I have always been fascinated with the idea of the breath of God and how the Bible plays with the symbolism of God's breath and the wind as measures of His Spirit (Job 33:4, John 20:22, Ezekiel 37:9-10). 
Sometimes, the idea of a Spirit might feel intangible and unknowable. But, a breath? Everyone understands that. Everyone feels that.  
A breath is intimate. Whether it is a mother blowing on her baby's face or that millisecond before a blushing couple at the altar join lips together in front of their loved ones. 

Wow, I have missed this. Just sitting at my computer and typing away, without a care in the world. Okay, maybe not that last part. But, with my website turning six this year, I want that to be true. Which means, I want to be more present in this space, regardless of the number of visitors I receive.  
So, welcome new and old readers, it's been a while.

Also, happy new year! Pastor Adeboye said something at the beginning of his sermon this morning that I am taking as my word for the year: celebrate. 
I don't know, but it felt like that was the word my heart was waiting to hear. Celebrate!
2023, y'all, our year to celebrate. ​

So, I was returning a walk this evening when I saw this duck by the side of the main driveway into my neighborhood. She had two tiny ducklings with her, and I was wondering what they were doing on this side of the driveway (since the lake is on the other side). Anyway, I walked past them and then turned back to watch what they were doing out of curiosity.

She was trying to cross the driveway, this driveway in the picture, but here was the problem, she had hurt her right foot. So she was limping quite badly. Because she was limping, she was crossing the driveway very slowly and, of course, the ducklings were only going as fast as she was. I was concerned a car could come careening into the driveway and crush them, so I stood there to make sure that didn't happen.
Y'all, NO CAR CAME!
Here's the kicker: as soon as this duck hopped onto the median with her two ducklings, like 4 cars came at the same time trying to enter the neighborhood. I am not even joking.
Then the duck crossed the other lane and the same thing happened. No car came!
And it was like the Holy Spirit gave me a very real, very physical example of how God takes care of His own.
If God could hold the world, hold time, so that these birds were not crushed, He's got you and me.

    I've never really been one to do much on my birthday, but I thought I would do something different for my Silver Jubilee.
    I was going to make all my friends and family buy me birthday gifts, but the Lord had other ideas. 
    So instead of giving to me this birthday, please join me to give to others.
    I am organizing two fundraisers and shining the spotlight on other initiatives to help those who have lost their lives (literally and figuratively) because of the war in Ukraine. 
    Invading another country unprovoked is oppression, particularly one that has a much smaller military might. Thankfully, God is still in the business of fighting for the oppressed, so here we are. 

Aid specifically for Africans/Black people affected by the war. 

• GoFundme: I will be matching up to $300 of donations made to the fundraiser. Click here to donate.

Public health:

• WHO Fundraiser: I will also match up to $200 of donations made to my WHO fundraiser. Click here to donate.

Food, clothing, and other emergency aid

• Red Cross

Homes for Refugees

• Airbnb.org
• Ukraine Take Shelter: (please practice Internet safety when using this site)
• UK Government Scheme to provide homes

If you or anyone you know needs financial assistance as a result of the displacement from the war in Ukraine, please contact me. 

     I would like to start a petition to change the rules of football so that my team never loses. Anyone with me?
     We need a finisher at Manchester City. I don't care if we buy someone new or if Pep selects Gabriel Jesus and/or Ferran Torres and/or Phil Foden and/or Cole Palmer as designated finishers. We can play well all we want, but goals are all that count. If we have any hope of winning this thing, or anything for that matter, we need to convert the chances we are creating into goals.
Thank you for coming to my Pep talk. (yes I did :)

     Well, Nuno's stint was short. Personally, I think the decision might have been a little too hasty. Also, unpopular opinion, I think managers get way too much flack when the team is not performing well. I get it, it's their job to help the team win fixtures. But what about the players' responsibilities? What about the fact that Mr. Golden Boot (& Playmaker!) has only netted 1 goal in 10 matches? Perhaps Daniel Levy should consider that you catch more flies with honey, not iron-clad contracts or high levels of coach turnover. Just saying.

     This is my life now. I've come to terms with it. In fact, I have been asked, begged even, to take Salah off my team so that he can return to prime goal-scoring form. Maybe I will. He takes up a lot of dollars anyway (or pounds, whatever). Y'all, seriously, if I take him out of my team, and he pulls out another hat-trick next week, I will personally track him down in Liverpool and ask him which of my village people sent him.

     Well, we were all there. We all saw it go down, live.
Okay, maybe not literally, but it's real and forever etched in history: Liverpool beat Manchester United 5 goals to nothing at home, in Old Trafford, in front of the biggest football club audience in the United Kingdom.
     You know who I feel bad for? The Manchester United fans, who came out in droves to see their team play only to leave in shame and disappointment by half-time.
     But boy, oh boy, is Cristiano Ronaldo a sore loser. In that moment, as he attempted to take the ball from that Liverpool defender, he looked no better than a playground bully. I hope he looks back on that moment with regret and even some gratitude for the referee, because that was a red-card worthy offense.
     Honestly, I think Liverpool decided to pull their punches after Goal Number Five and Pogba's red-card because the goals could have kept on coming. And there was nothing Mr. Apparently-the-G.O.A.T could have done about it.
     Speaking of GOATs, Salah is kind of killing out there this season. I have been trying not to join the bandwagon of captaining him in my FPL because I figured the hot streak would end soon...
     But, I'm adding him to my FPL team this week and I can almost guarantee you, courtesy of my FPL bad luck, that Salah will not score any goals or even net any assists in the upcoming week.
     Who knows? Salah's form might be stronger than my FPL bad luck. (a girl can only hope :)

     Welp, it's only Gameweek 8 and I'm already giving you one post for the price of two. What can I say? I'm tired. Adulting is, like, a LOT.
     But apparently, I'm not the only one who's tired. (Yes, ManU, I'm looking at you.) Can anyone tell me what's going on with them over at Old Trafford? Not that I'm complaining, it's one less team that City has to worry about, but still.
     It looks like many people think it's all Ole's fault. In my football group chats, all I hear is Ole this, Ole that. Poor guy, his ears are probably ringing all day long.
     My personal opinion? There's a little part of me that is glad that Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford has not been the talisman some people hoped it would be (yet). If that's because of Ole, then I say, "Ole, ole, ole, ole."
     I'm sure United will make a comeback (maybe even against Atalanta), but for now, that chant is music to my ears.

You know what they say...slow and steady wins the race. (maybe. we'll see, lol.)

     You guys, I think I might have a football addiction. When I tell you that I kept waking up the night before this match because I was so worried! When I tell you that I prayed for Man City like they are the ones paying my salary...
Should I be worried about myself? 😅😅

This was a crap week for me as a City fan in the PL and as a FPL manager. Absolute poop show.

     Not sure there is much else to say. This week sucked. I have never seen my boys play so badly. I don't know what was said in the locker room or who said it, but Pep, please fix it.
Chelsea and Liverpool are legitimately scaring me now. They sit comfortably at the top of the table, inches away, and it feels like the Premier League title might be slipping away from City, my City... 😩
But I KNOW we will bounce back!

Shame will not let me share my picture this week. Y'all, it was BAD bad!