Positive Quote For Today

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."— Maya Angelou


Solving the Money Problem

A True Story
by
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Coolnsmart.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

One day in 2014, I wrote a blog story titled "Parting the Red Sea". The story was about how I knew what my dreams were but didn't know how to achieve them. A Christian friend of mine who read the story asked me what I had in my hands. I didn't get to know what he meant by that but I think he was trying to make me think of my talents.

My dreams back in 2014 were to own a classy car, get engaged to a winsome lady, build a magnificent home, have a colorful wedding, travel overseas and sire three children with my wife. Those dreams still remain the desires of my heart to this day.

With time, it has gelled in my mind that I can earn money for actualizing my dreams from the Google ads on this lovely blog of mine. What I have been working on is coming up with inspiring stories and beautiful hymns that will keep people flocking to this blog. You see, writing and composing hymns are the talents God gifted me with.

I have come to enjoy blogging. Nothing delights me more these days than seeing people all over the world visit this blog. What enchants me even more is the positive feedback I occasionally receive from my blog visitors who inform me that they have enjoyed reading a story or listening to a hymn on this blog.

But here's the snag: the number of my blog visitors is currently not big enough to make me earn the money I need to actualize my dreams. I am always praying that my blog audience grows to a hundred visitors each day. "If I can attract such an audience," I have said to myself, "then I will make decent money even when I am sleeping, and thus get the means to actualize my dreams and reach the Promised Land."

My Dad seems to be also concerned about me earning enough money to be self-reliant. On the evening of last Thursday, as I was about to leave home for my hometown of Kiserian, he broached to me the idea of me seeing a life coach. I replied that I don't need a life coach since I have found my calling in blogging. And I added that for me, books are the best mentors.

To be honest, Dad ruffled my feathers by telling me to see a life coach because it implied that I don't know what I am doing with my life. On my way to Kiserian, I decided to suggest to him that the money he would use to hire a life coach for me would be better used to promote my blog on Twitter by posting adverts aimed at increasing my Twitter followers.

After I arrived back home from Kiserian and suggested to Dad what I had in mind, he was still adamant that I should see a life coach. That infuriated me further. The following day (Friday), all I was thinking about when I woke up in the morning was Dad's annoying idea that I see a life coach. I contemplated commanding him to never broach that idea to me again but I thought it unwise of me to say that to him.

As I continued fuming over Dad's idea that I see a life coach, I remembered the old proverb that says, "I groused because I had no shoes till I met a man with no feet." Then I rephrased the proverb this way to suit my situation, "I felt angry over Dad telling me to see a life coach till I met a child with no Dad." Rephrasing the proverb that way brought peace to my disturbed soul.

Ever the smart young man, I hatched a plan of discussing the issue of me promoting my blog on Twitter with my eldest brother Joe Kagigite when he visited us on Sunday. Since Joe has always encouraged me to be a blogger, I was sanguine that he would understand me and inform Dad that what I needed was not a life coach but a way of promoting my blog.

But alas! When Joe came home on Sunday and I raised the issue as I had planned, he burst my bubble by siding with Dad. He told me that even athletes hire coaches. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to defend my point of view.

I am still in a dilemma on how to grow my blog audience to a hundred visitors each day. But I am trusting that God will come through for me again as He has in the past by making for me a way where there is no way. I believe He will part the Red Sea in my life as He did for the Israelites, and help me solve the money problem that is keeping me from actualizing my dreams. Ciao!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on solving my money problem, you might also enjoy another one on "Scoring in Life" which I wrote several years ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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Health is the Greatest Blessing

A True Story
by Thuita J. Maina
on Jun 1, 2023
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Azquotes.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

On the afternoon of last Saturday as I was playing the piano in my room, I felt a stomach upset that made me instantly know that I was going to have diarrhea. But when I went to the toilet, I relieved myself normally, which made me wonder what that upset in my stomach could be for.

Come Saturday night, I again felt an upset in my stomach while I lay in bed, waiting for sleep to come. And yikes! After I fell into a slumber, I woke up four or five times to visit the toilet where I had the diarrhea I knew was coming. During one toilet visit, I felt so dizzy that I almost collapsed on the floor while returning to my room.

The upset in my stomach persisted the next day (Sunday). It made me stay in bed when my phone alarm rang at 5.30am. Even though I didn't get the sniffles or lose my appetite for food, I spent most of my Sunday snug and warm in bed, feeling a bit depressed by my diarrhea and stomach upset.

When I informed my father that I was diarrheaing and feeling unwell, he advised me to drink plenty of water, which I never did since I didn't get thirsty and the weather was quite chilly. And when he offered to buy me some diarrhea medicine, I declined the offer because, as I pointed out recently, I don't like taking medicine these days.

As the Sunday wore on, I tried to recollect the meals I had eaten in the previous three days and wondered which of the meals could have caused me to have diarrhea and a stomach upset. Could it be the peas I feasted with a chapati on Friday evening? Or could it be the chicken stew that Mum prepared for us earlier in the week? I wondered.

When it reached Sunday evening and I had to go to my hometown of Kiserian for my usual one-hour walk that keeps me in trim, I feared that I could develop the urge to have diarrhea along the way. So I asked my parents to keep me in their prayers. I also prayed for myself that my walk would be as blissful as it often is.

Fortunately for me, I completed the walk without messing myself up or feeling any upset in my stomach. I didn't develop the urge to have diarrhea till I arrived home from Kiserian. If that wasn't God answering my prayers, you tell me what it was!

Although I slept soundly on Sunday night without waking up in the middle of the night to diarrhea, I was still feeling a bit depressed on Monday morning. I therefore didn't spring out of bed when my phone alarm rang at 5.30am. And when I finally woke up at around 8.00am to take my breakfast, I didn't hop back into bed like I had done the previous day. I just vegetated on my desk most of the day.

Later on in the evening of that same Monday, I talked on phone with my kid brother Symo who plies his trade in the British island of Bermuda. After Symo promised to bring me a laptop when he jets back to Kenya this month, my spirits buoyed. His promise magically cured my depression.

In my buoyant spirits, I cleaned my room, took a shower and washed my clothes - chores I hadn't done for two days. As I did the chores while crooning some of my favorite hymns, my father noted a change in my moods and rightly guessed that I was now well. Then after I was done with the chores, I dashed to Kiserian full of verve and vitality.

Since Monday evening, I have rebounded into the disciplined and hard-working young man I resolved to be at the beginning of this year. I have been waking up at 5.30am and staying active during the day. Talk of rising after a fall as Nelson Mandela put it in one of his most famous quotes.

Depressing though the diarrhea and stomach upset was, the illness has once again reminded me that health is indeed the greatest blessing. Lying in bed or sitting on a chair without developing the urge to diarrhea is such a great blessing that we take for granted. So is visiting the toilet at a convenient time and relieving ourselves normally.

It is now Thursday morning as I pen this story. Having fully recovered from the diarrhea and stomach upset that depressed me for two days, I have vowed to always thank God when I am healthy. And should I feel bitter, guilty, worried or jealous, I will remind myself of the good health I possess. Not an unwise thing for you to do as well, my beloved reader!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on health being the greatest blessing, you might also enjoy another one on "What a Recent Illness Taught Me" which I wrote last year. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author

Name: Thuita J. Maina
Nationality: Kenyan
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just For Laughs

There was this drunkard named Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"



The 7 Deadly Sins

  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note

I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination. So I am trying to enjoy each day as I anticipate to fulfill my dreams especially meeting my soulmate and traveling abroad. Tomorrow may never be mine.

Fun Facts

  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com

Health Tip

So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help to give you that greatest blessing of all - good health.


Wonders of the Modern World

  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

Great Example for Politicians

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels

  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Computers & Radios
  6. Anesthetics
  7. The atom bomb

My Supreme Desire

Although I'd like to be rich and famous, my supreme desire is to be radiant: to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without hate, guilt, worry, jealousy, cynicism and envy. I wish to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so and to treat all men with kindness - to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents

  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Making Peace With the Past

"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."

~Eileen Caddy

Toughest Colleges to Get Into

  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations

  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins

  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love

"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen

The World's Largest Cities

  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes

  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers

  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)