At Last

At last 2021 is here and we are over the moon with excitement and relief that the pains of the past year are somewhat gone.

As I thought about what to write today, the song, ‘At Last’ by Etta James came to my mind. It’s a song that reminds one of the wait and the joy we get after we find what we waited so long for.

For most people, 2020 was like a promising relationship gone bad. We were all on an emotional, psychological and spiritual high when the year started and within a few months, we were at odds with the year.

‘No hugging, no physical touching, no going out, lockdowns, stay at home’ became the new rules.

Some of the most important things that were attacked included love, faith, friendships and relationships, and financial security.

Conversations became about one thing; making everyone sound like a dripping tap and we got tired of hearing about the damages especially the body counts. We couldn’t wait for it to be all over because we were so done with the year.  

This Christmas the most exciting news from grandparents was that they got to hug their grandchildren after so many months.

I got some wonderful pictures when my mum finally saw some of her grandchildren after the first strict lockdown in Nigeria. It was evident that grandma and the grandchildren had really missed each other even though they lived within touching distance.

There are so many things we take for granted in life such as hugs and time with loved ones. We didn’t notice them when they were there for us to do as we wish but we quickly felt their absence when the restrictions came in.

So it is fitting for us to start 2021 with a renewed hope and joy that our love has come along. We have been given the gift of a new year to fall in love with and we must celebrate and cherish this new year.

We have new opportunities to rebuild the businesses, careers, and relationships that were interrupted in the past year. So the hard work begins now and any love-hate relationship we had with 2020 must evolve to a love-love relationship with 2021.

So for my first post of the year, I could have chosen to remind you about the importance of doing a review of the past year, creating a vision and blueprint for 2021, and having an action plan to enable you to achieve your goals.

Again I could encourage you to have a growth strategy in place to help you become wiser and smarter and I could talk about the importance of having mentors who can challenge you on the path to becoming and doing all you were created to be and do.

Instead for my first post of the new year, I just want to encourage you to fall in love with this year which is a welcome gift to all of us. Choose to cherish every day of this year, and be committed to living intentionally and purposefully while going after your dreams.

Remember this is a blank slate and we get to determine what we want it to look like by the end of the year. Be as colourful as you want, be imaginative, be positive and above all be joyful and appreciative that ‘At last’ a new year to love has come along.

In closing, I leave you with the lyrics of the song, ‘At Last’ made popular by Etta James.

At last

My love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

My love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

Oh, yeah, yeah, at last

The skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clover

The night I looked at you

And I found a dream that I could speak to

A dream that I can call my own

I found a thrill to press my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known

Oh, yeah, yeah, and you smile, you smile

Oh, and then the spell was cast

And here we are in Heaven

For you are mine at last

Thanks for reading my post. Here’s to a love-filled and God-glorifying year for us all. See you next week.