A colleague of mine recently retired after working for the same organization for 35 years. He was one of those who worked 24/7 and gave his heart and soul to the job at hand. Often, we meet people who can’t seem to care less about the job—but he wasn’t one of those. He was passionate, competitive, always on top of things, and involved in everything happening in the office. We threw him a farewell party and gave him a gift and a card. By the next week, a new officer had taken

COLD by Debra Ayis The harmattan* has come So also have the rains gone I’m thankful I have a home To stop me getting chilled to the bone Even though it’s not as cold as snow Nor does it present a fragile show. The selfish of the rich would never mind If the poor have only rags to bind Just to keep from freezing While they try sleeping. A sad scene I see Every night on the streets Where bodies have lost spirits Right through the night Before the dawn of light Where now dead bo

What she said to me then always comes to mind whenever I find myself in a situation where a friend criticizes me.

My Puzzle by Debra Ayis I feel my life drifting I know I am slipping My heart, my soul is ripping I can feel my blood rippling I jump off my tree limb Because now I am tripping That no one is killing My life is spinning And I'm in the middle It’s like a long riddle I just can’t wait to solve the puzzle Yesterday I was facing the muzzle of a gun But today I see people nuzzle While they are eating pizza I don’t know why I am still sizzling When I can feel the rain of joy drizzl

A burning sensation began in the region of my small intestine and rose until the heat emanated from my face. My jaw tightened and my breath quickened. The ever-living nerve, I thought as I read the e-mail for the second time. Surely this was a joke. And yet, as I processed each carefully constructed sentence, I knew that it wasn’t. The anger only built as I started to type out a reply filled with glib passive aggression. I stopped myself. Convinced my brain was about to boil

Written By Debra Ayis Whenever I visit other continents, a question I am often asked is, “What is the hidden secret behind faith and hope in Africa?” That’s when I share about the power of thanksgiving and prayer—the fuel that drives the church in Africa towards faith and hope. Living in Nigeria, which was ranked the most optimistic country in the world in 2011 and the 6th happiest country in Africa in 2016, I’ve learned that it’s often not about how rich we appear on the out