Death that took my father.

Death gives absolutely no warnings; it gives no day, date, time or location. I never in my life thought I would see the day "Death" would visit my family and I, but it did on the 2nd of June, 2010. Death came this day and took my only father , my grand father Chief Emmanuel Oladehinde Coker (JP).

When people I know lose a loved one, I tell them "I can’t say I know how you feel because I honestly don’t ". Today I can say I know how it feels to lose a loved one, how it is to lose a mentor, a hero, a guardian, a provider, an adviser a father, my very own grandfather. It‘s a horrible feeling, a hurt that words cannot define and a scar that would take only the grace of the almighty God to heal. Everyone says he is old and he has lived a great life. I do not dispute that, but daddy was way too much a part of our lives that we cannot just immediately accept he is gone. Daddy was not ill, showed absolutely no signs of a person that would give up the ghost anytime soon. Shock is an understatement for the way I feel, words cannot even describe it. Just last week I spoke with daddy, and all he emphasized was “I will send you something, don’t worry" and I smiled because that was a very typical line from daddy to me.

God, I wish I was able to talk to you on Monday, they said you were asleep daddy! How would I have known you would be leaving us on Wednesday? God knows every part of my existence is hurt and tears have become a very good friend of mine. You are the father I have had and known all my life,

Daddy, you promised to attend my graduation next year, Daddy, you were supposed to walk me down the aisle,

Daddy, you were supposed to hold my child in your hands and give it a name,

Daddy, you were supposed to be here and watch me become a woman, a wife and a mother.

Daddy you promised to send something to me, and you never got to,

Daddy I never thought you would live just like that without an opportunity to even say a proper goodbye.

Oh God! My dear Grandmother, I bet she would give anything right now to serve you tea in the morning, make your brunch, lunch, pre supper, and supper. After waking up by your side for the past 50 something years of her life loving and serving you.

I wonder how Oladehinde Coker street would be able to bear your loss, just walking down that street every evening and you’re not up on that balcony to wave your hands to passersby anymore. Daddy, you always picked the house phone on the first ring, first you yell our name and next you yell 'Iya Olu". It broke my heart to call the house and hear Iya Olu herself pick the phone on the first ring with nothing but brokeness in her voice.

Enough said, because I cannot say it all.I am eternally greatful to the almighty creator, the immortal, invisible and only wise God, the almighty God that brought you to this earth to give us all life, and took you after you have fullfilled his purpose. To the glory of God you lived a very purposeful and fulfilled life. Daddy you have lived life to the fullest, you have accomplished it all. From the stories you told us, you started as a nobody, but God lifted you and made you a somebody. You have lived to see you children, and grand children succeed in life. You were a father figure to so many others. You taught us the importance of being close with one’s family, you taught us to beware of friends because no one can really be trusted. You taught us to be fearless and you always blessed us and said it will be well with us. God has used you to bless so many lives including your own family. You have left a legacy, a name that would never ever be forgotten by so many. Indeed daddy, you have lived a good life. You are a rare gem of inestimable value; you are a hero, our very own hero.

My Father, My Grandfather, Baba mi Emmanuel,Oladehinde Oladipupo Coker(JP) aka E.O, Baba Coker, Baba Olu, Babanbunmi, Aaadaddyyyy. I love you with every fiber of my being and from the bottom of my heart. I will really miss you, and I will never ever forget you! Daddy! E SUN RE O, E ma gbagbe awa omo yin o, REST IN PERFECT PEACE.

( FEB 01 1927- JUN 02 2010).

What is Love?

It’s February, and the 14th day of this month is noted “Lovers day". It has been this way since AD 500. There are stories which come in different versions that tell how this day was originated, and I just say go with any story that appeals to you the most! I personally think it’s cute the little things people do for each other on Valentine’s Day, the flowers, cards, candy, surprises and all of that stuff. I remember very clearly the note in the card I got from my last valentine a line said "I know the smallest things matter the most to you, so I hope this card means a lot to you" another line said "I hope to make your next valentine bigger and better". Hahahaha too bad there wasn’t a "Next" valentine for both of us. At that time, I really thought what I had was love and I expected it to last for a long time if not forever. I guess my definition of love at that time was having a guy call u 'BABY', spend every leisure with you, call you every now and then, say sweet things to you and just be next to you at every point you need a shoulder to lean on. I saw love as mainly a boy/girl or man/woman affair and also meeting someone or seeing a person of the opposite sex that makes your heart skip, or makes you have butterflies in your tummy is when you know you have found love. Hummmm how ignorant! As years went by, and I flashed back to the situations I saw as "love", I realized that that it couldn’t be love and there really should be more to it that what I assumed. I began to research and question love question love, which is the reason for this note today. What really is this thing called Love? The first response I get every time I ask this question is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres". I thought of this verse as very interesting, I remember me saying “This is deep mehn!” And I thought if this is the definition of genuine love, have I really ever loved and have I ever been loved? I read further about love and I discovered love was in categories, first the love known as "erotic love". It is based on strong feelings toward another, which is usually between a man and a woman. The second was Philos love which is the kind of love based on friendship between two people regardless of their sex. And lastly, Agape love, which is the greatest love of all. It is a love that is completely selfless. It is where a person gives out love to another person without any anticipated reward. Whether the love given is returned or not, the person continues to love and has no self benefit. Its interesting how much I did not know about love and how much detail I had always left out about it. I tried to categorize my love for the people close to me that is family and friends. It was a little hard for me because I could not decide who I wanted to put where. I can honestly say that at some point in my life love has failed me, having no fatherly love, having a friend disappoint me, having a romantic relationship that didn’t last and so on. I wondered how I had made it through in all this situations and not until then did it dawn on me that love could only be whatever it is that Christ has for me, because that is the only love I can honestly say has never failed me. I remember as a child I doubted the love my mother has for me whenever I am being scolded and not until I matured and was exposed to the reality of life did I realized that it is love and I should be thankful for it, and on the other hand, that love cannot lay her life for me. Christ laid his life for me, his love showed me light in darkness, it believed in me when I thought I couldn’t amount to anything, it was with me even in my unfaithfulness and when I was unworthy of it, it gave me faith when I lacked confidence, it showed me beauty when I saw otherwise, it gave me hope when I though all was gone and it loved me even before I knew me. I have had love with me all my life and failed to realize, I have come to the conclusion that there isn’t a definition for love. Love is what you call it; love is what it is, To Yimidivine LOVE IS CHRIST AND CHRIST IS LOVE.

Healing wounds.

I have realized that each individual has various questions on their mind that they are unable to answer. Some have gone out of their way to seek answers and the response turned out to be that there are some questions that just cannot be answered by any man at all. Many situations arise in life and they seem very unexplainable. My focus now lies on the horrifying incident that happened on 12th of January. How does one explain a natural disaster only 12 days after transitioning to a new year. A disaster that claimed thousands on lives, rendered people homeless, caused others to be childless,widows, widowers and orphans. Words cannot even begin to describe how tragic this incident is. I cannot even ask the question "why" because whether or not a reason is given, the deed has already been done and lives cannot be restored. No matter how sad and sorry people feel about the situation, it cannot be compared to how the families that were involved feel. As difficult as it may be to be thankful in this situation, that is the only thing that could be recommended. I honestly don't know how one could be consoled in such a situation, only God can console every victim of this horrible incident. I am really short of words, but it is a situation that should be addressed even though it is a very painful one. I would encourage every believer out there to call on God on behalf of Haiti, because he is the one that sees and knows all. As hard as it is to admit, God has a reason for this situation known to him and him alone. He is the only one that can revive and restore all that the canker worms have eaten. Let us just pray for these people as often as we can and also give what ever we are able to. This is the time to be selfless and it is also an opportunity to sow seeds and do good deeds in the lives of others. God might not always keep us away from a storm, but he will definitely keep us through every storm. I therefore pray that God keeps Haiti through this storm and revives them. I pray that the situation will build stronger people and instil faith in the lives of all the victims. I pray that there will never be a repetition of such incident and every nation will experience Gods divine mercy, because at this point Gods mercy is very crucial.
GOD PLEASE KEEP US ALL, ALSO REVIVE AND RESTORE HAITI......

Its about you, so be thankful!!!!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.
This wonderful season is not just about our savior’s birth, but it is also about each and everyone one of us. Christ was born so that "we" could have life, and have it abundantly. Jesus lives so that "we" would be saved, he lives to heal, protect, revive, restore, and transform "us", and he will also die to take "our" sins away and for the salvation of "our" souls. The resurrection of Christ is for us to be reborn in him, and to crown it all he has made a home in each of "our" hearts and therefore till this day dwells in "us". This season which marks the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ is also about us, which is why we should make the very best of it, and show total appreciation, and genuine love in the best possible way we can. This season should serve as an opportunity for us to forgo our weaknesses, failures and insecurities and focus on the awesome things God has been doing for us and show that we are grateful for it. We should then continue to live our lives in anticipation of the magnificent things he has planned for us.
There are certain mistakes we have made through the year, the road might not have been smooth all the way, there might have been inevitable ups and downs and there definitely would have been various occurrences that we would really wish we could push an “undo” button to reverse. This closure of the year should serve as an avenue for everyone to take timeout to do self-evaluations in all aspects of their lives. These evaluations would help detect errors, and it would also serve as on opportunity for us to give ourselves a pat on the back for our good deeds over the year. Every notified error should be worked on, we should try to figure out things we could do better in order to avoid reoccurrences and also to be better people in that aspect of our lives. The end of the year should also serve as an opportunity to set selfless and realistic goals that would not just be for the betterment of our lives, but also for the betterment, joy and satisfaction of all those around us. Just as Jesus has been selfless and has shared his birth, life, death and resurrection with us, let us also share our lives with others and show love and care the best possible way we can.
Lastly, I am extremely grateful for the year 2009, words cannot express the extent of my gratitude, I am thankful for the life God has given to me and for recently adding another year to it, for the wonderful family he has blessed me with, for awesome friends. I am thankful for the new babies born this year that were an addition to the people in my life, I am thankful for the people dear to my heart that passed away, I am thankful for all those who love me and all those who don’t. I am most especially thankful for the unconditional, and undying love Christ has for me.

I wish everyone a magnificent 2010

Can't Have It All.

Left to me, I would be pushing a ,Lamborghini murcielago with plates saying YIMIDIVINE, Definitely living in my own customized, Yimi modeled, 500,000 sq feet castle somewhere in some island, I would be rocking luxury shoes, clothes, jewelry and all the fine material things life has to offer. And of course I would be married to my prince charming. Come to think of it, if I have all these and more what happens next? Would it give me true satisfaction? Would I really be happy? Would I have genuine peace in my heart? Would that mean I am fulfilled and I have accomplished the propose for which I was created? The answer is NO, there is much more to life than riches and material stuff. We spend most of our time and life trying to be the best we can be, most especially financially. Majority go to school, learn a trade, set up businesses and do various other things just so they can be in good standing and to make ends meet. Sometimes we go out of our way to do things that we would not originally do all in the name of "I want to have it all". Life is very enjoyable when you are able to aquire most of your wants or needs, be comfortable and be a source of help to others. I don’t have to have all the money in the world to be fulfilled. Life has become such a competition, that people are striving so hard to meet up to other people’s expectations, have what others have and even have more than they do. They forget to pursue things that are much more important; they put aside their original goals and dreams and begin to work in a completely opposite direction. I strongly believe and uphold the saying that 'True beauty of life is in how happy you make others and the impact you have in their lives" not on how big your house is, the Gucci shoes you are rocking or the Armani suit you have on. It is great to have great aspirations, but it is a problem when material things are taking over you and becoming your daily priority. Riches I believe comes from God and him alone, I don’t have to slave my whole life and abandon myself and who I really am because I want to acquire material things. It is all vanity and it all would one day fade away. It is crazy the extents to which we human beings go all in the name of I have to have this and I have to have that. Why don’t we just make the best of what we have and pray to God to bless what we have and make it yield much more, rather than abandoning or misusing what we have because we feel it’s not good enough. We need to cultivate the habit of being content with what we have and be grateful for it instead of envying others that might have a little more than we do. The truth is we can wish all we want, but we can’t really have it all.Some people are very wealthy, but have no peace of mind, some are poor but are very healthy, some are single and having the time of their life, while some are married and feel imprisoned. So really everyone has one challenge or the other that they are dealing with,you therefore are better off being yourself and living in accordance with God's ordination. Trying to make money should not be an excuse for not having a relationship with God because he has greater thoughts and plans that are of good towards us. So rather than chasing after the world why don’t you focus on God and let him give you genuine riches and peace. Material things come with a "comma" but when you have Christ you can indeed say you have it all. You might not necessarily have a humongous bank account, but God can definately bless you with peace, joy, love, talents and lots more that would grant you access to being the best. It’s good to look good, it’s good to have good things, but not at the expense of others or when your life, and the lives of others are in jeopardy. What does it profit a man to lose his soul and gain the world? Mark 8:36. We don’t have to want everything because as humans no matter what, or however much we have, we would always want more, we just tend to let greed set in. The major thing we should set our heart to is our fellowship and relationship with God because we can never have too much of him. He is the only one who can continually sustain us, he makes us radiant, and we just epitomize his glory. Even if I wear my little dress, and wear my regular shoes, and drive a decent car and live in a well maintained home, that is all comfortable and affordable, I know God would in his own way make me appear like I am worth much more than i really am. God has a way of showing off his glory through us. After all said, left to me, I would do my best in everything I do and submit the rest to God, thereafter, I would focus on him, and let him do all that he wants to do with me in his own way and in his own time. I would focus on building a relationship with God, having an impact on others and being a resource of help to others, rather than compete in acquiring materials. I want more of you Lord, when I have you, then and only then alone can I say I Have It All....

How do I stay strong?

It’s a painful fact, but disappointments are inevitable, there are a lot of things we aspire in life that we don’t get at the time that we want it, or we might never end up having. Don’t you get tired of people telling you, "God has a purpose for everything", "it wasn’t meant to be", "it’s just not the right time" and all others of that nature. All these are the things people tell you when you have been disappointed or when things just don’t go well generally, I am guilty of it too, I mean, what else is there to say, there is nothing any one can do about certain issues. Really how do I stay strong, when I have been thought to be hopeful, to have faith, to be optimistic, to go for whatever I feel is right, not to give up on my goals, to be positive and proclaim all that is good to myself, and I go ahead and do all these and much more and at the end of it all I’m drowning in my ocean of tears. Is it now wrong to believe in myself and do what I feel is right? is there an explanation for studying so hard in school and ending up with a "D" on a test, or going for a job interview and being rejected for no just cause, or being with someone you truly care about, and one day out of nowhere they don’t seem to care about you anymore and can’t be bothered if a monster came and beat your head off, or you realize at the end of a week not a single person has even bothered to check if you exist or show that they care for you, or the end of the month comes and all the bills are piled up with not a penny to pay for them, or you feel blessed with a spouse, fiancé, fiancée that you consider perfect, and you come to find your supposed better half with another person and you stay calm to find out what’s going on, and really there isn’t much going on, they just don’t want you anymore, or you are out having fun with your friend, you guys had a blast and after a long night you retire to your various homes, only to get a call the next morning that your dear friend has passed away, better yet, you are excited and awaiting your first child and your delivery day has finally come, you are blessed with a beautiful baby boy, and you are told he has a neurological syndrome and might never walk or speak, or all you have is a migrane, and to decide to see the doctor, and after tests are carried out, he tells you you have a brain tumor and you have a number of months to live,it goes on and on and on. When you are faced with one of the above mentioned situations or even more than one of it at the same time, there isn’t anyway you would not be heartbroken, disappointed or devastated. One might look very ok on the outside, but they are really hurting on the inside and it hurts the most when there really isn’t anything they can do at the spur of the moment to change their situation, it’s hard to tell them to be hopeful, because they were hopeful initially, you are scared to tell them to have faith, because they had faith, its sometimes even hard to tell them to pray because they prayed without ceasing, but things did not go how they had wished or planned. So now tell me how can one possibly stay strong? One thing that has worked for me is constant songs of praise and the word of God. I begin to rejoice in my tears and in my sadness not because it can do anything to my better my situation at the time, but it lifts my spirit and helps me to focus on the good things I have and how things can get better for me. Like they say, “there is no use crying over spilled milk” well that doesn’t mean don’t cry at all, if you are the crying type, go ahead and cry, but only for a moment, don’t sit around and spend the whole time crying and seeking sympathy because you would only end up with a headache, better still get up and sing songs of praise, you will be surprised at how your mood would change, and how good you would feel.Also rather than praying to God and questioning him on why things are not going well with you, just thank him the good things he has done for you in the past and the things you have left that don’t cause you pain. Accept everyday as it comes and just move on rather that dwell on what hurts you.Lastly, baptize yourself in the word of God, read verses like Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, Matthew 6:25-34, proverbs 19:21, Joshua 1:9. They don’t change your situation, or make things better, they make you stay strong and pull through, they help you overcome sadness, disappointments and fear, and they help you move on. There really is a way to stay strong. God helps me stay strong!

He always comes through.

When God turned again the captivity of Zion, they were like they that dream. Whoever says our God is not real, or does not exist must have gone to the wrong God, and they really need to try again. I am just amazed by the Lord's doings; he just has a way of making the impossible possible. He does answer prayers, in the most miraculous ways, he opens doors that have been shut for the longest time, he makes a way even when there seems to be no way. At the mention of his name, every knee falls in adoration. What an awesome God we serve. I believe in him because he does all he says he will do, he has never failed and he will never fail. He is the pillar that holds my life, the solid rock on which I stand. He is the lover of my soul, he is my bestest friend. When the whole entire world fails, he is the only one that would always come through for us, he always has our back. He assures us that things would get better, no matter how horrible our situation looks to us and to the world; he always gives us a reason to be thankful at the end of it all. When we have been condemned and written off by the world, the lord comes in majestically and stands in gap for us, he trades our shame for gain and the enemies are put to shame. Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me, words cannot express how much love I have for him, I don’t know how to show gratitude to him for what he has done, what he is currently doing, and all the wonderful things he is yet to do in my life and in the lives of my beloved ones. I believe in him and in his words, he is a God that always keeps every covenant, even when we don’t deserve mercy, he still showers it unto us abundantly, when we are being cast away, he draws us close to him and shows us he loves us no matter what, he is never ashamed of us or embarrassed by our mistakes. In time of distress, people instantly back out and live you to your situation, but Christ alone is there with us through thick and thin, he alone just always comes through.