Dear Miss Grey,

You probably are not expecting me to respond to your simple question asking how we spent our summer vacation, with such shocking honesty as I am about to but I feel that I owe it to you, not to lie. I don't like it! I don't like having to return to school after experiencing a taste of summer awesomeness: the lemonade, the PlayStation gaming, the pools, the parties!

I had tons of fun but when August 31st arrived, I was heartbroken. Like Phineas and Ferb, I felt like more fun could've been had but thanks for asking!

Our introduction of love came as suddenly and luminously as the rising of the sun boasting colourful hues, setting the scene of a cherished love on the horizon in front of me. The initial spark and happiness of our relationship swept me clean off my feet. Cloud nine couldn't reach me, I was above and beyond happy.

We were happy for a time but they say all good things must come to an end. For me and you-this was our beginning of end. The story of the gradual unraveling of our love, once firm then unflattering, there they were-some hundred red flags. Signs of a growing distance and fading affection, miscommunications and the death of a relationship.

The sudden departure of love filled my heart with shock and pain, the realization that love once in my grasp is slipping away. The final moments of togetherness before the inevitable parting are the hardest. Your feelings linger and so do your hands on the soon-to-be ex-love beside you.

There's an aftermath of lost love. Its associates are feelings of emptiness and void. Sometimes, depression can ensue. You sit in the balcony of the bright quiet calm of the sun's embrace where memories flood. Ones that can haunt and comfort in equal measure once you regret as you reflect on them truly.

True Love is a gift, a present one gives to another freely. It is not envious or boastful, arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful nor does it rejoice at wrongdoing but it rejoices in the truth. Love leaves you with the impression that it is better to know it and have it, than to not know or have it at all. This was the wisdom and knowledge I got from that experience I called love.

A deeper reflection on love left me feeling gratitude for the lessons and experiences shared.

Though I'm experiencing the enduring impact of lost love and the bittersweet nostalgia that follows, I've accepted love's departure as a painful but necessary journey that one may experience as you live.

In conclusion, the wisdom gained from lost love can last an eternity. However long that may be on this side of the stream. I'll acknowledge the enduring beauty and significance of a life with love, though now for a moment in mine, I've lost it. Now for a moment in time, it's absent.

I inhale deeply.

And take notice yes of the disharmony.

The hustle and bustle of life colliding in

a whirlwind of movement and sound.

With a symphony of discordant notes filling the air round. Something like an orchestra of honking horns and screeching brakes or the cacaphony of voices like clashing waves.

Troublesome tyrants in my brain.

In the Pause, the suspended moment, exploration commences in the respite of quietude. Search begins for calm. Once found.

I exhale fully.

And release with that fleeting vapour the

dirt of emotions that were the cause of my worry, stress and certain anxiety.

Life can be like that, sometimes all too suddenly. Before you know it, your head's hot and your clear path is fogged with the misery of uncertainty. The bombardment can take its toll on your sanity.

Spiritually, Physically, Mentally.

That's one of those moments when you meditate: "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you".

Kazuya's phone pings - a notification follows.

Suddenly, he barges into the living room showing a photo

of his wife Lavonne with another man.

"What is the meaning of this photo, Lavonne?

Approaching and grabbing her hand roughly he demands an answer to quell his anger.

Approaching and grabbing her hand roughly he demands an answer to quell his anger.

"Who is this?"

His wife responds: "You're getting worked up over nothing, Kazuya. This is not what you think it is!"

His grip tightens around her wrist, "Answer the question!"

Continuing, "He's an old classmate from secondary school in forever. It's nothing but a coincidence that we met each other again as we were both buying our coffees and lunches

at the same cafe on third street....Satisfied?!...Now, let go!"

she responded demanding that he adhere to her wishes however he does not and his anger only intensifies. He elevates his hand.

"What? Are you going to start beating me now?!" Finally, as he regains his senses, he utters, "Forgive me!" She sighs a breath of relief.

"What? Are you going to start beating me now?!" Finally, as he regains his senses, he utters, "Forgive me!"

She sighs a breath of relief.

"I was just about to do something unthinkable to you - something that never should have crossed my mind or manifest...forgive me."

Lavonne mustering all her strength says, "I forgive you, Kazuya...but I also can't do this anymore. You need to change!

There's barely any trust between us and I fear that sooner or later our marriage will crumble because of it. I don't want that!

I still love you!"

Tears shed from her eyes as she struggles to stop herself from bawling, "Something's missing in this relationship and I don't think I can spot it if I stay here...with you...right now. So, I'm leaving to go stay at my mother's house in the country."

Later that night, as Lavonne lay in her bed, she picked up on the

subtle clues that her mom was dropping as she told her stories about her and her dad's rocky relationship. Their relationship had been on the brink of collapse many times but stayed intact due to their reliance on prayers, Bible verses, and when they learned what marriage is actually about: maturity of both partners, trust and amicable communication based on truth which removes doubt and suspicion, respect among others.

This was a great comfort to her but her mother in her wisdom wasn't done there so she asked,

"You said you forgave him when you two had that fight, didn't you?...At that time, Did you forgive him with your heart or just your mouth?"

Lavonne bit her lips into a purse position. It was a glaringly obvious signal to her mother that she was embarrassed to say that she meant the latter.

With that in mind, her mother answered, "Yes, well...for those times when the forgiveness doesn't come that easily, it helps to remember to forgive 70 x 7 daily says the Lord....Darling, sometimes it's hard but once you give it to Him it's not impossible to forgive others!

She smiles gently, "You two will definitely make it. Just put Jesus at the center of your marriage. It'll be okay."

When you said

this line of words to me

it hit me like a rock

To think now that a

simple sentence you

uttered spoke of

unseen truths about that

which I knew not a lot about.

The content of the

7 o'clock news merely touched

on the matter though

there was so much of it

then as is there is now

sadly it's as clear as day to me

more than ever now.

Imagine as a child hearing

the shocking uncomfortable truth that snakes which you

thought as evil, sinister in

their tracks - dangerous

ain't got nothing on the likes

and insidious works of humans.

The truth isn't always fun to hear in fact we might want

to erase but it's better than

believing the world is a

fairytale or a game that you

get to replay when it is

but no such place.

Insatiable is a word that hides a darker colder truth for it speaks of humanity's greed that crawls deeply and subtly in the human heart but displays itself for all to then see.

Forever yearning with a fierce hunger for what's not ours even with the wealth of all riches we have gathered is not enough.

Always craving and salivating over our neighbour's treasures never satisfied with what we ourselves possess. Our greed knows no bounds as we go in search still for more power.

Humility, a virtue can be lost

in the pursuit of vain thoughts.

We grasp for what we can

at the cost of swiping from the neighbour's hand.

How good would contentment and humility be so that no sense of grace and mercy towards another is lost in selfish vanity.

Therefore, it's a good idea to put greed and insatiability

back on the shelves and see the beauty in what we have.

Five little babies so small and cute, each a bundle of joy though they may be born prematurely.

Resources it will take to keep them all surviving and healthy.

No matter, they bring blessings to their mother and father who are thankful for this miraculous 1 in 55 million of a rarity.

But there's no denying that caring for and raising them will take a lot out of them both emotionally and

Five tiny fingers of ones born after the next, through their position in and later exiting the womb.

As they live and grow, the uniqueness of their solid bond in love and support, they'll show. From infancy to childhood, they'll explore and learn about the world.

There will be moments of laughter, happiness and sadness spilling into portions of their lives but joy they will retain. For the odds of them being together and alive are odds they'll take any day.

Five little heartbeats in a symphony of harmonies will grow, tall into adulthood and beyond but their connection will still remain unstained and unstrained blossoming into more so than before, every precious day.

When I see a lit candle

that's when I know

what's going on...

No devices can work,

we're in a horrible storm

or somewhere some nearby

lines have gone down.

Either way, now I and

everyone else in the

community knows it well...

current is gone.

Besides Jesus, there are certain characters that I favour in the Bible such as Gideon, Esther and Paul among others. But my favourite character is Paul.

I like and appreciate his life story for several reasons:

(1) That he taught us to embrace positivity or optimism even when faced with challenges and obstacles, and to have faith and trust in God in those difficult times that He has a plan for us.

(2) That he encouraged his followers to treat others with compassion and respect, namely love, regardless of their differences, whatever shape that takes e.g. skin colour, nationality etc. He taught us to be kind and loving towards friends, family, and even strangers.These I find especially important when witnessing to others about Jesus being Lord and Saviour.

(3) That he was a warrior even without the visible armour about his body because he persevered through many hardships which included imprisonment and persecution for his beliefs and we can do the same because God will enable us. I find this especially appealing since I was always the shy and timid kid who was always afraid of others' criticism but in high school I decided to ditch that version and go for faith in God because between now when I'm young and healthy and when death comes nearer that's not the way I want to die.

(4) That he used his talents and gifts such as being a skilled writer and speaker to spread the teachings of Jesus and share his own story of transformation. I

find this to be one way that we can serve others and make a positive impact in the world. This resonates with me because it's one way to feel useful whereas I would've continued to feel not.

(5) That he sought to deepen his wisdom and understanding by devoutly looking to God's Word for it. This too, we should practice daily because just as our bodies need refreshment daily so those our spirit.

(6) That he demonstrated humility and service towards others despite all his accomplishments and leadership in the early Christian church, and he remained humble and grateful even in times of success and prosperity. I'm reminded that we can do the same by humbly serving those around us and using our resources and abilities to help those in need and stay humble and grateful throughout while giving credit to God for the successes and achievements.

(7) That we can learn from him to practice forgiveness and let go of bitterness and resentment towards others because he eventually came to forgive himself and others, and other Christians came to forgive him as well for all the horrible things he had done to them.

(8) That he was unafraid to stand up for his beliefs, even in the face of opposition and persecution. He remained steadfast in his faith and continued to spread the message of love and salvation, even if it was unpopular and challenging.

(9) Lastly, that he trusted in God for his that His plan is always for our ultimate good just as Romans 8:28 says. Here we can learn to surrender our own desires and trust in God's perfect plan for our lives because His is far better or beyond than our own.

There's a quote that says there's only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. But I refuse to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing because as Jesus and Paul taught me, that's not how I want to live and die.

In a garden that blooms, fair and bright, where various life,

small and great, reside,

there stands a flower that outshines the glow of the moon, by a mile and by far.

With petals of lavender, and a center of gold, this flower's magnificence is a sight to behold, purple in all its glory, splendor and royal robes.

It grows in the shade of an ancient tree, where leaves dance and sing with glee. Its scent is sweet, like a honey kiss,

and its nectar is said to grant you lovely dreams.

It is called the "Dreamer's Flower" by name, one of the prettiest things around. Whisperers say the beholder's eyes will be blessed and they

will remember its name, face, shape, even the sound.

For it has the power to make dreams sprout and grow; flower

with a single touch, of the hand.

Its leaves are soft, like a butterfly's wings, and they tell of a world of their own, that most humans have never trod. This flower's beauty is beyond compare, unique is its wonder and gown. For in this world of fantasy and dreams, it's the most precious flower.