DEAR PAPA

I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a hot afternoon and after what seemed like grueling hours of listening to teachers dictate notes, it was break time. Your girl was thirsty! Going to the tuck shop just to buy a sachet of water was not an option because the queue was too long and I couldn’t imagine going through that torture. There and then; a light bulb moment! “Go and buy it from the teacher’s house", the thought seemed to say. Yes, why not? Well, we had been forbidden from buying water anywhere apart from the tuck shop. So there I was, at a crossroad: to do or not to do? Well, joining that queue was not an option so on I walked to the teacher’s house side by side with a companion and it felt sooo right! Everything was going according to how I had planned it in my head ...that is until the moment the Assistant Headmistress herself(I shall call her Mrs. S.) stopped me from getting what I needed to quench my thirst. She appeared from nowhere and that was when...

Dear Papa, What is beauty? Many people define beauty by the physical attributes one possesses. They say beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder; so, what do You see when You look at me? Sometimes,I get caught up in the charade of insecurity. There are days I feel beautiful and on other days, I see myself through a seemingly shattered mirror. Do my clothes fit right? Does my hair look good? Do I have to put on make up to look beautiful? These questions flood my mind and they push me to the wall. With the pressure that comes with this Age, it is so hard not to cave in but I don’t want to lose myself in this maze of vanity. Your Word says that all flesh is like grass, and its glory, like the flowers of the field; it will fade away. I can only truly understand what beauty is when I hold on to Your Word that I am Your handiwork and everything You create is beautiful. You formed me and knit me together in my mother’s womb. I am beautiful not because of the shape or size of my body ...