Dear Elona: Letters to My Friends, the Brides and Brides-to-Be

 

 

There are many things that people don’t have the heart to tell the bride, but I believe she should know these things.

If you agree, then you will enjoy reading Dear Elona: Letters to My Friends, the Brides and Brides-To-Be.

I believe this collection of 50 heartfelt letters to 50 unique women, married and single, is timely and essential; especially for young Christian women today who hope to become wives, or just did.

I address the priority of choosing the right man: Is there such a thing as marrying the wrong person? Do you have any concrete reason for holding on to this relationship apart from the time you’ve already spent which you don’t want to go down the drain? Is he in love with you, or with the idea of you? Are you ignoring red flags or assuming you can “manage”? Does he handle life well?

I discuss the importance of becoming the right woman: Are there bad habits you need to deal with before becoming a wife? Are you comfortable in your own sexuality and knowledgeable about sex? Are you open and honest about your expectations? Have you bought into any marriage myths that are simply not true? Should you take your ex back?

Also, I talk about doing what is necessary to make love last, and knowing when to leave: Why does love fade in marriage? What does it mean to be happily married? What can we do to reduce the risk of divorce? Why do women stay in abusive marriages? How can we avoid being torn apart by money, or the lack of it?

As I wrote in Dear Elona: Letters to My Friends, the Brides and Brides-To-Be, “There are no guarantees to this marriage thing. But there’s no denying that it is best entered into with eyes wide open.”

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The Best Way to Use Social Media

There is no doubt that social media has changed the way we communicate, and the way we live. From business transactions to romantic connections and everything in between, social media defines this generation.

Many of us can remember the early days of Yahoo Messenger. It was such a thrill to enter a chat room and start a conversation with a potential new friend from nearly anywhere in the world.‎ “ASL” and just like that, we would begin the journey of getting to know someone we’d never met and probably never would. Read more…

7 Things to Keep in Mind If You’re Planning a 2018 Wedding

Inspired by the Skinny Girl in Transit Season 4 finale, many Nigerian women are currently praying, each declaring that their own Mide will find them in 2018. Love is too sweet!

Are you looking forward to getting married next year? See this.

10 Things I Didn’t Know about Hillary Clinton Until 2016

The first time I felt remotely inclined to learn more about Hillary Clinton, I couldn’t go far because Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were simply more interesting to read about at the time. Eight years later, Hillary Clinton was running for president again and this time, she had my full attention.

And boy, did I learn things I should have known! How could I not have known this, I wondered over and over, feeling slightly ashamed of being so uninformed about a woman whose importance to womanhood and the world cannot be overemphasized. See what I didn’t know HERE.

What Life Has Taught Me About Friendship

When you consider that you can survive for a while without a lover or spouse, but it’s practically impossible to survive without a friend, it becomes easier to see how friendship is a bigger deal than romance. It’s not pleasant to be without romantic love in your life, but how much worse is it to be without a friend in the world?

I agree with CS Lewis: “After all—though our novels now ignore it—friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, ‘sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.’” Read more…

7 Things That Can Happen When You Don’t Like Your Friend’s Man

Eleven years ago, when I was a corps member, I made a number of bosom friends who are still in my life today. They bring me such joy, comfort and inspiration, I just know we didn’t meet by accident. Maintaining those friendships after service year has enhanced our lives in many ways.

It so happens that one of my friends had met a guy in camp, and they started dating. I did not like this guy. Read more…

Pepper Soup

After years of insisting “I’m not a fiction writer, please”, I wrote a story. A love story.

I have always loved stories, and one of the things that keep me going is reading.

Starting and completing a series of novels with my reading partner is high on the list of things I am looking forward to this year.

I have written stories in my head since I was a teenager, and actually penned some down in notebooks, but it was nonfiction – articles – that I felt most comfortable writing.

Then one day, my friend Timendu Aghahowa contacted me about contributing to an anthology she was editing called Pepper Soup. I sent in a nonfiction piece.

When she got back to me and informed me that everyone had to write fiction, I knew the time had come. I couldn’t run from it anymore.

At first I was worried, because all the other writers ARE AMAZING! I didn’t want my story to end up looking like the raggedy help!

Eventually I sat down and wrote a story that has lived in my heart for years. I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Pepper Soup, a collection of 12 short stories, will be live on Okada Books next Friday, February 10. I’m thrilled to be part of it!

My story also happens to be titled Pepper Soup.

Pepper Soup will be released at the discounted price of N500 until March 1 when it goes back to the regular 1k.

On Friday I will wake up and squeal: I’m a published fiction writer! Yippee!

Hehe.

#PepperSoup #Romance #LoveStory #Fiction #NigerDelta #Warri #Lagos #Nigeria #ReadThis

 

 

 

 

6 Ways To Keep Your Wife Hooked On You

There are so many men out there just waiting for an opportunity to give your woman all she’s missing, but you need her to have eyes for only you, the king of her heart.

If you’ve noticed that your wife no longer really cares or cannot even be bothered to fight with you, you need to sit up; the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.

Here are 6 things you can do to turn her heart back to you and keep it locked on you alone. Read more…

Are You Making The Same Mistakes In Your Relationships?

If your life seems to be an endless string of failed relationships, you should take time out to reflect.

One of the first things I learnt about getting life back on track post-breakup is accessing the relationship honestly.

When the therapeutic crying’s done and the healing the tubs of ice-cream have been consumed, there should be that time of introspection where you go over that relationship and ask yourself important questions. What good came out of it? What were the mistakes? Neglecting to do this means that the chances of making the exact same mistakes over and over in each relationship you enter remain high. Continue reading…

4 Tips For Helping Your Teen Deal With Infatuation

The thing you feared most has happened! Your teenager is “in love”!

Relax; it’s not the end of the world. You may remember your own teen days and all the things you got up to, and be tempted to give in to panic. Don’t; you need your wits about you. Here are 4 tips that can help.