Dreamer

 Although life has been a rainbow that no one can spy,
Someday I wish I will touch the sky,
Then I will look down and help people to fly,
If I can stretch to the stars, I'll know I did try.

I lived like a dreamer, always wish to achieve higher
The failures didn’t kill me but helped me to be tougher,
To get the good I knew I had to suffer,
But at last I know I'll relax on the sofa

Never let your dream slip away,
Because dreams show you the way,
And trust me if you wont get away,
You'll reach your dream, cause its there to stay

--- Author                       Emelda Mwamanga
--- Submitted by............. Emelda Mwamanga
--- Country                     Tanzania
--- Written on                 2009

Paradox of Life

As I look into my life, I can't stop thinking about all the blessings that I
have received all the places I have been to, all the wonderful people that I
have met of different nationalities, different religions different colours,
different beliefs, different traditions but with one thing in common, the
joy of life, the joy of living, that common bond, that common language of
laughter, tears and all other emotions which are not peculiar to one race,
creed or colour so why am I feeling down today when life has treated me so
good, does there always have to be a low after a high, why can't smiles,
peace, joy and laugher last for all time, why does it all have to come to an
end and why are we never satisfied, instead we want more, more, more,
bigger, better, higher and in the end, we will still not be satisfied, I
guess that is what keeps us going but I think that it is also what prevents
us from living at times coz for all my blessings I still wish for a
wonderful wife who will be there for me, understand me, love me and give me
wonderful children who will in turn grow up to make me proud and I will wait
for the day that they in turn will give me grand children but as days go by,
even finding a lifelong partner seems as unlikely as me making it to heaven
and even if I make it there will I fit in or will I be an outcast who just
entered the gates because my good deeds and good intentions barely
outweighed my sins, who knows, who cares, it's just a state of mind that I
will snap out of any second now but I wanted to capture it and find out how
I will feel reading my thoughts long after the moment is gone, oooh writing
without punctuation is something alien to me but it kind of reflects how my
life feels at the moment non-stop no particular direction it is
understandable but does not make for easy reading it is uncertain because
who knows when it will pause when it will slow down when it will speed up
when it will drag on for how long but most importantly how and when it will
end

--- Author                       Reuben Mwaikinda
--- Submitted by ............Reuben Mwaikinda
--- Country                     Tanzania
--- Written on ................2003

Pennies from Heaven

I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground,
But it's not just a penny
This little coin I've found.

Found pennies come from heaven,
That's what I've been told,
By Angels watching over us
From their clouds of gold.

When an Angel thinks of you
They toss a penny down,
Sometimes just to cheer you up
To make a smile from your frown.

So don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue,
It may be a penny from heaven
That an Angel's tossed to you.

"In God We Trust" is not a phrase
Just printed on a penny,
It's something to remember
When your troubles seem like many.

So when you're down and it seems
Your life has a blue tint,
That penny on a sidewalk
May be truly "heaven-cent."

--- Author                       Unknown
--- Submitted by............ Erica Msang
--- Country                     Kenya
--- Written on ................ Unknown

I WONDER...

I wonder what I would have done,
Had I been there in that crowd?
Would I have spoken up for Him,
In a voice clear and loud?

Would I have walked beside Him,
Down that dirty, rock-strewn road?
Would I have tried to steady Him,
As He stumbled with His load?

Would I have let Him lean against me?
Would I have gladly borne his weight?
Could I have helped in anyway,
To ease His great heartache?

Could I have said the proper words,
To comfort His aloneness,
To show I shared His sorrow,
To attend to His forlornness?

I wonder if I'd been there,
Would I have stroked His tear-stained cheek,
And kissed His bloodied hands,
And washed his bloodstained feet?

Would I have rubbed His aching shoulders,
Put soothing lotion on His back.
Tended to His open wounds,
And supplied the water that He lacked?

I know I was not good enough,
To volunteer to take His place.
But could I have helped Him bear that cross,
And kept the sweat from His dear face?

Would I have put my arms around His mother,
And hugged her to my breast?
Could I have shielded her from viewing,
Her precious Son's tormented death?

Could I have helped prepare His body,
And have bathed Him with perfume?
I wonder if I'd been there,
Would I have waited by His tomb?

No doubt that Easter Morning,
I would have shouted, "HE IS RISEN!"
And I know I would have thanked my God,
For that most joyous of occasions.

I'm so sorry that He suffered,
And I am sad it was that way.
But I know it was God's plan for man,
And because of it, we're saved.

The only thing I could have done,
I suppose, had I been there.
Would have been to state my love for Him,
And tell Him that I cared.

--- Author                       Virginia (Ginny) Ellis
--- Submitted by............ Pamela Lwakabare
--- Country ....................Tanzania                    
--- Written on ................ Unknown

Being With Your Mother

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie.  She said, "I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would Love to spend some time with you."

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.  That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you well?" she asked.

My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you," I responded. "Just the two of us."

She thought about it for a moment and then said, "I would like that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son and they were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting."

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half-way through the entrees, I lifted my eyes and saw Mother sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said.

"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you."

I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home.

"Very nice, much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her.  Sometime later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined. An attached note said:

"I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son."

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I love YOU' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till some "other" time.

--- Author                       Unknown
--- Submitted by............ Timothy Kiburi
--- Country ....................Kenya                   
--- Written on ................ Unknown

But I Didn't Mean It!

This morning I accidentally hit my 3 year old with my handbag as I was coming through the door.

She said "Oh Mum you hit me!"

I responded with, "But darling I didn't mean it, so why are you cracking up at me?"

"But you did hit me Mum. You hit me and it hurts."

"But I didn't mean it sweetie - ok?"

Then I realised that actually - No it's not ok. Whether it is intentional or not it needs to be recognised as pain that you have caused another. It really does. She had a little red mark on her forehead and it was in fact my doing.  Whether I meant to do it or not.

So I put the groceries down, leaned forward and asked her to show me the mark. I then gave her a Magic Kiss. I said I was really sorry then gave her a cuddle. No more was spoken about it.

It was a really easy thing to do. Much easier than arguing and saying -"It's not my fault because I didn't mean it!" Yes - a lot of things are not intentional but they still need to be recognised as pain.

How hard is it to just face someone, kiss them and apologise?

--- Author                       Vicky Muller
--- Submitted by............ June Wambui
--- Country ....................Kenya                   
--- Written on ................ Unknown