Along Came Failure….
Hugs and Kisses to you Thama and Thamana,
This has been the toughest piece to
write. Tata Ythes has us thinking and praying for you by name. It is not a bad
thing... So why not? And she is actually a very cool aunt. cant wait for you guys to meet her (Ythes added this :-)
In choosing what to write to you boys, I have been made to
interrogate lessons I have learnt personally and ask Papa many questions.
Today
we write about Failure.
Failure is an event, not a person.
Yes, everyday that the sun rises, is a new opportunity to live successfully. So
when failure comes, like the clouds it passes away. These are some statements i have heard from people in my lifetime:-
*Njeri, you have so much potential,* said
many people, but none of them told me what potential is.
*Njeri, you are a Subaru performing at
20%, such a waste,* said another; I didn't know what that meant either.
As I write this morning, counting
my blessings as successes and the hope of seeing the both of you one day, is definitely a
success. Whether you come through us or through other means, we are going to be
happy to have you in our lives.
Boys, You will fail in many ways and win
in many ways.
Why I write about failing is so
that it doesn't break you. Failure has a way of making us feel how inadequate
we are as individuals. Failure has a way of puncturing ones self-esteem and
much more, reminding us how of no use we are and constantly reminding us about
our inadequacies.
My sons, God created you for a
reason (Purpose) and being the best at being yourself is such an amazing thing.
I know you will teach and help each other in this life adventure.
There are times in school you will
not get the right answer and the teacher will put a big red X on your possible-well-thought-out answer, and it
will hurt like a big punch in the stomach. But remember this, that big X is not
you, it is not about you, It’s the
answer that is not correct.
I guess this is what is called
separation of issues. When you grow up and go for a pitch and they shut it down
for various reasons. It’s not about you my darlings. It’s the idea. And you can
always improve on that
Failure is an event, success is a
lifestyle. Count it
all Joy, when you fail in something because it means that the adventure that is
life continues. You are on your way to success. We will also teach you how to
win. But learning how to graciously accept and separate between issues and self
will help you be a healthy adult.
Try again, fail again, you become
wiser... You fail better. I will leave you with this quote:
Love you babies, looking forward to
meeting you one day.
Mama and Papa Olang'
***
 |
| Njeri and Marcus Olang' |
This piece
has been contributed by Njeri and Marcus Olang’ (just newly married). The
couple are my wonderful friends, and though they might not know it, they remind
me everyday that True Love, is not only a magazine, but a VERB. Love is a
continuous action. I have known them for a while now, and they define the
words FAITH, HOPE and LOVE in totality.
Njeri
and Marcus Olang’ write this letter to their twin sons Thama and Thamana
(though not yet born) sharing their experiences on friendship.
Just as an
FYI, Thama means Wisdom and Thamana means the Valued One. (I am all ‘mushed’
up, such creative names but also powerful names for powerful men)
I wish Njeri
and Marcus, all the best in this journey of marriage and definitely parenthood,
when the time comes.
Once again,
thank you for taking time to write this.
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