Still Standing

[Prelude] While some may still be counting in days, for me and many others here, it’s been three years. Thank you Lord!

A journey begun with a journey
Call it an experience, call it a story
Make it sound serious or funny
But surely
not as smooth a ride as ignorance may suggest
Men have risen and some have fallen.
Men have been made and some broken
Some bent, some straightened
Things have happened;
The good, the bad, the secret and unspoken.
But thankfully, Lord,
thankfully, I'm still standing.

Here, on grace, Lord
I’m standing, humbly,
giving you praise
Reminiscing the blue and white
that clad my naive beginning
The mixed feelings;
uncertainty how the days would pan
and how the moments will go.
All we could then do was trust.
And yes, Lord, I did.
And When time, time slowly unveiled
loneliness, scarcity of love,
scorching heat of academic demands
dressed with freezing-cold classes
And freedom;
freedom to kill my own dreams.
But you Baba, You kept me.
And I’m still standing

There were some good times, though;
Good grades, good pals,
good events and achievements.
But how would I ever forget.
How would I forget that there were times
when grades fell and reseat exam threatened faiths.
How could I forget that there were times
when hospital and hospital beds were necessity for some.
How could I forget those silent, lonely moments of depression
and the bumpiness of those emotional roller coasters.
And Lord, how,
how could we ever thank you enough
that through all these we have reason to each say
“I’m still standing”

[Note] I wrote this to as a recitation (with background instrumental: "Grace" by Michael W. Smith) at ASF (African Students’ Fellowship) UNMC third annual thanksgiving held on 29^th May, 2009.