A few years ago, I was preparing the kids for school; my husband was also upstairs getting ready for work. As I put the finishing touches on one of my kids’ hair in the dining area below, I heard my hubby call out, letting me know that my results had been released.

So you can guess the next question…so Dear..did I pass?

He kept quiet and briefly shared..you passed one part, but you were a few short of some points on the other. I knew immediately I would have to retake the exam. The exam was a 2-part exam, and one needs to pass both parts to be successful in the exam.

Was I disappointed? Oh Yes…but was I also relieved? Yes, because waiting for the result had triggered so much anxiety in me, and I was somewhat glad the waiting was over.

I remembered the day of the exam. I called my husband afterward and sobbed as I had never done, letting him know that I felt I had just written the most challenging exam for the first time in my life, not because I didn’t prepare enough but because I thought the time was not sufficient.

I also remembered a story my father told us while growing up. He shared about his friend. When they wrote their final exams at the university, my father said that he was far from the university campus when the result came out, and his friend wanted to relay the result to him. In those days.. the early 60’s, the fastest means of communication was to send a telegram, which was expensive, and you paid for it by counting the words to be sent. So, his friend sent him one and wrote.

“Jeje. You passed. I failed. His name.”

My father said he was sad when he received the telegram about his friend’s result; however, his friend did the exam again and passed and graduated a year after.

For me, I had to retake the exam. I did it again..even with four kids and working full time. I studied again and passed both parts to the glory of God. My hubby also saw the result first, but this time around, it was him that was anxious..lol and he asked me to check the result, and when I did…I saw the marks displayed on both parts.

I passed.

Are you perhaps wading through a difficult season? Are you contemplating giving up? Please, don’t. Remember that when you think about not making it through, remember how many times you have persevered and the victories from your past experiences, then forge positively ahead. Never forget that when life throws a stone at you, seize the opportunity to step on it to climb higher. Please, don’t give up.

Written by Ibukun Ogunsina, New Beginnings Barrie, Psychotherapy and Counselling Services. Website: www.newbeginningsbarrie.com
E-mail: inquiry@newbeginningsbarrie.com
Tel: +1 705 241 8456

I grew up learning from my grandmother and my parents how to be a good child of God. My hubby had always shared that when I met him, the first place I took him for our first outing was the fellowship I attended on the University Campus, but this story is not about me; it is about positive influence and the gift of trust. It is about a friend’s impact on my life that led me closer to God.

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I was in my dorm room at the University. One of my close friends came and handed me a bulky envelope asking me to help her drop it in the fellowship offering basket as she would not be able to make it to fellowship that night because she had a group assignment to do with her coursemates.

Being one of the ushers, I had to arrive quite early..but as I was walking to fellowship that evening, I suddenly remembered the bulky envelope in my bag and the circumstances of my friend.

My friend had lost her father just a few years back..actually, about 2 or 3 years before that day, she was studying one of the most challenging courses on campus then, and she only had her mother and her younger siblings to fall back on. However, she still committed to paying her tithe monthly.

Here was I, with my two parents and very financially stable, but my tithing was “psychedelic”…I could not fathom the trust she had in God; she even trusted me enough to be able to handle the job…that moment on the sidewalk going to fellowship and pondering on her faith changed something in my heart towards God. What she did drew me closer to knowing who God is. I was not surprised to see my friend graduate and eventually settle down to have her own family; I am not surprised to know she is happy today. I am also grateful that the gift of trust she gave me that day helped strengthen my relationship with God. It woke me up from my slumber and helped to solidify my future as well.

So, today I ask, what are you doing to help solidify people’s relationships with the Lord Almighty? I am still working on mine.

Written by Ibukun Ogunsina, New Beginnings Barrie, Psychotherapy and Counselling Services. Website: www.newbeginningsbarrie.com
E-mail: inquiry@newbeginningsbarrie.com
Tel: +1 705 241 8456

I started dating a gentleman about 27 years ago; I was transparently honest with him regarding my inadequacies. I was also vulnerable regarding my mild aversion to cooking in the kitchen. Clearly, I remember telling him that I am not the type of woman that will spend hours in the kitchen cooking meals and enjoy cooking them; I said to him that when I step into the kitchen for an hour, he can be rest assured that I will come out with about four dishes and that will be it. This guy was so in love and is still very much in love that his positive response to me was that he was perfectly fine with that. He ended up getting married to me.

So, almost three decades ago, he was ready to be committed to someone that was not ready to prepare meals every day, and he was okay with it. Wow!!!!.. Indeed I won the JACKPOT.

But as the saying goes, when you love someone, you will cross oceans to make them happy..with time, I learned to love cooking his favorite meals at least.

However, God has other plans for the use of the kitchen in my life. Apart from learning to cook so many meals via Instagram and all those beautiful youtube videos, I have also used the kitchen as prayer altars for my family and my personal needs numerous times. I have settled scores of conflicts between my children while cooking for them, I have worked on my laptop in between chores, and I have also resolved some arguments with my hubby in that same spot.

However, the one that took my breath away was the idea of the “Kitchen Talk Show” that was birthed in that same kitchen that I used to despise. Last Saturday, the show’s first edition was recorded there with me sitting behind the desktop on the kitchen table while taking part with so many people across the oceans.

So, what is that one thing you can’t stand?
It may be what the Lord wants to use to help set some people free.

So many people have shared their Kitchen Talk Stories with us, and I am looking forward to reading more of such stories and sharing their stories with the world. So, let’s keep the stories coming and the shows going on zoom…Thanks a lot for using your talents to improve the lives of others. Our next Kitchen Talk Show is on Saturday, September 4th, and the focus will be on setting boundaries within our relationships.

N.B: You can send your kitchen stories to us at kitchenstorytalk@gmail.com and also follow us on Facebook at
#KitchenTalk
#KitchenTalkShow
For more information, kindly follow us via…
www.instagram.com/kitchentalkshow

#KitchenTalkShow #KitchenStory #KitchenStories #Kitchen
#IntimateTalks #NoBoundaries

Join us today at 2 pm EST / 7 pm WAT….to learn how to resolve conflicts amicably in your relationships.

As my photographer, who also happens to be my neighbor, took this picture in my kitchen, I asked if he and his wife talk in their kitchen. His answer further confirmed the whole essence of this program; he shared that he and his wife also talk about different issues in their kitchen daily.

The kitchen talk idea was birthed from the various conversations I have had and still have with my husband every day in our kitchen; we talk about different topics ranging from our jobs to politics, religion, marriage to our children, to our childhood friends and in-laws. We have used the exact location in our house to resolve so many conflicts.

We have apologized to each other and broke bread to make peace, cooked various meals together, and these talks have brokered peace and helped us grow in our marriage and personal lives. We are thus inviting you to join us to reinforce this idea in many homes, including yours.

The kitchen that we use to prepare our meals has acted as altars of repairs and a place of refuge, and thus join us now to talk about those issues that we are struggling with and learn from each other on how to love better.

Also, do feel free to send us your kitchen talk story…let’s keep the love within our homes and keep on having those intimate talks without boundaries.

WATCH OUT FOR STORY 2!
#KitchenAsAltars #KitchenTalkStory
Join us on Zoom and Facebook via Kitchen Talk Show on the 31st July.

I remember the first time I flew in an airplane. A few hours into the trip, I could not hear the sound of the engine…everything was quiet, I had just woken up, and I actually thought the plane had stopped for a while to take a break mid-air..seriously…Please, don’t laugh…lol

I also remember the first time I flew business class…I was so overwhelmed with joy and happiness, and I wanted to take out my phone to take some pictures, but shyness wouldn’t allow me…the passengers in the business class section were all looking put together that the few pictures I managed to take were so secretly taken..seriously…lol.

What about the first time I became a mother. I could not stop checking on my baby…hour after hour. I could not believe I was eventually going to be called someone’s mom.

Finally..the first time I got a company car….after receiving the vehicle. I was so thrilled that I called my hubby to tell him the good news…before I could say Jack Robinson…my hubby was at the company’s gate during our lunchtime..in short, he gave me the keys to our family car. He went to test drive the new car…and he continued to test drive every new vehicle I got assigned until I left the company.

Well, I intend to jog your memories…probably by now; you will also be remembering some “first times” in your life. The Great book says that we should not despise the days of small beginnings. If possible, be intentional about setting aside time today, remembering those days of small beginnings in your life, and simply be grateful. Those that appreciate their lives and show gratitude for everything are indeed happier, and they make more room for more of such blessings to flow in.

Written by Ibukun Ogunsina, New Beginnings Barrie, Psychotherapy and Counselling Services. Website: www.newbeginningsbarrie.com
E-mail: inquiry@newbeginningsbarrie.com
Tel: +1 705 241 8456

I was on a flight flying from South Africa back to Canada; it was an emotional journey for me; I had so many emotions ranging from grief to sadness to happiness. A recent family tragic event deeply saddened me, and I was also grateful to have been able to have had the time to see my newly born nephew – a boy given birth to 4 months after his Dad’s demise. So it was a mixture of sadness and joy. Two rows from me while onboard the plane, I thought I heard the muffles of a woman; initially, I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me, most people were already asleep on this 12-hour overnight international flight, the lights were switched off, but then I heard it again. Then I saw her tears…the mom’s spirit in me was stirred up…and I looked at her, confirmed she was not happy and then I went straight to her, and she told me her problems..she just heard some heart-shattering news that morning, and she had to fly back home immediately.

I took her to the back of the plane and did what most people will do. Validate her emotions, spoke to her, and prayed for her with her permission. She felt better and was thankful. Since then, we have remained friends. Many people are in my life, and we became friends through one encounter or the other on the plane, at the mall, or the airport…my hubby warns me to be very careful always..but daily, I ask the Lord to send my way, any of His children that He wants to me to assist.

I have come to believe that sometimes, God allows us to go through some difficult terrains; He pulls us out of such terrains and does not leave us there but gives us the strength and empathy to help others who might also find themselves in such landscapes.

For me to be on that plane with that woman with my grief and still be able to extend succor to her was just a matter of God-incidence, and I am grateful that through the help I rendered to her, I also received healing for my broken heart.

So, what are you waiting for? Please, reach out and help pull someone up.

Written by Ibukun Ogunsina, New Beginnings Barrie, Psychotherapy and Counselling Services. Website: www.newbeginningsbarrie.com
E-mail: inquiry@newbeginningsbarrie.com
Tel: +1 705 241 8456