talent to good use. She should have lifted the spirits of those who were crying, filled with shameful thoughts that they couldn't make it. Instead, she worried more about whether she was forgotten. When she was never really forgotten.

God can never forget you. Yes, He still remembers every thing He promised you. He even remembered those nights you knelt down to pray, soaked in your own tears and sweat. He's only waiting for an APPOINTED TIME. The perfect time to display you, like brand new model homes are displayed.

So while you wait, why don't you put yourself to good use? Explore your talents. Be a teacher, be an encourager, and be an uplifter. You have been given ideas...why don't you use them today? You have definitely NOT been forgotten by God. Oh yes, He remembers you...See, He has engraved you on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16)

*Photo by Ekatee, Photobucket*

***Ceteris Paribus***

Ceteris Paribus: "All things being equal"

What does this Latin phrase mean? Today, out of the randomness of my being, this phrase erupted. Like a volcano that cannot be extinguished, my mind went into a sequence or consecution of thoughts. Really, the phrase 'Ceteris Paribus' evolved in the domain of Science, the reason being that Scientists have had to focus on only one variable in their experiments, while leaving all other independent variables constant.

Have you ever considered what your independent variables are in this life? What is the most important variable to you? Really, what can you take out from all the other factors in your life? Which one factor is the most important, leaving you the choice of making the rest constant? Is it family? Is it fashion? Is it friendships? Is it relationships? Is it marriage? Is it time? Is it the weather? Is it promises? Is it food? Is it any one of your hobbies? Surely, it must be something in your heart that you feel you can never let go of...
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To me, it is God! There is no other variable more important than my Father. Ceteris paribus, all other things being equal.
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To search far and wide, for the thing that matters most to you, is very important. There must be one thing that you can chase with the whole of your power and might, and catch it you must, even if it takes your last breath. If at this point in time you don't know what that thing is, take this moment to grasp the concept. If you don't know why you're living, or what you're living for, then why are you here? Why are you here, in this moment, in this hour, and in this second? Why are you sitting down on your colorful couch reading this blog, or listening to those lyrics? Why do you nod your head back and forth like a rocking chair? Why do you smile, laugh, or cry sometimes?
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Why? Why, oh why?

Today...Let there be one important factor, and let "Ceteris Paribus" apply to the rest. If God is the most important factor, everything else will fall into place. Try this and see...

Another beautiful birthday...c'est la vie!

It's a brand new day...a phenomenal moment...
On this day I was born into this world...

I embrace today

As a new beginning

I look outside my window

To see brand new opportunities

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I embrace brand new colors

I embrace His grace

I embrace His light

I embrace His kindness

I embrace His wisdom

I embrace my two shoes

Even as my soles step into a new dawn...

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I'm 24 today...woohoo!!!

The only day you'll catch me stating my age!

C'est la vie!!!

Ah, Thank You Father! :)