#Survivor's Guilt

She waited for him..pulse racing..heart pounding..she waited patiently..with a knife in her hand. He always stopped by the bar on his way home..took his time getting soaked..but he would be home soon..then all hell would break loose..as usual..only this time would be the last time. Somebody will have to die tonight..She tightened her grasp on the handle of the knife as she heard the sound of his car's engine along the driveway..

Funny though..she used to wait for him at the door eagerly..with a smile and a hug..sometimes, with nothing on except her nightgown and a rose between her teeth..but that was a long time ago..before the children came..before that awful incident that changed everything.

They had always wanted to go on a family vacation but never actually got around to it due to their busy work schedules. So when they heard of a family retreat being organized by a popular travel agency at a very modest fee, they grabbed the offer. Nobody could have forseen the boat mishap that occurred in the middle of the lake..the weather seemed so calm and serene..they never saw the storm coming..the wave that did their boat in and scattered them across the lake. Somehow, by a twist of fate, she and her husband survived..but their kids were not so fortunate.

So they returned to an empty house filled with what used to be happy memories. Their grief was a shared feeling and ought to have brought them closer so each could draw comfort from the other..but there was another feeling that grew with each passing day..It was guilt! Guilt that they had survived but their children perished..a feeling of shame mixed with self-reproach..Survivor's Guilt!

People deal with the feeling of guilt in different ways. Some live in denial choosing to bury themselves in activity..any activity..That was the path she chose..others react in anger which quickly finds a channel to express itself..That was her husband's choice. He saw her as a daily reminder of his failure to save his family..she was his guilt personified..and to quiet the voice of accusation in his mind, he beat her daily into submission..That was how he dealt with Survivor's Guilt..

Well, tonight..He would face a monster of his own creation..the sum total of all his fears..after tonight,there would no more survivors..no more guilty ones..they would all be casualties..

How about you,my friend? Are you dealing with Survivor's Guilt in one form or the other? Do you come running everytime your Ex is in trouble? I mean..You know that   relationship was poison but ever so often u go sniffing around old fires.  You broke that addiction but ermh..sometimes, you feel obligated to check up on your company of Ex-fellow addicts. Are you really free? Or are you suffering from Survivor's Guilt?

Think about it

@DaBoomsha

P.S
If you would like to know more about dealing with Survivor's Guilt or share your experience along those lines, do send us a mail: boomsha@gmail.com
We would love to hear from you

#The Emancipation of Bingo

Bingo sat in the middle of the Lagos - Ibadan expressway and smiled to himself. He ignored the shouts and curses of the commercial bus drivers as they swerved to avoid him and lolled his tongue at startled passengers..all the while grinning like an idiot. None of them would dare hit him! He was betting his life on it. Nigerians were so susperstitious. He shook his head and snorted.They believed it was bad luck to hit a dog when you were travelling..So there he sat..right in the middle of the highway..enjoying his five minutes of fame.

It was bingo's 10th birthday. He had always wanted to do this..It felt good to finally live that dream.He was done trying to please human beings. He was a runaway dog who had chosen to live the rest of his short lifespan doing whatever he pleased. Obstructing traffic was a rascally thing to do, he admitted..but then again, life was too short not to have fun..especially if you were a dog. He knew had just a couple years more to live..but before his demise, he would declare his independence..the emancipation of bingo!

Human beings were funny sha..they paraded themselves as higher animals..mscheww..higher indeed. They were a confused lot! They stuck up their noses and talked condescendingly to dogs..like their humanity made them superior to any other animal that roamed the earth.."hehehe"  he chuckled, hardly able to conceal his amusement. Humans! They had no respect for the natural order of things! Humans..the only specie that preyed upon its own kind.. Humans who had no respect for God or any living thing that God created! Humans!

'Abeg..abeg..'he barked at the sky..'make we hear word!' A dog was ten times better than a human being. Only dogs loved unconditionally ..only a dog would gladly give its life to protect another..only a dog would forgive again and again..only a dog could truly forgive and forget..not these animals that walked on two legs. A Male dog on heat no matter how pressed he is would never burn with passion for another male dog..but humans..mscheww. 
Just the other day, his dog-friend in the U.S, a lady poodle named Tasha sent him a voice -mail through the dog-network. She sounded really traumatized. She said her owner, Mr Bruce had come home one day with a weird smell she could hardly place..even his walk seemed funny. She said she got the shocker of her life when she caught a glimpse of him coming out of the bathroom. Her dear, Mr Bruce had developed the full features of a woman! He even referred to himself as 'caitlyn' on the phone. She felt her head swelling as she gawked at the apparition before her..What in the world was this aberration? She yelped with fright and fled for her dear life!

"Poor Tasha" bingo muttered to himself. She was one of those dogs that would do anything to please her master. she craved to be loved like most dogs..they were love junkies..the whole lot of them..that was the curse of the dog-specie..ever desiring to be loved by human beings. But not Bingo..he was too old now to care about such things. All he had left to feel for humanity was pity. These incredibly gifted animals chosen by God himself to lead the rest of creation now victims of their own proclivities..ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the Truth..

Oh well, Time to go!..LASTMA would be here any minute now..Bingo raised a hindleg and declared his independence right there on the road before strolling off into the bushes..Every dog has its day..He would return again sometime..

#Boomsha 

ff on twitter: @daboomsha

#The One That Got Away

#The One That Got Away

As we all gathered at our friend's funeral, one thought ran through our minds..a strong disapproval we all shared but nobody voiced out..Jide should have never gone back to the village! Not after everything that had transpired..Jide should have known better! You see, Jide's village was one of those remote communities steeped in tradition and idol worship. Jide grew up as the last born in a family of four..his father was a poor widower who died in his sleep leaving jide and his siblings to cultivate their overfarmed plot of land..one by one, Jide's siblings died under mysterious circumstances until only Jide remained..The superstitious villagers avoided him as they patiently waited for death to claim the last survivor of the Ajanaku family..

However, divine providence stepped in, in the form of Jide's school principal who had closely followed Jide's brilliant progress in academics and recommended him for a local government scholarship. Shortly afterwards, Jide left the village to begin school in the city. From college to the university, Jide performed excellently and quickly rose to positions of leadership. Barely after graduation, he had a federal appointment waiting for him. Jide's rise to fame and success seemed to be some sort of divine compensation for his unfortunate childhood as he recorded achievement after achievement. It was only a matter of time before word got back to the village that the unfortunate offspring of the Ajanaku family had cheated his fate and was living in affluence and wealth.

A delegation was dispatched to Lagos to meet with this illustrious son of the village..Jide Ajanaku..The one that got away. It was a pathetic sight that greeted Jide's eyes as they filed into his office..their faces told a story of hardship and deprivation..their sunken cheeks and bony shoulders wailed of malnourishment..eyes filled with reproach, they accused Jide of abandonment..his father's house was in disrepair they said..his nieces and nephews were starving..how could he have left them to their misery? "Haba Jide! " they groaned..

A rainbow of emotions flashed through Jide's mind..He felt pity at their condition..Joy that he had escaped their fate..shame that he had forgotten his blood relatives still wallowing in abject poverty..anger at their sublime rebuke..but there was one emotion that was stronger than the others..even after he had sent them off with half of his savings..even after he had done all he could to improve the lot of his kinsmen..even though Jide knew he deserved to be happy..all the same this strange emotion haunted him..and drove him back to the village

So here we were..at Jide's funeral..The one we thought had gotten away..Sadly,Jide hadnt gotten away away afterall..and as we grieved..we shared a little in what Jide had felt when he met his folks from the village..it was a feeling of shame mixed with self-reproach..a dangerous emotion which we knew we had no right feeling but we felt all the same..The fact remained..Jide didnt make it but we did..We were alive and well..Jide wasnt..So that nagging feeling remained..and it still afflicts many today..no matter how hard they try to fight it..regardless of how many times they remind themselves that they deserve to be blessed and happy even if others aren't..Its a disease of the soul that afflicts the fortunate..its called SURVIVOR'S GUILT

Are you suffering from Survivor's Guilt ? Is it something eazily noticed? How do we recognize the signs?  How do we fight it? Or better yet, how do we avoid it in the first place? Lets talk some more about this next week..See ya

#Boomsha

#Breaking Up With Jesus

Chioma was a firebrand..a one-woman mopol..cute,intelligent and passionate about Jesus. Many a playboy on campus had tried wooing her and ended up becoming permanent ushers in church by the time,chioma was done with them.
She was so into Jesus she made the rest of us who were still trying to find our feet in christianity look like an unserious bunch of backsliders..and she did it without even trying..Chioma was on fire alright..we all knew it was a matter of time before she became the next pastor of our students fellowship..Chioma was that sold out..

So our shock could only be better imagined when we heard Chioma was with child  and had dropped out of school..The awful truth was that a cult group had raided the girl's hostel during one of the frequent power blackouts and molested some of them, including Chioma. Sadly, her innocence wasnt the only thing they took, they also introduced her to early motherhood. Chioma couldnt bear the shame of living with the stigma..she was supposed to be the chaste one..the beacon of light..the defender of the faith..how could God have allowed this happen to her? Raped and impregnated at the same time! How could Jesus love her and still allow this to happen? Chioma's grief turned into resentment and then bitterness. She renounced her faith ..Jesus had betrayed her..broken her trust..so she broke up with Him..Do you blame her? Wait! before you answer..Pls read the next story..

Matthew was a devout christian..always gave his tithe and offerings..never missed church services..As the Head of the evangelism department,he was always the first to hit the streets with a tract in one hand and a "God bless you" on his lips..fervent in spirit..serving the good Lord..even though he had been applying for jobs without success..inspite of his 4 digit account balance..he gave cheerfully..Blessed are the poor in Spirit..for they shall see God..

Well,things were looking up..Matthew had written the entrance exams for the Nigerian Defence Academy and passed. He had been called up to report at the academy for his physical the coming week..things were definitely looking up! His kid brother had just finished secondary school and came over to lagos to spend some time with big bros. They were on their way back from a camp retreat when it happened..at oshodi. They heard screams of "Thief! Thief!" and turned around to see a mob bearing down on them..their protests of innocence fell on deaf ears as they were beaten to a coma. It took a patrol team of mobile policemen who just happened to be passing by to rescue them from being roasted by the mob. Matthew's brother never came out of his coma. As for Matthew,he woke up to find himself half-blind in the hospital with a missing limb,hanging on to his life by a thread. How had this tragedy befallen him? He sobbed. He was no longer physically fit to make it to the academy..he had lost his brother..parts of his body..everything. "Why? God why?" He cried..his spirit broken as tears raced down his cheeks.. When his pastor showed up at the hospital, matthew refused to see him. He had made up his mind.."Take that Jesus talk to someone else" He croaked "Im done"..Matthew had broken up with Jesus..He died the next day..Was he right? Erm..one more story please

I discovered  this story in my favorite book of stories..its the story of a honest and God-fearing business tycoon who lost everything that was dear to him in 24 hours..His stupendous wealth..His family..His health..everything! in one day! And was God behind that too? Well, technically no..It was the devil..but the book said God allowed it. I remember empathizing with this man. God stood by and watched him lose everything..God even watched him suffer extreme physical pain and humiliation as the devil afflicted his body..it was nasty,my friend!..so when this man lashed back at God,i kinda felt his pain..and oh how he ranted!..it was a sight to behold..one man telling God his "church" mind..and God..actually..listened..You wanna know how that ended?..Well,you will have to look that up yourself..its the book of Job in the bible..Im pretty sure you would find it quite an interesting read.

Now, why did i share these stories with you? Well, i did just to ask you this: Will you let God be God even if He doesnt give you what you want? Will Jesus still be your saviour if He doesnt save you from your landlord and you end up on the streets? Will you still sing #Godwin if you lose your Job? Will you say 'God is good' even when you spirit is broken and your health is failing? When the storms of life rage against you and you take quite a beating, will you still be cool with Jesus or will you be mad at Him? Will you let God be God regardless of your circumstances? Will you still love Jesus or will you break up with Him? Think about it..

#Boomsha


P.S
The lady in the first story: Chioma.
She went back to school some years later..graduated and got a job with an NGO that addresses issues of abuse against women. Her child is extremely talented and already plays the piano at her local church..oh,did i mention? She is also a pastor..i guess she and Jesus made up afterall...

Side Note:
Have you ever felt like any of the persons whose stories i shared?
Have you been in a similar situation?
Why dont you share your story with us?
We would love to hear from you
Pls send your story to boomsha@gmail.com
God bless!

Boomsha Buzz: Laughter Extravaganza With Mc Pamtop

It is here again,folks! Laughter Extravaganza Season 3

I will be hosting the biggest comedy show in Alimosho this year!

Do be my guest as Gudgold Ent & Dynamic Humour Incorporated
Presents
The Biggest Comedy Event In Alimosho......
Its LAUGHTER EXTRAVAGANZA season 3( The Rebirth)

Comedy by: Omobaba 1, Mc Ajele, Koloman, Mc Morris, Destalker, Open Teeth, Charcoal, Stainless Man, Mallam Spencer, Boy Of God, Prof, G.O, Mc Blessed, Mc Olata, Parrot, Akanluv, Mc Moskey and many more...
Music by: Joesongz, Blinx Cavali, Minister Chinedu and the Genius Crew, Destined Brothers....

Dance by: Empire Crew(Akin Alabi's official dance crew)

Host: Rapsodee and Vicky
Date: 21st June 2015..
Time: 2pm Prompt..
Venue: Dayspring Ministries Int'l...3 Taiwo Talabi Close off Pipeline Road by Honeyland School,Abesan Gate Bus Stop,Ipaja,Lagos...
Ticket: FREEEEEEEE

Supported by:: TREM, DAYSPRING MIN INTL, BANNER OF TRUTH, BJ CLOTHIERS, MTN, AIT, HERBSVILLA, ABESAN NEWS....
You don't wanna miss it.. This show will blow your mind... Be there!!!!!
Endorsed by: MC PAMTOP.......