@QueenRay

@QueenRay 11 July 2021

Wow!!! How will I express my gratitude to you @fantagira for the sponsorship? I don't even know. But God Himself will notice and locate you as well. Thank you.🥰🥰🥰

@QueenRay 11 July 2021

Listen!!! Be a Boss 11/7/21 **How can you be a boss?** Are you wondering what type of boss I'm talking about? Yes Boss,I mean Boss. You can be a boss in every spheres of life. And this is only possible through Giving. A giver is the world's best boss. In this article, I'll be giving instances whereby giving pays off and made the giver a Boss. **Instance One** We were told a story in church today the story of two beggars. This two beggars set up on a journey, while they moved, they begged from post to post. They got to a place and begged for alms, they were both given 50 coins each, they thanked them and left on their journey. While they were going they also met some beggers that were even worse than them, Beggar A gave out 25 coins to the beggars. Beggar B mocked and abused him for giving the beggars of the little money they were given. Beggar A told him it's better to give than to receive. They continued on their journey, they got to a particular place, they met some men, went close to them and begged for alms, the men looked at them and gave them 5 wraps of #100 naira notes, while they were putting it in their pockets they noticed that Beggar B's pocket got full at the fifth wrap while Beggar A's pocket wasn't full yet, the gave him 2 more wraps to make 7wraps. Beggar B asked for more but they told him to go since his pocket was full. They kept journeying, Beggar A kept giving out of his money while Beggar B refused to give out saying he doesn't want to be left stranded when they got to where they were going to. They continued this way until they got to a wealthy man's house, he invited them into his house, gave then food and drinks. When they were leaving he brought out a big bag full of #1000 naira notes and gave then the instruction to put as much as possible in their pockets only, they are not to hold any or put any in any other place or bag. Beggar A smiled and started putting it in his pocket. Since he had empty his pocket by giving out, he was able to pack as much as possible wraps of #1000 naira, while Beggar B couldn't pick much because his pocket was already full. Beggar A left the place a happy and rich man and never had cause to beg again. Beggar A became a big and famous person, he had lots of businesses and became an employer of labour. Beggar B became one of his worker. He learnt his lesson the hard way. Had I known became his daily song. **Instance Two** Mr K, was a very wealthy man, he had lots of wealth to his name, while Mr R was a very wretched person, he had nothing, he was always seen outside Mr K's House eating the crumbs from his table which had been dropped in the waste bin. This continued for many years. Mr K would see Mr R sitting outside his door daily but refused to help him in any form. Then one day, Mr R was sick and didn't come to sit outside the gate. Something unusual happened, the housewas invaded overnight, what Mr K failed to know was that whenever they plan to come, Mr R will be be outside the gate, he would plead with them to go back and their mission would be aborted. When they entered, they told him they chose to come that day in particular because they knew Mr R would not be at the gate as he had been the one curbing and stopping them from coming. Mr K, regretted his actions, if he had helped Mr R or even given him audience at all, probably he would have told him about the plan. **Instance Three** A rich man who had over 50 hectares of land forcefully took over the little plot of land an old farmer had, the farmer begged him to please release the land but he refused. The thought of the loss of this land killed the old farmer,because he inherited it from his forefathers. Now, after many years, the old farmer's son became the CEO of an organisation, and unfortunately things has turned around for the rich man, and his son came job hunting to the young man's company. On submitting his application letter and Curriculum Vitae(CV), he qualified for the job and had one last stage to go through before getting the job. And that's meeting with the CEO. On entering the office, the CEO recognised him immediately he saw his Father's name and his state. He then told him to go call his father, that he knows the father. On getting home he told his father he has qualified for the job, but the CEO wants to see his father before he gives him the job. They celebrated that night, happy he had gotten the job. When they got to the office the next day and the father saw the young CEO who introduced himself as the son of the young farmer. The father started crying profusely that had he known, he wouldn't have acted wickedly, he would have even GIVEN the man out of his own land. That was how the boy lost the job opportunity. If is more honourable to give than to receive, the hand of the giver is always on top. Learn to give in order to be your own BOSS. When you give you are laying your foundation, enlarging your coast and building your tent. **BE A BOSS** **LEARN TO GIVE** **SAYING I DONT HAVE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.** **IT IS NOT THAT YOU DO NOT GIVE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE rather it is YOU DO NOT HAVE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT GIVE.**

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@QueenRay 10 July 2021

Writing is interesting, but mehn! It is work. Writing is hard. Even the best writers think so. It's very easy to imagine what to write, picture it in your head, deliver it perfectly in your head, but when it comes to putting it down in writing the real work begins. Many times I've had ideas all bullet up in my head, but when it comes to penning it down the problem begins. ***Hemingway said “There is nothing to writing. All you have to do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”*** I’m the type of writer who ponder a lot over my choice of word and topic in particular. I read and reread my writing over and over again until the words lose meaning and I have nothing more to add. I edit my writings and save it a dozen times before I’m ready to publish. **Factors that causes delay in writing** **Crippling Perfectionist** Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. Perfection is not about healthy achievement and growth.  Try to advise a perfectionist that “to be done is better than to be perfect.” They’ll reply that nothing is better than being perfect, and that’s why it is perfect! It is nearly impossible for them to produce anything perfectly in any sense. In trying to make their writing perfect, their work will usually result in one perfect sentence in a piece which no one will ever want to read. Trying to be too perfect is exhausting. Even when you try to make some things perfect, they don’t end up that way. You just end up being annoyed and overwhelmed by the process. Sometimes you can be too spent to even start another write-up because you know that it will still end in tears. That’s the worst thing about those we call perfectionists. There is no cure for being a perfectionists. The only way to get over it is to slowly desensitize yourself. Allow your work to see the light of day not minding whether it is perfect or not. Show it to a trusted friend who you know will be supportive and can help you vet before publishing it. Make a limit to your edits. Get comfortable with your finished work. An advice I'll give her that helps me is to tell myself that there are no completely finished works and whatever I write is the best. Keeping this in mind allows me to publish things while calming my inner perfectionist spirit. **Not being consistent in our writing schedule and being out of practice.** Those of us who wait for who will praise us for what we write often get disappointed. Waiting on the perfect time, the right mood, or the retrograde to end may lead to not writing as much as we’d like. Or at all. We end up thinking about what to write, we want to write, we dream about writing, but not actually putting pen to paper or hands to keyboard very often. Days, or even weeks, may pass between writing sessions. **Being out of practice or inconsistent with your writing schedule is a big reason for writing feeling difficult.**  If you don’t use your writing skills, you lose it. The only way to keep your writing muscle strong is by actually exercising it. Doing so makes the whole process feel easier. Set a goal of writing each day, for any amount of time, and see how much progress you can make. **Lack of confidence and fear of failure** It can be very hard to stand behind what you've written. You have thoughts like; what if people don't like it? What if they call you the two most dreaded words of a writer-a bad writer? You'll get over it, I can promise you that. The thing about people's opinion is that everyone has one and they are not always true or of might not always be of help. Some of the world’s most beloved writers were considered bad because they did not follow the traditional grammar rules. Did it hurt these writers feelings that others didn’t like their work? Sure, I imagine it did. But they didn’t let people's criticisms or their personal lack of confidence to stop them from writing continously. **Good writing matters a lot, but not as much as you might think. If you can make people feel things with what you write, it does not matter if it is perfect or not.** People are imperfect judges of everything we do. One person’s masterpiece is another person’s problem. Don’t let potential haters bring you down. If you write for yourself first, you’ll always have at least one fan. One of my writing mottos is “feel the fear and do it anyway.” I’m always scared to share my work, but no matter the reaction I’m always glad I did. And, as a bonus, every time I put myself out there, it gets easier to do it again. You’re not alone Writing is not for the weary. Writing anything takes courage and eagerness. If it is hard for you to write, then it is hard for others too. The important thing is to show up, sit down, and try put down something. You don’t have to reach any milestones to become a writer, as soon as you start writing, you are one. Lead image source https://thewritelife.com/why-is-writing-so-difficult/

@QueenRay 9 July 2021

Is this love or what? In a relationship, be it friendship, dating or marriage, trust should be the foundation. Without trust there's likelihood that there would be a bridge in the relationship. Where one would start suspecting the other. I saw a post online today of a man who after going through the wife's phone decided to send a message to a number that is unknown to Jim but saved on his wife's phone. The picture above shows the details of the message. The person was seen to have greeted the woman. And the man replied 'I love you' hoping the wife was cheating on him. But was surprised with the person's reply. Wife's friend: Its been a while Husband: I love you❤💓😘 Wife's friend: 😳😳 Husband: 😂😂😂😂 it's her husband chatting, just trying to know if you are part of the people messaging her behind my back. You passed the test sir. Please, what kind of a man does that? Isn't that overprotectiveness? Or do we think we can classify this as love? Your spouse goes to work and you are not at peace; your partner got a message and is about to reply but you can't accept that it's just a message from one of their friends in school. You have an hidden secret but aren't sure if your partner will keep the secret as well with you. **Why Is Trust so Important In A Relationship?** Trust is the foundation upon which a relationship can live even during the hardest of times. In fact, without trust, you cannot hold your relationship for a long time. I feel one of the reasons for relationships to fall apart is due to lack of trust. Here is why trust is the major driving force in a relationship: **You cannot love without trusting a person.**  As stated earlier, trust is the building block of love. Just like how a child trusts her mother and loves her dearly, your partner needs to know that you can be trusted and won’t dump when things are tough. When the going gets tough, will the tough get going? This feeling is important for love to sprout and flourish. **Trust helps in overcoming obstacles on the way** Trust is the binding factor for all cracks and differences that might come up or occur in a relationship. You know deep within you that you can overcome the problems and feel safe and secure with your partner. Two are better than one, for when one fall, the other will lift him up. **Trust helps in healing.**  When you are hurt in your relationship, you get over it quickly due to the deep trust that you have in your spouse. Trust serves as a fast healing balm, it makes one free from whatever one is holding on to. **Trust helps in controlling emotions.**  The degree to which you trust a person will tell how much of yourself you want to give the other person. If you are hurt or annoyed at them, it is only trust that tells you that there must be some reason behind their annoying behavior. **Trust is reassuring.** Trust gives you the assurance that your partner loves you despite whatever arguments and fights that you might have or whatever might have caused it. This is the key to a long-lasting relationship. **You don’t need justifications.**  When you trust your partner absolutely you don’t need to start explaining or justifying everything your partner says or do. You have the assurance that your partner will understand and trust your actions and decisions. **Trust teaches you about personal time and space.**  When you trust, you don’t feel insecure about giving your partner their space. In fact, trust will help you stay close in spite of the obstacles. So, MARRY the person you LOVE and can TRUST and TRUST the person you can LOVE AND MARRY. So what's your take? Should a man do that to his woman? Chatting up people on her contact list, to see if she's cheating.

@QueenRay 8 July 2021

The Thief 8/7/21 Overnight, our neighbours were visited by thieves, they took away their phones, generator, television and other gadgets. I got to know about it this morning and it made me remember our experience some years back, 2016 to be precise. *I woke up very suddenly. It was not yet morning as I slept not quite late as it was still dark.* Then I heard a whisper, I tried listening but the voice was so low I couldn't hear well. I was at alert immediately. Someone was moving and knocking very quietly outside my room door. I opened the door to see my elder brother, then he told me there's a thief in the compound. I woke up from sleep totally when I heard that. I saw my 3 other siblings in the living room, as we were 5. I have 4 brothers, I'm the only female. We gathered in a circle planning what to do. *Prior to this day we had had an experience, thieves came into the house and broke open our security door, it took them close to 2 hours breaking open the door but it seems they were prepared.* *They broke in, we hid in the bathroom, they entered and carted away with our phones and laptops. But our parents were at home, so there was little pressure on us, since we knew they would protect us by all means.* While we were all shivering, my elder brother Daniel, left our midst, I saw him moving over to the window sill. While he was doing that I saw a hand moving to and fro and tugging at the burglar proofing! I was shivering with fright, and I wanted to shut my eyes and pretend nothing was happening. But my little brothers were with me, and as my elder brother had moved away from us, I had to be strong for them. *Our parents were out of the house on vacation, so it was just the five of us at home.* I must do something. But what? The thief would not find it easy to get through a window: the burglar proofing was new and very strong, we got a new one after the first robbery experience. But there was the door. I whispered to my junior ones, 'don't be afraid. Knowing we had to do something.' My brother, Daniel came back to where we were and said; I think we have three men in the compound, but I have been watching one of them, he seems to be the one so eager to break open the door. So don't worry, you'll be quite safe. You all should go into Rachael's room and do not open the door until you hear my voice. He said. Stay in bed, and don't make a sound till you hear me call the neighbours. Then shout as loud as you want.' Immediately, he left us and I saw him enter into the kitchen. I decided not to fold my arms and watch without doing nothing as I was the immediate eldest, I left the room after calmly warning my junior ones to maintain their calm. 'Please don't go away sister Rachael, ' one of my brothers said, but I slipped out of the room and locked the door behind me. When I reached the passage, the thief was already trying to open the door. I must stop him. But how? What if he had a knife or a matchet? I had nothing. Suddenly, my foot touched something. It was my mother's new pestle. A woman had brought it to us earlier, that we should deliver it to our mum when she returns and we haven't placed it where it ought to be. *This was my weapon! I picked it up and crept very quietly to the door.* The door opened slowly and I saw a man's face in the dim light. I lifted the pestle up and brought it down on his head. He fell and lay motionless at my feet. 'Thief, thief!' I shouted at the top of my voice. My elder brother Daniel came out of the kitchen with a knife in full force and saw the man lying on the floor right there in our living room. Then we both increased our voice, Shouting, thief, thief! We could hear our junior one's shouting too. Until our neighbours came out of their various rooms to our rescue. The other guys ran away before they arrived, as they took their time before answering our calls, scared of being victims too. They checked the pulse of the man lying on the floor, and noticed that he only lost consciousness, my neighbours called the policemen and he was taking away in the police van. All the while, I stood rooted to a spot shaking. Where did the confidence come from? What if they had entered? The man was been charged to court and he confessed what led him to it(long story, not for here) As I remember the experience, I still get scared and grateful that God saved us. Our parents came back and were so happy and praised us for our bravery. I got the name Ray since then, as everyone in my street want their children to relate with a brave girl. They said I shine as theray of light which was why I could overcome the ordeal that night. Though looking back, I ask myself did I really do it out of bravery or because God permitted it, so that we won't be hurt. Because if they had entered successfully, they might have killed us since we have nothing to give them.

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@QueenRay 7 July 2021

Get me hooked now. I'm not Lord of the rings. I happened to have a conversation with my friend recently. She was planning on calling it quit with her boyfriend of 4years because he refused to get married to her. There are several reasons why marriages get delayed. Some are ready, but there are no partners. Some have partners, but there's no money. And some are not just serious about it. Probably due to past experiences or some other reasons. For those that are delaying getting married because of money This is understandable but I will like our mindset to change on this. I used to think this way too but not anymore. Money is good and important but I feel we're idolising it. Many of us have been saying for years that it's until we make money that we'll marry. Years have gone, partner dey but money never come. We should frankly ask ourselves when that would be😀 I think the solution to this is to keep *COUNTING* *OUR COST*. I don't know how it works for others, but for me, I don't believe there's a year or time one will make all the money one wants. My usual advice to people, have a stable job and with a reasonable income or good financial prospect (self employment or whichever). If it's your business, you both should ensure it's organized and well structured before the wedding, sort your accomodation, plan your wedding according to your capacity and plan your lives as a couple on the same note too. I really don't know where we got this culture of wedding night and 9 months after wedding for delivery. These things are myths creating issues for many homes. If you'll have to suspend giving birth for a year or more after your wedding, do so. It's your family, anybody can say whatever they like. If you'll have to do family planning, do it and let's stop living according to the desires of people to do things we can't manage. That's one of the reasons our Parents and Ministers of God don't see sense in many delay we do. We keep delaying without good plans. Even if you have to delay for financial reasons, let there be a plan else at the end of the day the delay will be a WASTE OF TIME. Who says you must plan a wedding that Heaven and Earth will know and attend or one you'll feed hundreds of people when your financial capacity cannot bear. Who says immediately after wedding you must release your address to everyone for visit? We have to be wise and stop copying people. Also, be well planned and organized on the steps to take at every time, businesses to do, side income etc. People are being affected mostly with the issue of delay in Marriage, but there's a way around it if only we can be disciplined. Photography and events planning has made me see several ways weddings can be planned on a low cost budget and it would appear like a lot was spent and also life after wedding for a new couple. But advice people, they won't listen but will be demanding for a talk of the town event and paradise life when nothing is in their account. So reason niyen😀(that's the reason) Why is it That Most Guys Don't Know How to do Home Chores? Most Especially Cooking. This looks like a gbas-gbos on the guys😀. Okay! I think it's largely for two reasons and I will share my experience too. Family (societal) culture and laziness on the guy's part could be a major cause of this. Many families don't train their males to be responsible to home chores. Most especially when they have females. Also, some families do but this males are lazy. For my family, I was the only female and my parents ensured that all my brothers could do house chores. In fact they do it well. Cleaning, washing, weeding, fetching and some other ones. But one of my brothers, despite loving every other chores, wasn't good at cooking while growing. And laziness to that caused it. Mom and Dad would complain several times but he wouldn't listen. He just hated being in the kitchen for minutes or hours and standing to prepare meals. The year he understood what they've been saying, he learnt in a hard way. He got admission to study in the University and the first day he arrived in school he said he wanted to prepare jollof rice. The rice he didn't know how to prepare from home😀. The excitement of school and being in a new environment was all over so he washed about 5 cups of rice. The adaku(foodie) in him was at work😀. But brethren in da Lord, kama forogun(without making the story long) he spoilt everything with salt that he couldn't eat a plate out of it😂. He was pained, poured it away and then promised himself to learn cooking. He learnt it and is still learning😀. In fact, cooking and hospitality is one of his hobbies. Whenever he comes home from school he is always doing the cooking. So any guy who isn't good with home chores isn't doing well, to be honest. You have no excuse. How do you help your wife? How do you teach your children with what you don't know? And Why Is It That They Don't Know How to Support Their Wives? About SUPPORT? This is important. One of the hallmark of a good husband and father is support. I respect women so much, and how my mum trained us made me know the great work mothers are doing in homes in order to keep the family. First to wake, last to sleep. What other way can we appreciate them if not to support them. You may not always be around as an husband, but whenever you are, she must enjoy every bit of the time. Truly, this generation of Men isn't doing well with this, and that's why we are here. The culture of someone is a male and he shouldn't be made to do chores must not be embraced in this tribe we are raising. We must all be useful and responsible. God is helping us.

@QueenRay 6 July 2021

My Patience is Fading. But I'm not Giving up. Yes!!! I mean it, Yes!!! I'm fed up!!! I don't know if I'm doing anything wrong or right. When I was invited to join the platform, I was told I need to be patient and consistent. I knew I had the enablement to be patient, I try as much as possible to do that and I am still doing that. But I'm on the brim of giving up. I see posts getting tipped so well, but I'm here. There was even a time @MoreGainStrategies made a post on it, for @eommaZel who was also experiencing the same ordeal, I commented under it, to signify that I'm also facing the same problem with my account. But it's all to no avail. I see @TheRandomRewarder visiting people's posts day in, day out, but I'm here. https://www.creativehealthyfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/patience-Fb-2.jpg I see people post daily, I'm scared of posting without been noticed, but I'm here. My affiliates are doubting me on what I told then about the @read.cash but I'm here. They are not getting any visit on their posts, I'm already weary and too tired to explain to them, but I'm here. Highest I make on all the posts I've ever made is $0.99, but I'm here. Whether I'm noticed or not, I'll be here. Whether I'm tipped or not, I'll be here. I'm not giving up I'm not down I will never be weary. I will not be stopped I will not be pushed aside. Fighting Staying strong Growing bigger. Reading more articles Commenting more on people's posts. Writing more articles Giving out more tips Sponsoring others more in my little capacity. Thanks to my sponsors. @HappyBoy @tired_momma @CryptoMax @JonicaBradley @JLoberiza @Bloghound ,thank you all. You guys are reason enough for me to be here. To all that are always there to comment on my post and upvote my posts. Thank you all. I love you all. I'm not giving up. My Patience might be forcefully fading but I'm strongly standing. https://tribunecontentagency.com/article/patience-is-a-virtue-2/?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi3nceh487xAhXDg_0HHYZGDp0Q9QF6BAgFEAI

@QueenRay 3 July 2021

A Dark Side I can Never Forget. I was molested!!! I was hurt!!! I was neglected!!! I was not cared for!!! I grew up hating the man I call father so much, because I was bruised and hurt by him. It all started when I was 10years old, my parents had a BIG fight. They had always fought but this day, the fight was so intense, my mother locked I and my siblings in a room because she doesn't want us to know what is going on. But I did know, because I was the eldest. The constant fight before this big one started when my dad brought a woman with two grown up boys into our house which I knew to be peaceful and calm at the time. He introduced the woman as his new wife. My mum was hurt, but wouldn't show how hurt she is before her three kids. There was a day I walked in on my mother crying profusely, she quickly wiped off her tears not wanting me to know. The woman does what she likes and was always controlling the home as the new boss. My mum was sidetracked. My dad neglected her. I asked my mum to leave the marriage at a point when the suffering was much. Dad suddenly told us he couldn't afford paying our school fees again since one of his two grown up boys from his new wife had just gained admission and he needs to clear his bills. My mum fought hard and dry so yeah we won't become dropouts,she started selling petty things and at last we returned to school. Then the big fight came, while peeping through the door hole, I saw my father chasing my mother out of the house with a cutlass. He told her he never wanted to set his eyes on her again. Mother left the house that day, and I wasn't to see her again until I was 25. My father's new wife took over the house completely. The first thing she did after my mother left was to stop just from going to school. We had to hawk before we eat. My ordeal started when my breast started blossoming. My father's wife's second son began to fondle me unnecessarily. He did this consistently until he forced himself on me on a particular day. He told me not to inform anyone, otherwise he would turn the table against me. Who do I even tell? My Father? My Stepmother? My mum whom I could have confided in is no longer with us. He continued to do this on a daily basis anytime he wants it. Whenever his mum has gone to the market, he calls me into his room and uses me to satisfy himself. His brother came back from the University, by then my breasts were lying almost fully blown. I heard a discussion between the both of them one afternoon as I entered the house: First Son: Where is this girl getting her glow from? Or isn't this the same small smelly girl I knew before leaving for school? Second Son: She's the one, I'm sure she's already having sex out there with some random guy. First Son: If that's the case, I must have her too. Since then, he started his own rounds of abuse until he went back to school. There was nothing I could do. Whenever, they are both done, they'd give me a drug to take. Then I got pregnant and my father sent me out of the school saying I'm a loosed girl and I took after my mum. I left the house that night crying and feeling dejected. Where do i go from here? I'm just 15 years, how do I handle this pregnancy? I saw a packed vehicle some streets away from my house and decided to sleep in it. I hadn't rested more that few minutes when I heard a strange sound above me, not to prolong the story I was gang raped and left lying down in a pool of blood. I woke up to see myself in an hospital bed. A good Samaritan(Story for another day) had seen me and taken me to the hospital for immediate care. He connected me with my birth mother and I healed very fast. Here I am today, I'm the definition of Big, Bold and Beautiful. Let me include smart to the list. Now my father wants me to forgive him... How easy is that? I have been doing fine without him and sure do not need him in my life again. Fiction... This is a prompt from @eommaZel article on rape. You can read it here https://read.cash/@eommaZel/a-shady-chapter-in-my-life-i-wish-never-existed-4095d5d1

@QueenRay 1 July 2021

0.020BCH Richer Above is a screenshot of my bitcoin wallet as of today 1/7/21. I'm doing this to celebrate my little win, in expectancy of the big one to come. Almost everyday I see people celebrating their big win. People joining the Club1BCH daily. Well, I'm on my way towards achieving that success. In our daily activities, we tend to perform some activities which qualifies as wins. They could be as small as remembering to eat good food or perform well in a particular interview or presentation. For most of us, these small victories go unnoticed. But I'll be so ungrateful if I allow this go unnoticed. I thank my friend @HappyBoy who introduced me to read cash. I never knew I could achieve this feat in a month but I'm glad for this. Using this medium to appreciate everyone who made it possible, I wouldn't want to mention names. But you all made this possible. In my bio, I wrote "I wanna grow", indeed you guys made growing possible and worthwhile. A big shout-out to my sponsors, and subscribers, I love you all. I feel so loved being here, you are a part of my world. I wouldn't have asked for something else. The articles I read here on a daily bases makes me wonder how wonderful God is, putting such wisdom and thought in hearts of men. Composing an article sometimes takes lots of efforts an time. I'm sure many of us here will be wondering what exactly is my source of happiness. But I'll have you know that; Children get very excited about small things. This keeps them happy and enthusiastic about life. So, you can call me a child or a baby. I worry less because my joy knows no bound. **Why am I happy?** I'm happy because I'm indeed growing, even as I grow I try as much as possible to support in the little way I can. I'm currently sponsoring 3 people. Not that I have too much, but its a way of extending the kindness that has been shown to me, to others. **Advice to "Us" as new members** I don't know it all please, and I'm open to corrections. I said "Us" because I'm included. Please let's ensure that we make our presence felt. Celebrate your little wins also. As Human beings we are social beings. We communicate with each other in order to share ideas or moments. Therefore, if you experience a small victory, you should tell someone who cares about it. Find a way to verbalize your small win and tell it to someone else. This will create a little celebration for you and your friends. Doing this will make you want to experience the celebration again and also motivate you to keep making small victories. I'm open to more sponsorship requests I'm also open to free gifts in my wallet I'm sure rewarding myself for this win... Please you can visit, read, like and upvote my previous articles. https://read.cash/@QueenRay/companionship-eb475243 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/fathers-blessings-092ecbb1 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/signs-that-hes-into-me-03994fff https://read.cash/@QueenRay/close-but-apart-154f4a74 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/peace-like-a-river-joy-like-a-fountain-b834ceb3 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/questionwho-am-i-a3ada7aa https://read.cash/@QueenRay/i-deleted-it-861a787e https://read.cash/@QueenRay/cheating-on-a-spouse-65f654e8 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/single-and-wasted-8798c1cb

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@QueenRay 29 June 2021

Using this medium to say thank you to my very new sponsor @Bloghound, I'm so elated. And to my other sponsors, and those that upvote my posts daily. You guys rock. Thanks for having my back. Though rusty hasn't visited me, I have no feelings or care since I have you all. Thank you all.

@QueenRay 28 June 2021

Cheating on a Spouse Just as @JonicaBradley quoted: ***There is a saying, "Once a cheater, always a cheater." I hope this saying is not true for all, but I'm my experience it is.*** If you sense anything odd in your relationship and it feels like cheating, infidelity, or adultery to you, then it is. Infidelity or cheating in any way which are betrayals of the expectations which one has of the other person. Mostly, cheating is a bridge in trust and it comes with various signs. **Trust** Trust is the foundation of all marriages, but once it is broken, it often remains that way. A spouse might forgive, but that painful experience will forever be in the offended spouse’s mind. They wouldn't want to let down their guards for fear that it might happen again. For some people, it is very easy to forgive than to forget. Distrust Distrust is very common between the spouses when one of them has cheated on the other. Distrust is like having a mindset to lessen the blow if cheating happens again. On the other hand, it is certainly not impossible to trust again, but it usually does not happen easily or quickly. Lives which may be Affected Cheating does not only affect the marriage. Cheaters create a gap in the relationships between them and their children, loving friends, other close family members, and themselves. All the cheaters families will suffer from pain, embarrassment, and gossip all around them. Blaming the Innocent Spouse The cheating couple has a tendency of casting blames on the innocent spouse(s) in order to throw off their own feelings of guilt. Sometimes they will engage in fights with their partners to keep the innocent party from getting any form of financial help from them and even may convince themselves that any children in the marriage are better off staying with them. They play the game of making the innocent spouse the culprit. Guilt Guilt is like a poisonous sore which grows and gets worse as time passes. Soon it begins to fill up the mind, invade thoughts when it is not wanted. It also causes worry, regret, and shame. This kind of thoughts certainly do not add to the happiness of any relationship. The cheating spouse may think about going to his wife and rekindling his marriage afresh. Particularly a spouse from a Christian background may fear God’s judgment, end the affair, and seek forgiveness. Vengeance(Pay-back) There is always a chance that someone who is obsessed, and could be anyone in the triangle, may want to inflict bodily harm on his/her partner, the mistress/lover, or the cheater due to desperation and a need to be in control. The mistress may also try various manipulations to make the wife angry and move out of her home in reactions to the anger, in order to break up the marriage. A desperate mistress could even be a great threat to the wife's life. Consequences of Cheating Many cheaters think that they can repair damages to their marriage if their spouses discover their infidelities. They think that it is just a matter of getting the offended party to forgive them. It could happen, but it may not always be that easy or simple. Some of the consequences below could be long-term or irreparable in a marriage, home, and family after a spouse has been caught cheating: Trust Dysfunctional family Low self-esteem Severe depression Defamation of character Alienation of affection lawsuit Divorce Major financial changes due to a divorce settlement Contraction of incurable sexually transmitted diseases Unwanted outside pregnancy Child support payments that might take money away from the household, spouse, and children Mistress's problems that could affect spouse and family's wellbeing Stalking Threatening or harassing phone calls Severe violence and risk of imprisonment Outcomes of Cheating The two ovaries involved will need to communicate, in no uncertain terms, understandably discuss what you both define as cheating, infidelity, and any other behavior that doesn't augur well with you. While it may not be a very easy discussion (as your personal views may differ), it's still best to talk it out and share your feelings regardless of how your partner may respond. Conclusion Cheating is not and will never be right in any relationship, and excuses can not be tolerated. The consequences are very devastating for all that are involved, especially the partner who has been offended and children. Even the cheater will gently endure the negative consequences of their poor choices. They may be left alone or separated from by family and friends and they may have to undergo a financial change due to divorce and settlements. The victims should realize that no matter how guilty they feel, they are not responsible for the affair. A family with broken relationship or communication gap is a broken home, a dysfunctional home, and no one should be forced to endure the trauma that transpires there. This article is written in respect to the Fourth weekly Prompt by @JonicaBradley Titled "Darkness". https://read.cash/@JonicaBradley I will like My new friends on this platform @Gaftek @King_Gozie and  @Willtravis  to give this a try. https://read.cash/@Gaftek The prompt was initiated to help people with ideas of what to write on. So many times most of us are short of ideas or topics to write on. This is meant to help us with it. It's isn't compulsory, accept only if you feel like giving it a try. If you decide on writing on the prompt- The rules are simple: Write about darkness Write 100% original content Write at least 600 words  **@JonicaBradley** https://read.cash/@JonicaBradley Have fun.

@QueenRay 28 June 2021

Single and Wasted Well, this article is just borne out of my thought... I've had lots of friends both lively, cool, hard-faced and all but one came to my mind and I wish to write about my view on life... Enjoy!!! She grew up in a Christian home, but she was a natural introvert and a bookworm, while her other siblings enjoyed the few few moments of freedom they were given, she spent hers reading, listening to radio and writing too. She had no pleasure in being out and about and she kinda doesn't regret it, as it formed most of what she's become. When she was a teenager, girls her age were getting pregnant, having abortions, getting raped by their boyfriends...she made a decision that would never be her. She told herself she'd wait to date. So, when she does she'll have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. She wanted to do things right, but at the same time as a realist, she told herself, she may not meet one guy, date him, marry him and live happily ever after. But she told herself that if she'll ever get pregnant unplanned, she'd be a working woman who can cater for herself and her child if her dad chose to be a dead beat. So, she waited. Her first was at 29 and her first real relationship started at 31. She didn't plan on waiting that long, but life happens. That wait, became an anticlimax, as she started exactly when every other female was finishing. No man wants to touch a woman over 30 except its good for them for a particular reason. Everyone feels females in their 30's had lived a wasted youth and got stranded maritally. All girls she grew up with who did it all when it comes to what we seemingly call bad, are all married with kids now and most times they laugh at her who formed miss goodie two shoes back then. **Now, thinking about her, I can't help but wonder how unfair life is at times.** Many get married a virgin and are still without kids while those that really enjoyed their lives are mothers already. Many lived their lives being chaste but are unmarried today because they've got no experience. Many children who are so brilliant become dropouts because they couldn't meet up with the school bills and have no scholarship. Many students who have all the support in the world, still turn out with bad grades because they are unserious. **Life isn't balanced 😕** Early this year, I also heard about a story of a lady who have waited for love for long, without planning, she met someone on Instagram, they started talking and became friends. She fell madly in love with him, they decided to meet, one thing led to the other and she got pregnant. That was when she got to know the man is married with kids. Things didn't work out. And I've come to realize that we have lots of people out there who are being judged by people who have different narratives about them. Many peoject lots of assumptions on females that are of age. Many of them had never had abortions, never slept with a married man, but careful in choosing and I feel they shouldn't be judged.

@QueenRay 27 June 2021

@HappyBoy get well quick, @Gaftek home you're fine too?

@QueenRay 27 June 2021

Happy Sunday to us all. I'm using this medium to appreciate my sponsors @HappyBoy @Tired_momma @CrytoMax, @JonicaBradley and to my newest sponsor @JLoberiza I love you all. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

@QueenRay 25 June 2021

I deleted it Ever wondering what i deleted. Or are you of a mindset that "here’s one of those nonsense posts that might be calling for attention" Well, let me start from the very beginning, about last week I commented on a post made by someone on a topic I wasn't even familiar with. I read the comment but couldn't even put things together. I commented on the post, that I'm learning and know that I will be conversant with such post later. I got a reply to my comment from sir @Pantera ,he said I should "please avoid being spammed" I was so surprised, shocked and flabbergasted that someone most people on this platform are looking up to, could come down so low to advice me. I never even bother to ask why he said that, I sharperly **deleted** the comment I made. Now, I happen to come across a post on "Cryptocurrency a rat poison", in the post survey was made by JPMorgan. "JPMorgan Survey: 49% of Investors Agree Cryptocurrency Is 'Rat Poison' Like Warren Buffett Says or a Fad" I decided to write on it, I copied the post and rephrased it in my own words(my bad🙉),and published. Again, @Pantera made me realize some things in the comment section that I feel would be important to newbies like me. Once again I **deleted** the post. Even as we engage in our writing, let's ensure we make our articles truly ours/uncopied as much as possible. A big shout out to @Pantera for the constant correction. I do not want to be spammed. @HappyBoy my first sponsor has also been constantly checking on my progress. Thank you. Thanks to my other sponsors, @tired_momma @CryptoMax @JonicaBradley thanks so much. Follow and read my other articles via this links👇👇👇 **https://read.cash/@QueenRay/like-the-stars-d5c2e968** **https://read.cash/@QueenRay/darkness-i-came-out-shining-as-the-light-that-i-am-87ba5569** **https://read.cash/@QueenRay/the-dead-lamp-d9f028ec** **https://read.cash/@QueenRay/i-shine-bright-as-the-star-2c67d605** https://read.cash/@QueenRay/companionship-eb475243 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/fathers-blessings-092ecbb1 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/signs-that-hes-into-me-03994fff https://read.cash/@QueenRay/close-but-apart-154f4a74 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/peace-like-a-river-joy-like-a-fountain-b834ceb3 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/questionwho-am-i-a3ada7aa

@QueenRay 24 June 2021

Question:Who am I? **Who am I?** How many times have you deemed it fit to ask yourself this question? How many times has any one ever questioned your very own existence? How many times have you questioned why you’re on this earth? For me, the answer is uncountable. The question itself makes me ask other questions. **Can I ever know who I am?** Why do I need to know who I am? Will any answer I get ever satisfy me? Who am I can be said to mean what is my identity? The answer to the “who am I” question is our **identity.** Our identity is our overall system of memories, experience, feelings, thoughts, relationships, and values and lifestyles that defines who we are. Identity is a component of getting to know who we are. **Why should we do this?** Because we can classify identity into components which are (values, experiences, relationship). These components can be identified and understood. Then, once we have understood the components of our identity, we can get a big-picture of looking at who we really are. In short, we’re a lot more than one aspect of thing. We’re a whole system full of ideas and experiences. **Why do we need identity** The “Who am I?” question gets at to heart of one of our most basic needs which is our need for identity.  As human beings, we search for and find comfort in a solid sense of identity. It moulds us and gives us confidence. Our sense of identity also touches every single thing in our lives – right from the choices we make to the values by which we live. **Wow!!!** Our identities are almost so powerful for the values that we hold and live by. Our identity is a reflection of what we see and believe, what we do, and what we basically value. Yet, our sense of identity can be corrupted by many outside factors. **How possible is that?** Here’s the hard truth, much of our identity were forced on us. This forced identity then causes us to experience a big amount of stress. There are 5 key steps you need to take to solve the question “who am I?” and they are; **Reflect on yourself** According to the King of Pop, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror.” This advice is so true as you need to reflect upon yourself first whenever you are engaging in discovery of one's-self. This means that you need to examine yourself — for all your strengths, weaknesses, flaws and the impressions you give others. You have to engage with the reflection you present of yourself. Ask this question from yourself, who am I right now? What are your strengths? Your Weaknesses? Do you like who you are seeing in the mirror? Do you think that “who you are” doesn’t correlate with “who you see?” How do you feel about that? Identify which areas of your life you are not too happy about. Find out what you think could be better in you– mentally, emotionally, and physically. Once you have a good grasp on yourself, then you can move on to the second step. **Make a decision of who you want to be** You can never be a perfect person. There’s no perfect person. You have to accept the fact that you will never be perfect. But, on the path to discovering yourself you should understand that there are things you might want to improve. And improvement is definitely possible! So, for the second step, what you need to do is to identify who you really want to become in life. And try as much as possible to be honest with yourself about what’s possible and what's not. Being the All-knowing isn’t what we are after. **Who is your esteemed/perfect person?** Is it someone so kind, very strong and energetic, intelligent, brave? Is it a person who is not afraid of any challenge? Is it a person who can open his or herself up to love? Whoever you dream to be define them. Define who you want to be. That’s the second step. **Always make the best choices** Make the best choices… for yourself. The truth is, most of us are fixed to make our choices out of fear. We instinctively make an easy choice based on pressure, anxiety, desire to please, or because we don’t want to put in the effort at all. These choices can only do one thing, continue the status quo. And if you’re not too happy with who you are, or with your current status quo, then these choices will do nothing to help you. Those choices you then make, are the bad choices.  But you can decide to choose better for yourself. You can make “your own decisions.” Once you know what you want, who you want to be; you can take the time to make active, conscious choices that help you be better.  **What are the choices we make like?** Maybe you want to go to school and graduate. That means you need to choose how to complete your applications, choose to ask for recommendation letters, and choose to study. Once you make these decisions that are in line with your values and the things you want, you’ll start feeling empowered to find out who you truly are. **Ensure you explore your passions** One of the best things about discovering the answer to “who am I,” is listing out parts of yourself that you never know about. Sure, you’ve figured out who you “want to be” and you’ve done a very great job by “looking in the mirror,” but there’s always going to be parts of you that are hidden away from what you saw in the mirror. And it’s your duty to discover them. One of the best ways to help discover yourself is to know what you are passionate about and work on it. When you engage in things that you are passionate about, you stimulate the creative energies in you. If you’re passionate about baking, go out and bake! But what if I don’t know what I’m passionate about? When your identity has been built by what the society expect from you, it’s only natural that you might not know what you're really passionate about. That’s ok! But if you have not acknowledged what you are passionate about, don’t go looking for it. Instead, build and develop it. “What? How will I develop something I don’t even have?” If you don’t know what you're passionate about, don’t freak out. It’s not like you're “the one,” or it's the only passion and if you can’t find it, you’ll miss out on your life. Instead, try your hand at work and projects that are available for you right now.  Developing a mindset of growth is a key component of exploring your passions. Along the way, you’ll figure out who you are. If you’re looking for some inspiration in developing your mindset, read books on mindset growth. **Endeavour to develop your social circle** Humans beings are social by nature and so much of our identity is shaped by our friends and family. When you work on knowing “who you really are,” you have to actively create your social circle. This means choosing who you want to hang out with. It means choosing who to let in, and who you let go. It's very crucial that you find people who are in line with your values and identity. They always say you can access a man by the company he keeps. This is true. You can rate yourself by the people you hang out with. If you’re hoping to develop yourself as a person, look at the kind of friends you keep. Are they pulling you forward or drawing you back? **Your identity is an ongoing process** The task of finding out who you are isn’t an easy one. It’s probably one of the most difficult things you’ll ever take on. We’re dynamic! Our identities must also be dynamic too! This article is in line with this week's prompt "Question" by @JonicaBradley However, after going through @HappyBoy Article Titled "**so many unanswered questions**" I decided to jump on it.

@QueenRay 23 June 2021

Pressure Kills Let me give us this sincere counsel... Don't let pressure lead you to your early grave I heard the story of a young lad who got tangled in a hookline he wasn't supposed to go into. For the purpose of this article I'll call him Dee. Dee was a highly spirited young man, he was the first born and only male child of his parents, he also has a sister. The parents struggled so much to ensure that they had the best of education, before time, he gained admission into the University and after a year the sister also left for school. Dee got to school and for pressure of being called a loner, he decided to join the big boy squad. They told him he needs to follow them to a place for initiation. On getting there, he was given a concoction to drink. After drinking it he was told he needs to fulfill the mandate of the group. What is this mandate? He has to sleep with is mum. Dee was sad, he had no where to run to because he had been warned. If he doesn't do it, then he'd be killed. He went home, did what he was asked to do, after which he ran away and never returned home. The mother thinking she couldn't cope with the shameful act of her son, committed suicide. On hearing that his mother was dead, he also killed himself by taking poison. Now the question is this: What was his gain? He allowed peer pressure to push him into what he ought not to do. Don't let your age put pressure on you to get into a relationship. Don't let pressure push you into doing what you don't want to do. Don't let pressure of when will I be big push you into joining bad gangs. Don't get into marriage because you want to satisfy the craving of your sexual organs. Desire marriage because you want to build a destiny and life. Pandemics are very scary, and no one wants to experience it come what may. In between the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were trying to figure out ways to adjust to life without being affected by the virus, as well as coping with increased levels of pressure of anxiety and stress. This pressure leads to fear and panic in most people. Don't let pressure of not wanting to have the virus expose you to other infections. Do away with fear, panic and anxiety. Make your mind flexible enough to adapt with whatever comes your way. Pressure kills and destroys totally. Beware.

@QueenRay 22 June 2021

Peace like a River, Joy like a Fountain Last Friday I put up an article titled:"Lie begat lie". This article is a documentary of my decision after the post. If you haven't read it, you can read it through the link below. https://read.cash/@QueenRay/lie-begat-lie-ff2aa3f8 I got lot's of comments from my friends here on read.cash that I should overcome my lies after lie by coming out straight to my boss. I made the decision to set things right as I've been advised, I'll like to share with us how it went. Does lie pay? Does the truth set one free? So on getting to work on Monday morning, I was fidgeting knowing fully well what I was about to do. I went first into my office, sat down for a while not knowing how to go about my apology. I stood up and was going into my boss's office. When I got outside his door, I retracted back into my office because I didn't know where to start from. I went back into my office (picked up my phone which I had wrapped in a nylon to be brought out when I get to his office) and went back into his office. On getting outside the office, I went back upstairs to my seat still scared of how to present my matter. Then a thought came to my mind, "Why not put it in writing?" How delighted I was when this thought came. Here's another opportunity to do what I love doing(writing). I jumped on the decision and started writing the letter mindful of the other staff around me. After writing I stood up with courage, went down into my boss's office. I knocked on his door, he let me in, I presented the letter and took my leave of his office immediately. He raised his eyebrow wanting to know the content of the letter. But I didn't give room for any conversation as I ran out of the office. I went back into my office sweating profusely. I'm sure the students knew something was off even as I teach them. I was waiting to hear from my boss, probably get a query letter but he didn't call me. He even came up into the staff room at a point, my heart bit increased radically because I thought he came for me. After they rang the bell for close of work, I was about leaving the school, loosing all hope of him addressing the issue, he sent the secretary to me. She said:" the boss calls for you" I was all shaky as I left for his office. I stood by the door for few minutes before I summoned courage to enter. On opening his door, ready for whatever comes my way, I was shocked to see my boss laughing so hard. Then he said: "You are tired of playing games" I replied: Yes sir!!! Then he said, sit down I have a story for you. I sat down wondering what he was really up to... "You know years ago I was in a state like yours, I was in the University as at then, I was made the Chairman of the Electoral Committee in my final year. As the chairman I oversee the affairs of the body, not to bore you with my story, the political aspirants sold the forms and all funds was handed over to the treasurer. After the body was dissolved and we were told to pay the money into the departments account. The treasurer being in his penultimate year had lots of assignments and came to me for help in depositing the money into the designated account. I collected it and before I knew it, I had started spending the money. I practically spent all and then the department started demanding for its money, then I lied... I said I had deposited the money already and probably they've not received the alert, they bought my lie... but the main problem came when I still couldn't refund the money. So, this is what I'm trying to say, he said, its better you speak the truth all at once no matter how hard it see and let the devil be put to shame It will save you from lots of stress, discomfort and troubles " Then he told me to read more about those who lied inthe Bible and the outcome of their lies. I apologised again in person, he said he has forgiven me, that I should go and sin no more. I thanked him and left his office a happy person. How frequently do we hear or speak these words called lies? After someone says or utter words full of lies we feel either doubtful or outrageous. Of course, doubtfulness would be completely unnecessary if everyone only speaks the truth. Every time. All the time. Lies may come in different shapes and sizes. “Little lies” could be just as the way we answer a policeman who has just stopped us over for allegedly overspeeding. “No, sir, I didn't know I was going faster than the necessary speed limit.” But lying of every kind has its own consequences. And one of the consequences is what you are experiencing at the moment. Learn to always speak the truth at all times, no matter how hard. I remember the popular Christian song 🎵 🎶 🎵 I've got peace like a river I've got peace like a river I've got peace like a river in my soul I've got peace like a river I've got peace like a river I've got peace like a river in my soul I've got love like an ocean I've got love like an ocean I've got love like an ocean in my soul I've got love like an ocean I've got love like an ocean I've got love like an ocean in my soul I've got joy like a fountain I've got joy like a fountain I've got joy like a fountain in my soul I've got joy like a fountain I've got joy like a fountain I've got joy like a fountain in my soul I've got peace, love and joy like a river I've got peace, love and joy like a river I've got peace, love and joy like a river in my soul I've got peace, love and joy like a river I've got peace, love and joy like a river I've got peace, love and joy like a river in my soul This is how I feel now, I've got peace like a river. And joy like a fountain. I'm on my way to work this morning and trust me, I'm with my phone... No boring day for me again.😍😅🤩

@QueenRay 21 June 2021

Signs that he's into me For the past few days now, I had put up an anonymous chat sessions with a lot of people, especially ladies treating different issues. One complain I keep getting from the ladies I have heard from so far is that the men in their lives don't give them time, attention, care and all of that. One lady told me that she is the kind of person that when she loves, she loves hard and gives her all to make the person she's in a relationship with happy. So she's in a relationship with a guy. She loves the guy so much and gives her all to make the relationship work and also to make her partner happy. But the guy rarely reciprocates all that she's doing. He doesn't give her attention, doesn't call or chat as he supposed to. What she does is to create unnecessary drama in order to get the attention of the guy. She quarrel the guy into to get his attention. Consequently, the guy broke up with her. Now, she's heart broken and has given up on love. She asked me a question that touched the inner most part of my being. She asked, "Is it fair?" I felt for her. It's not fair that she loves and gives her all but can't get back the same. She actually told me that she wants to stop loving hard and giving her all because people are taking advantage of that to hurt her. I told her that you should not change your person because of people. It is not your fault that you loves hard and gives your all. She hasn't met the right person at all. The right person will love her, will give her the needed attention and care. She will met the right person that will feel privileged to be loved by her. It's my wish for her. Another lady complained of the same thing. Her guy does not give her attention, to chat or call is a problem sometimes. He will be online but won't chat with her. And whenever she complains about that, problem will start. She told me that 3 weeks ago she and the guy had a misunderstanding when she complained over the same issue. She said the guy even told her that it is not everyday they are meant to be talking. I was amazed. How can I say I love my Rose and in a day I didn't hear from her and I am normal? I can't never be normal until I hear from her! Since that 3 weeks he didn't call, chat or speak with the lady. Even when she made a move to speak with him, nothing seems to have changed. It's like he has moved on with his life. So I told her what to do and we ended our counseling session. Sadly, a lot of people are in a relationship with those that are not really into them, they are wasting their time, causing them pains and at the end of the day, they end up in hurts. What I intend to do in this article is to show you various signs you will notice when someone is really into you, when someone loves and is interested in you. At the end, you will evaluate your relationship and know the next step forward so you don't waste your time and nobody wastes your time for you. Let's dive in... ATTENTION When someone is into you, you don't need to beg the person or create drama in order to get the attention of the person, on the contrary, the person will give you attention. It will come on its own. You give attention to something that is important to you, to something that interests you, to something that occupies your heart, and to something that attracts your mind. So when someone is not giving you attention, it maybe a sign the person is not into you. It maybe because the person didn't find you that interesting. When someone is interested in you, you will know and feel it because the attention will be there. Does he gives you attention? Does she gives you attention? One sure way to know this is, does he or she have your time? TIME When someone is into you, the person will have your time. We have time for things that are important to us. No matter how tight the schedule, we create time for important things. Simply put, anyone that doesn't have your time is not into you. Don't waste your time with such a person. Anyone that doesn't have your time, you shouldn't have his or her time either. We have time for everything, so anyone that doesn't create time to be with you is not into you. Stop begging people to make time for you. If they consider you important, they will have time for you. CARE When someone is into you, he will care for you. There will be signs of care. Now, what does it mean to care? According to dictionary definitions, it means things that are done to keep someone healthy, safe, etc, it also means things that are done to keep something in good condition. When someone is into you, they will make efforts to ensure that your are good, safe, okay, comfortable and all of that, they will call you to know how you're doing, how your day is going and they will be concerned about your well-being. In most cases, they will spend their resources to ensure you are good. Someone that is not interested in how you feel is definitely not into you because someone that cares will be interested in your welfare. COMMUNICATION Communication is the blood of every relationship. It is the backbone and the bedrock of every relationship. Once there's no communication there's no relationship. When someone is into you, they will be in regular communication with you, they will call you, they will chat with you, they will text you as the case maybe just to hear from you. Few days back, I said that hearing the voice of whom you love is a delight. When you love someone, when you are interested in a person, when you are into a person, you will also love to hear from the person. So when someone rarely communicates with you, it maybe a sign the person is not into you. The person will be online but won't chat with you, even when you send a message, it takes eternity to get a reply. Sometimes they will read but won't reply you. It is a sign. GIVING One of the evidences of love is giving. When you love someone, will you give. There can be no love without giving. So when someone rarely give you things, it maybe a sign the person is not into you. When someone is into you, the will give you gifts, money, even recharge card as the case maybe. The gift doesn't really have to be great. It's not about the size of the gift that really counts but the thought behind the gift. For someone to give you something shows they have been thinking about you. It feels good to know that someone is thinking of you to extend of getting a gift for you. In conclusion, it's not difficult to know when someone is into you or not into you. With these 5 signs, you can easily evaluate your relationship and know where you are standing and the step forward. I hope you got value?

@QueenRay 21 June 2021

Close BUT Apart Do you think long distance relationship make hearts grow fonder of someone else? Sincerely, there are many challenges to having a long distance relationship. I'm one living example of someone in a long distance relationship and I must say it's sometimes challenging. In this article I'll give us tips that can help us grow and maintain a healthy relationship irrespective of the long distance or long period of time we've been separated for. **Discuss how committed you want to be with each other and also to the relationship.** -Have a long discussions about what you want from each other in this relationship while you are not together. Some partners have refused to discuss their differences. -Make no hasty assumptions. Talk about everything. -Will you be single even when apart as well as together or you'll have other relationships? -How will you deal with attractions towards others when it occurs? -How will you cope with loneliness? **Avoid jealousness and allow trust.**  It is very easy to let your thoughts run wild when you are not together. Do not let jealousy destroy your relationship. Find ways to divert your thoughts from things like how lonely you are. Discuss with each other about things that concerns you. Know that these kind of long distance relationships are difficult for most people. **Call to Check and Catch up on things with each other every day.**  Ensure you have time to catch up with each other daily whenever possible. You may specify a particular time, or any free time you're chanced. Set aside at least 30 minutes at the end of each day to catch up with what is happening in each other’s world. Build on your “love map” as you grow in your understanding of your partner and what he or she is experiencing each day. **Be conversant with how to make use of technology.**  Send messages to your partner on phones or through emails during the day just to let your partner know that you are thinking about him or her. Make video calls when you can so that you can see each other. Post pictures of the times you shared together whenever you meet on social medias so that you can think, enjoy and renew your commitment to others in your worlds. **Have regular time together…in person.** Inasmuch as its a distance relationship, you should note that it is as well important for connection and intimacy to be together as much as possible. Clearly, this may be impossible for some partners. Families of those that are in the Military get separated from them for long periods of time; however, whenever possible, find ways to make it a priority to be together, in person, as frequently as possible. Be sure to make that time as positive as possible. Do not dwell on how hard it is, rather, make memories for the future. **Pursue the same goals**. Even if you are not working together on those goals all of the time. Look for things that you can do and share it with each other whenever you come together and when you are interested in talking about your times apart. **Plan for your future together.** Plan to go on holidays together and spend the weekends together. Talk about this goals for yourselves and for when you are engaged or married, for your future as couples.(Singles should be very careful not to push anyone into a commitment or not to assume for others.) Plan for when you will be together in the future. **Be open and honest about your struggles**. Be open with each other while being apart and also respect the fact that you do not want your partner to feel guilty about the separation. Make sure that is only a very small part of your conversations with each other. And don't be too pushy about it. You should not be afraid to voice your concerns and struggles with being apart. Acknowledge what you think and feel. Unless something can be done to change it; however, do not make this the main part of any conversation with the person that you love. **Give yourselves loving and positive feelings every day.**  In an healthy relationships, there must be five(5) positives for every one(1) negative. Find ways to contribute to the positive side and not be a negative giver. **Find ways to make yourself happy even when are not together.**  Do not wait until you are together to enjoy your life. Relationships doesn't make people happy. People make themselves happy. Its an individual decision that you want to make yourself happy. People with happy spirit are more fun to be with. Find ways to make yourself happy and enjoy your life so that you have positive energy to contribute when you are together. And for those in a close distance relationship, enjoy it please. And do not toy with the joy and euphoria you bask in. Value your spouse.

@QueenRay 20 June 2021

Father's Blessings Who is a father? A father is the Head of the family, he provides for the day to day needs of the family. A father is the male parent of a child. We have various categories of fathers we need to acknowledge, they are; birth fathers, stepfathers, foster fathers, single fathers. BIRTH FATHER: A birth father is the father of a child when the child is born or we can say a birth father is the natural father of a child who has been adopted. We need to acknowledge them in other to get their prayers. They rode us into this world and it is our duty to honour them for our days to be long. No matter the hurt they might have done us, we need to let go in order to receive their blessings. STEP FATHER: A step father is the husband of one's parent when distinct from one's natural or legal father. Or a step father is the man who is married to someone's mother but who is not their real father. We need to also acknowledge step dads. Many children today would refuse to bring themselves to the authorities of their step fathers, saying they are not their birth fathers, this is very wrong. We have to respect and honour them as well. FOSTER FATHER A foster father is a man who looks after or brings up a child or children as a father in place of the natural or adoptive father. For being loving enough to accept us into thir homes as their's we need to acknowledge them. They might have not been the one who gave birth to us, but they have accepted us as theirs hence we need to credit them. SINGLE FATHER A single father is a father who has a dependent child or dependent children and who is widowed, divorced, or unmarried. This category of fathers are singlehandedly bearing the burden of the father and that of the money as well. They need to be praised and acknowledged. Dads are indeed priceless. Are you obedient to your own dad? Do as you will be done by, whatever you sow you will reap. Treat your father's well, it's a sign of respect and they will gladly pray for you and bless you. Even as we celebrate father's day worldwide. We need to know who serves as a father figure to us and endeavour we do all we can in order to get their blessings. Who is your father? Your father's prayers will push you to a valley of bountiful blessings and greatness. The Bible in Genesis 27:30-40 made us understand that Isaac blessed his children in his old age and it was seen later that every prayers he made affected them in one way orvthe other. Joseph also blessed his children Ephraim and Mannasseh when he was about to die. But there are some things we need to do as children to get make our father's happy to the point of praying for us. Some of those things are: **Understand them:**  Try to understand your father's feelings, he loved you even when you keep on crying whole night, make home a mess or keep shouting whole day. He loved you without any conditions. Sometimes he wants you to live life his own way but the reason behind it is to make your future and life safe and happy. Try to think in a matured way and from your father’s point of view. **Show respect:**  There is nothing wrong in showing respect to your father. It will only bring happiness to his face. Even if you don’t agree with his thinking, try to make him understand politely. Don’t use harsh words on him, which make him unhappy or feel hurt. Giving respect is best way to make anyone happy; it cannot be compared with any precious gift. **Spend some time:** Forget all the tips and stop worrying about how to make your father happy. Time is the answer to everything. For parent's, children’s are the best thing that can happen to them. If you will try to look into your parent's heart, you will understand that they feel lonely if you avoid them. As our parent's age grows, they start expecting more from their child. Thus, try to take some time for your parents. Take them to some family get together, picnic or just spend time with them at home. **Remember their special events:** Always celebrate father’s birthday or special events, it may be some achievements and celebrate it with lots of love. You can take them out for dinner, buy some gifts (which they want since long time) or just spend this special moment with them and make them realize that you care for them. **Show gratitude:** Your father has done a lot for you and that's why you are enjoying your life with proper education and job. Father's do so much but never expect anything in return, so why not to say a thank you to them occasionally and show gratitude by a card, flower or a hug? This will surely bring you close to them and bring memories which your parents can cherish forever. But inasmuch as Our earthly fathers are an important source of our genetic growth, God is the ultimate source of our lives. He knew us before we were conceived and formed us in the womb. He is the source of our existence. Heprovides for us. He corrects us. He loves us unconditionally. Acknowledge God too today and your life will not remain the same again... Happy father's to all fathers in the world. We love your all. To every potential dad here on this platform I love you all. Enjoy!!!

@QueenRay 18 June 2021

Thanks for the sponsorship @tired_momma. God bless you ma'am 🙏

@QueenRay 18 June 2021

Lie begat lie On a bright Tuesday morning, I woke up to prepare for work awkwardly because I was told the night before that I should take an off duty permission because I had to follow my kid brother Dave to school(he had just gained admission to the Premier University of Nigeria where I graduated from) Being the last born (baby of the house as we call him), my dad felt he is too young to travel down to Ibadan alone, since we stayed in Lagos. Well, since I graduated from the same institution and have been postponing my visit to my alma-mata for my Statement of Result(SOR), I saw this as a great opportunity to kill two birds with a stone. The problem lies in the fact that I've taken all my absential leave from work and knew my boss will have a hard time granting me permission. N.B: I work in a secondary school as a Further Mathematics teacher, pending the time I'll go for my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Well I summoned up courage and dressed up for work, I left home thinking about how to tell my boss I'll be off duty for two days(Tuesday and Wednesday), even amidst the school's Mid-term test which is ongoing, meanwhile there would be Mid-term break on Thursday and Friday. But because of the urgency of my brothers resumption, we had to leave on Tuesday. I went into the staff room and made arrangements for my paper which they would have that Tuesday morning. I dropped the questions on my table in the staff room and went into my boss's office to seek permission. A strong force pulled me into the office, I opened my mouth to seek for permission and then BANG!!! the lie came in the form: "Hello, good morning sir, I just wanted to tell you that I need to leave school this morning for at most an hour, my junior brother is ill and I need to take him to a doctor." Since I've never done such before and as a diligent teacher, he said no problem, that I may leave. I left his office, delighted that I had deceived him so easily and can now go back home in order to embark on the journey with my brother. It wasn't until I left the school compound that I realised my lie is so expensive and could lead to the loss of my job. I waved off the thought of what would happen if I didn't return back to work after one hour. Needed to state here is the fact that I thought I had dropped all my questions for the on-going Mid-term test, not knowing that I didn't drop that of one of the classes. I got home and off we went to Ibadan. After one hour I expected my boss's call but he didn't call, so, I felt i had escaped the first day of my uninformed absence. I started anticipating how to tackle his call the next day if he didn't see me at work. We arrived Ibadan safely, I checked my brother in into his hostel then went to stay over in my friend's place. The next morning I went to school for my SOR, I was in one of the offices for my clearance when i got a call from one of my colleagues at work. My lie immediately came haunting at me, I didn't know what he was calling for but definitely knew the call is centred on my absence from work. He kept calling and I ignored the calls putting my phone on silence. My boss himself started calling afterwards, I ignored his call because of the lie I had told him the previous day. I later switched off my phone. What I never knew then, but was to know later was that they weren't calling based on my absence but because they couldn't find the question I omitted. When I got back to Lagos, my immediate junior brother told me that he got a call from my office, they asked after me and if I dropped any question at home. That was when it dawned on me that I was in a big mess for good and I needed to come out straight to get myself out of the mess. Now, the first lie I made begat another lie as I pick up my brother's phone and called back the line that called him which turned out to be my boss's. "Hello sir, I'm very sorry I didn't come back to work on Tuesday and also was absent on Wednesday. It's a long story, I lost my phone while I was taking my junior brother to the hospital" My boss replied: "Oh, no wonder! I've been worried as I was unable to reach you. Your line was going through at first, but you weren't picking, I felt you were ignoring my calls intentionally until it was later switched off. It is well, we will see on Monday." I ended the call and started jumping all over the room, I had fooled the boss again. Now, I'm back to work, everyone had bought my lie but I'm bored. Who am I deceiving? I couldn't take my phone to work again, because I had to cover up my lie that my phone is lost. I only get to use my phones at night, when I'm back from work. Advice me, should I say the truth? Or keep up with my lies. Moral Lesson A lie gives birth to thousands of other lies. When you make the first lie, it might seem sweet at first but it's fruits(shame) hurts a lot.

@QueenRay 17 June 2021

Thanks for the sponsorship @CryptoMax. God bless you sir.

@QueenRay 17 June 2021

Companionship Everyone in the whole world, regardless of culture, age, gender or belief, share at least one thing in common: the challenge of growing into successful individuals. No one can satisfactorily make this life's journey alone. Which is where @HadEnough had his error. He felt that a tree can make a bush, that he can survive as a loner. We need to help those that matters, by making them get to know us and then decide if we are worth been their companions, so that they can uplift us. For instance we all are here on this platform for various reasons which boils down to a common goal, being recognised for our brands and likewise earning from the platform. Instead of bashing out people like @Fexonice1 @CryptoMax @Pantera@VoluntaryJapan @MobTwo or being an ingrate over the freewill of @MarcDeMesel and some other people who out of the little they have, decide to give us(even when we don't deserve it) their hard earned coin. Since every society has its own customs through which everyone must follow successfully in order to be fruitful in life, that is, hence the significance of companionship. The word 'companion' has to do with being closely connected with something similar. A companion could be a friend, an acquaintance, or partner; someone with whom one spends time or keeps company. We human beings need each other for support and companionship. We cannot live our life all by ourselves. Guess what! I know a way to figure out what's going to happen to you in the future. Even if I've never met you and don't know much of anything about you. I can tell you a reliable way to predict your own future. Am I a guru with special powers or a fortune teller? No, but I can still tell you how to predict your future. Heres all you need to do, look at who your friends are and what they are like, and you can see what your future holds, just take a look at the companion you hang around with. As important as a companion is in ones life, if you have the right ones, it will make you a better person and give you a brighter future. If you have the wrong companion, it will ruin your character and wreck your life. If you want to change your future, then I have just four short words for you: FIND A TRUE COMPANION Companionship goes a lot deeper than "friends with benefit". It is far more intimate than romance or friendship. Passion is great but might not last more than a night or months. Two are better than one, because if one falls, the other one will lift his companion. Starting your companionship with friendship helps a lot and relieves pressure. People mix together for prestige, the sense of being wanted, sex and so on. However, the main reason for spending time with a male or female is to build a lasting friendship which might turn into a marriage commitment one day. Thanks to all that have been upvoting my posts and my sponsor @HappyBoy You can read my other articles via this links👇👇 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/like-the-stars-d5c2e968 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/darkness-i-came-out-shining-as-the-light-that-i-am-87ba5569 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/the-dead-lamp-d9f028ec https://read.cash/@QueenRay/i-shine-bright-as-the-star-2c67d605 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/handling-anger-ff2a3371

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@QueenRay 16 June 2021

Handling Anger Handling anger is an important life skill. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both joy and health of many. Sadly, people tend to justify their anger instead of accepting responsibility for it. Everyone struggles, to varying degrees with anger. Anger is not always a sin. It is even acceptable for believers to be angry according to Ephesians 4:26 "*Be angry and do not son, do not let the sun go down on your anger"* Victims of abuse, violent crime, often while experiencing the trauma, do not experience anger. Later in working through the trauma, anger will emerge. In one of my comments to @willtravis post, I shared briefly a life changing situation I couldn't curb. You can read up his article via this link. https://read.cash/@Willtravis/unwanted-love-can-be-a-crime-2ca62bea This was my story some years ago...full story to be shared in another article. I fell so deep for someone I was close with(Mr A for this sake of this article)... And when he rejected me I was full of anger and resentment towards him. For a victim to reach a place of true health and forgiveness, he/she must first accept the trauma for what it was. As God heals the victim, the victims emotions, including anger will follow. This does not mean the person is living in sin. Anger becomes sinful when it is motivated by **Pride or when it is allowed to linger.** One Ways to Handle Anger sign that anger has turned to sin is when instead of attacking the problem at hand, we attack the wrong doer. Being full of resentment towards Mr A, I refused to talk to him, pick his calls or even speak about him to anyone that cares to listen. Whenever I see him instead of love I feel hatred. Even when he was trying to explain reasons why we can't be I wasn't ready to listen. Because I had locked up every space in my heart that might offer understanding or forgiveness. Ways to Handle Anger Recognize and admit that prideful anger is sin: Know that when the source of your anger is pride, you are on your way to destruction. Do not let pride control you. If you are angry at a fellow for no reason and you are too pompous to acknowledge that you are at fault, then you are tending towards a fall. By seeing God in the trials: See God at the centre of every circumstances you face in life. See Him as the one leading your boat. "When God is in the boat, you can smile at the storm, or even at the source of anger in your life" By returning good for evil: Whoever has hurt you has done you bad. But instead of paying them back in their own coin return good for the evil they did you. Do them good, this is more or less like heaping coals of fire on them. By communicating to solve the problem- Be honest, speak your mind, attack the problem and not the person: Instead of shutting off the person who made you angry, rather approach them and have a civil conversation. They might have their reasons for doing what they did. It will do you good to approach the matter nicely and calmly. Then your mind can be free from the burden you might have been carrying. Finally,we must act to solve our part of the problem: We need to act our part, this cold be by seeing a specialist, opening up to people that can help, forgiving totally(even if it's hard to forget), then our burden will be lighter. It wasn't until I followed the steps above that I became free totally. How about you? How do you handle anger? Is there anyone who hurt you to the point of anger, and you vowed not to forgive? Work on letting go of the anger by following the steps above. Then you are an overcomer!!!. If possible, so far as it depends on you, follow peace with all men. Overcoming a temper is not accomplished overnight but through prayers, meditation and reliance on God. Till next time. Bye 👋 👋 👋 👋 Read up my other articles here on this platform via this links👇👇👇 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/like-the-stars-d5c2e968 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/darkness-i-came-out-shining-as-the-light-that-i-am-87ba5569 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/the-dead-lamp-d9f028ec https://read.cash/@QueenRay/i-shine-bright-as-the-star-2c67d605

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@QueenRay 16 June 2021

Making a difference **Let Your Light Shine Before Men** "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid(Mat 4:14) Just as we have read in my previous post, we should shine just like the stars 🌟. https://read.cash/@QueenRay/like-the-stars-d5c2e968 Also in the prompt writing by @JonicaBradley on Darkness, we see that when light gets to a place, it illuminates and changes every situation. Every hopeless situation turns to life. https://read.cash/@QueenRay/darkness-i-came-out-shining-as-the-light-that-i-am-87ba5569 Now, what am i saying? We should let our light shine so bright so that we won't be intimidated by smart or powerful people who might want to oppose us. A little child who can sing "there is a green hill far away..."is showing deeper wisdom than a brilliant professor who doesn't believe in shining as light. You don't have to be shy and say nothing of your faith. Let people know you for who you are. Many, all in the name of saving face refuse to let people know them intimately. They are scared of what people will think of them. But it shouldn't be all about ourselves. **What does it take to be Light?** It takes two things to be light; it takes being different from the world and at the same time it takes being involved in the world. **i**. First, to be a light, **you must be different**. Light is different from darkness, if its not different, it's not right at all. If you consider yourself as light, but you are exactly light everybody in the world around you, then you are wrong. There is more to light than just being different though. **ii**. The second thing it takes to be light is that **you must be involved**. Light doesn't do any good when it is placed under a bucket. You do not put your bedside lamp under the bed. It does what it is designed for when it's brought out in the open and put on a stand. Be different... yet involved! It sounds different but that doesn't mean it's easy. There's always a temptation either to go with the flow and do whatever the world does, or else, if we insist on being different, it's tempting for us to just form our own little cliques and colonising customs and have as little to do as possible with those who aren't like us. It is when you are different from other people and yet stay involved with them, that you have most influence. Here's the challenge, of course we dress like everyone else in the world except we take some thought of modesty. There are no special uniforms for Christians. We go to the same lectures. We eat the same food they eat and because we stay so close to them and are like them in so many ways, the differences become all the more striking to the people who know us and all the more upsetting to them. That is what happens when we live as salt and light, when we are in the world, we don't belong to the kingdoms of this world but we are members of the kingdom of heaven. Only favoured people in the world can spot this. They see good deeds and praise our Heavenly Father. How then do we make a difference? We make a difference in this world by letting our light shine in our actions, words and daily life, we should live an exemplary life a life that gives glory to God. Make no mistake of living as if life has no ending. Know that we are here only for a short while. One day we'd leave this sinful world for a better home at last. Make it possible for people to say you are the best of your kind. Once they've seen you let them feel your presence. This reminds me of a story of my friend in school, Temmy **She didn’t know what woke her, and no matter how many times she relived that night, no matter where the nightmare chased her, she never want to stand up.** **The weather turned the air into a wet, simmering stew which drench. The humming fan on her dresser stirred it, but like sleeping in the steam pumping off the pot.** **Still, she was used to that, to lying on top of moist sheets, with the windows open wide and the faint hope even a tiny breeze would slither through the sultry.** **The heat didn’t wake her, nor did the soft rumble of thunder from a storm gathering in the distance. Temitope went from sleep to awake in an instance, as if someone had given her a good shake or shouted her name in her ear.** **She sat up straight in bed, blinking at the dark, hearing nothing but the hum of the fan, the high pitch of the cicadas, and the lazy, repetitive hoo of an owl.** This was because she had an horrible past which was so dark and almost took over her existence. It keeps hunting her. She had been raped and accused of seducing the rapist. What an horrible darkness!!! But light came at the end for her. She graduated in flying colours, determined to forgive her offenders and she was free at last. exerps from my book Battered and Bruised Read my other articles via this links 👇👇👇 https://read.cash/@QueenRay/the-dead-lamp-d9f028ec https://read.cash/@QueenRay/i-shine-bright-as-the-star-2c67d605

@QueenRay 15 June 2021

Darkness: I came out Shining as the Light that I am!!! Make no mistakes!!! There is always light at the end of every dark tunnel. I could remember a time I was faced with gross darkness, everywhere I try running to seem "fifty shades darker". I was in my final year in school and I emerged as the first female president of Mathematics Department.(Though I was to be reminded that in history over a decade ago, the department has had a female president). At first I enjoyed the post and was always here and there as the first lady(lol) Then the dark side began, I had to see to the affairs of all students in the department and at the same time study for my exams and also write my project. It got to a point I was frustrated and almost gave up, when I turn to any of my other executives for help they give one excuse or the other, and the crown lies on my head, I mustn't let it to down. When I was almost giving up, light came in form of my Fiance who gave me five ways of making my burden lighter: Here are five ways to turn the darkness into light. 1. Practice kindness. Go out of our way to help people. Smile often. Compliment others. And remember that we can’t genuinely be kind to others if we don’t know how to be kind to ourselves. In doing this people started volunteering to help me handle some duties even when I don't ask them for help. 2. Reframe your goals. Instead of thinking about what you don’t like about yourself or your life, focus on what you do want. For example, instead of worrying about not having enough time to do some things, plan on how to go about managing your time. I set goals for each day, academically and even for the office. 3. Living “as if.” Many of us want to achieve specific goals in order to feel a certain way. We want the promotion so we can feel secure. We want a prestigious title so that we can feel powerful. We want accomplished children so that we can feel proud. We don’t need to wait until we have accomplished a never-ending list of goals to feel good about our lives. Act as if you already have everything you need. Feeling and living ‘as if’ we are living our best lives illuminates the path towards actualizing more and more of our potential. I decided to live as if, without doing this things, I won't get the crown awaiting me, it worked and my tenure became the best so far in the history of the department. 4. Thinking creatively. Too often the possibilities in our lives appear very narrow. Take a step back and ask often: What’s the best that can happen in this situation? Think out of the box and consider a whole list of solutions and ideas. The more we learn to see past the limits of who we used to be, the greater space we make for light within us. I did this a lot and I came out stronger. 5. Connect to God. Part of creating and sustaining a relationship with God is believing that He loves you, that He believes in you and that He wants to be close to you. Faith is not just for helping us through the hard times. It is the daily building of a belief system in which we can connect to God when we’re happy, when we’re sad and when we’re everything in between. Bring the light of that connection into every day. This was the best part, because handing everything over to God made it all too easy for me. Here I am today, a graduate of Mathematics Department, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. I'll be going for my National Youth Corps next month and I'm looking forward to shining my light further when I get to service. This article is written in respect to the Fourth weekly Prompt by @JonicaBradley Titled "Darkness". https://read.cash/@JonicaBradley Thanks @HappyBoy for reminding me of the prompt in your post and thanks for the sponsorship. If you decide on writing on the prompt- The rules are simple: Write about darkness Write 100% original content Write at least 600 words  **@JonicaBradley** https://read.cash/@JonicaBradley Have Fun! Till next time guys!🤗🤗🤗 byeeeee.

@QueenRay 14 June 2021

Like the Stars 🌟 ✨ **Who are you?** **A star** 💥or **A dead lamp.** A star is an outstanding figure among his/her contemporaries, he shines and outshines his colleagues. One of the ways to be a star is being created a star, another way is to have a parent who is a star. While some people are born as stars, some others are made stars by men. Better still, some others by the use of their skills or gifts and through hardwork, get promoted to become stars. To shine like the stars 🌟, you need God. The Bible says in Psalms 75:6-7 *"For promotion cometh neither from the East, nor from the West, nor from the South. But God is the Judge:he putteth down one, and setteth up another."* You can move God to make you a star🌟 if you seek Him and surrender your life to Him. You can influence your way into stardom if you shun iniquity and love righteousness. There's the importance of Parental training in order for children to become stars. In other words, parents can make stars out of their children through proper training spiritually, intelligently and morally. My parents did a good job on me and my siblings, when other children are playing outside, my father would compel us to stay indoors and read our books. Chilren can also influence their own shining through hardwork. Some children are addicted to computer games instead of reading their books. There are youths who are believing God for breakthrough without hardwork. They are just wasting their time, because no breakthrough will come to a lazy fellow. Lastly, children must obtain blessings of their parents by honouring them, just to retain their shine as stars.

@QueenRay 13 June 2021

The Dead Lamp Its 6:30am already! exclaimed Mabel, having st an alarm for 6:00am the previous night, she oils now 30mins behind schedule. She might have overslept which made her unaware when the alarm first buzzed. It's Sunday Morning and she has to get to church ⛪ as early as 7:00am as a worker in the church. Mabel is a devoted Christian and every Sunday she wakes up as early as possible, dresses up and leave for church before Sunday school starts. Not only is she the Choir mistress, she also teaches Sunday school. God makes use of her mightily and almost every church ⛪ member wants to be under her teachings. She always speak with the guide of the Holyspirit who makes her utterances power filled which made it all too easy for her. She rose up from the bed, took her bath and dressed up for church ⛪ hurriedly. She was 2mins late to church and she underwent punishment alongside other latecomers, they were made to stand outside the church for 15minutesafter which they were allowed in. The service went well, right from the Sunday school class to the praise and worship session, God used Mabel powerfully. At the end of the service, many converts were recorded during the praise and worship session, God Himself arrested their souls. Deep down within Mabel,she yearns for more grace from God. Even though she is a vessel unto God and she has been doing the work of God appropriately, there is still a vacuum which she knows exist. People see her as a perfect being basically because of the work she does in the Church. Many parents even pray for their children to be just like her. The previous week she had a vision where she was referred to as **The dead lamp**, by the master. She wept and was still weeping when she woke up. Ever since then she has been watchful, vigilant and mindful of everything she does, so that she won't go wrong. Justice Mabel many of us are battling with sin and though they work for God extraordinarily. We feel they are perfect, but does God recognise us? Does He reckon with our works? Let's work on ourselves. May we not be found wanting...