All I can say is what a year! 2006 has certainly been a benchmark in my life. Many changes… some of them good, some of them bad, some of them ugly.
The Good
- I got married to an amazing woman! God blessed me with a Black Queen no doubt. The wedding day was so special and perfect! Our closest and dearest family members and friends attended and it all went off without any problems!
- The honeymoon was terrific! We went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise (my first cruise!). We visited Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and the Bahamas. We started in Miami and spent 3 days there on our return, staying at South Beach. Niiiice!
- I moved to a new city: Ottawa…. Which is the capital of Canada. This city is beautiful and the people in my neighbourhood and whom I work with are real cool!
The Bad
The death of my Father on Monday 30th January. Although he was not in the greatest of health, his death was totally unexpected. I take comfort in the fact that he wasn’t bedridden and didn’t have some illness that caused him to suffer.
The Ugly
The untimely death of my partner. On Friday 05 May, Police Constable John Atkinson was shot and killed while questioning a couple of drug dealers. I will never forget him.
So the cycle of life certainly manifested itself in 2006. The ending of lives and relationships, as well as new beginnings. When death comes so close to you and you also embark on a new journey, you start to consider what your legacy will be, what your present epitomizes, and what efforts you will dedicate yourself to in the shaping your future. You also come to appreciate your life and not take the life of family and friends for granted. I have come to consciously value the time I spend with those I love. I thank God daily for my life and for those I love.
So what do I intend for 2007. I don’t make resolutions but I have decided to re-focus my life in these areas:
1. I will re-dedicate my life to the pursuit of God. I will deepen my spiritual growth and strengthen my personal relationship with Him.
2. I will work at being more patient and understanding with others, especially with my wife.
3. I will take the time each day to appreciate my life, my wife, my family and my friends.
This will be my mantra for 2007:
Romans 8: 28-31: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, those He also called; and whom He called, those He also justified; and whom He justified, those He also glorified. What then shall we say of these things? If God be for us, who can be against us!?”
Happy New Year and I wish you all of God’s blessings, guidance and protection for 2007!
The Second Book of Asabagna 
January 1, 2007 at 1:21 am
Happy New Year!!!!
January 1, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Asa, sorry to hear about the death of your father. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Congrats on your marriage, and good luck!
Happy new year, and I look forward to a great 2007, learning from you and engaging in meaningful dialogue.
Peace.
January 3, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Sorry about the losses you suffered, but of course, they were balanced by victories and gains and I guess that is life. I appreciate the walk you are on and the way you are walking it.
’07’s gonna be a monster, baby!!
January 5, 2007 at 3:22 am
Wow, you really had a range of major events. Con grats on the marriage!
I lost my father 5 years ago & I am still hurting. His death was very sudden & unexpected blah blah blah. Just hang in there.
Your 2 and 3 are big time on my list. I really need to better my relationships. Sometimes dealing with these sistahs is off the hook. Holla if you hear me.
Side note; how cold is it up there in Ottawa & what is Black life like there?
Peace,
Bygbaby
January 5, 2007 at 8:38 am
Hey Tafari, I appreciate the sentiments and the encouragement… “AND I HEAR YOU!!!”… lol…
Ottawa is “suppose” to be real cold this time of year. When I got here, I was told to expect minus 40 degrees (Celcius of course) and colder with lots and lots of snow! It is very much a damp cold too. The winter usually goes from December to April.
However due to global warming, it’s been real mild here so far with very little snow. Lots of rain but I don’t mind ’cause as I always say: “you don’t have to shovel rain!” Coming from Windsor where the winters are real mild in comparison, I was dreading the winter here (yeah I lived 4 years at the Windsor-Detroit border… however I never made it up to Ypsilanti).
Black life here is primarily my wife and I! LMAO! There is a small, scattered Black population, primarily comprising of out of town and foreign students, we have 2 major universities here, and of course diplomats and their families. There is a real mixture, primarily from french-speaking African countries, Haiti and a few from the english-speaking Caribbean. There is also a growing refugee population from Somalia and the Sudan. I live and work in the suburbs so I can go days without seeing a Black face unless I go downtown or I am near one of the universities… or they are lost in the subs’ and don’t know the way to get out…lol!!!! If my wife and I are out and we see a Black person, we will shout gleefully “BLACK PERSON ALERT!” Apparently there are a few African and Caribbean festivals here in the summer. Montreal is approximately 2 hours away and it is much more cosmopolitan. They also have various festivals and they have a pretty good jazz festival in June I am told, however I am sure it is nothing like the one in D-town.
Blessings
Asa
January 9, 2007 at 1:38 am
To be honest I had to look at a map to see how damn far Ottawa was & said damn when I spotted it. I tell ya, we are all over the map LOL.
I hope you got you a nice Goose Down jacket for those temps (shivering as I type). In regards to the Refugees, it is so hard for me to imaging going from a sub-Saharan climate to a northern white ice box. But you do what you gotta do.
I grew up in Detroit & trust me; you did not miss anything by not coming to Ypsilanti. I spend a lot of time in Detroit, because that is where my friends are not to mention the cultural scene on all levels.
“If my wife and I are out and we see a Black person, we will shout gleefully “BLACK PERSON ALERT!”” LOL! A friend & I used to do the same thing when we visited Ireland (used to be a flight attendant on layovers).
The Jazz fest in Detroit has really grown over the last few years with all of the development downtown. If chances happen & you make it down, we gotta hang.
Peace