Positive Quote For Today

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."— Maya Angelou


Tracking Progress

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With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Trvst. All rights reserved worldwide.

Do you remember the August of 1998 when Osama bin Laden humbled America, the world's mightiest nation, by having its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania bombed? And do you remember the hotly contested presidential race between Al Gore and George W. Bush in the 2000 U.S. elections?

As for me, I remember those events like they happened yesterday. I was ten when the American embassy in Nairobi was bombed. The following day, while a priest called Fr. Munishi drove my brother Paddy and I to a certain wedding, I heard on the radio how the tragedy was unfolding.

And I was twelve when George W. Bush was declared president by the U.S. Supreme Court in December 2000. I was happy that Bush became president. Something about him made me one of his fans.

In 2012 after Barack Obama was re-elected U.S. president, I recalled the hotly contested race between Al Gore and George W. Bush in the year 2000. Perhaps surprised by how fast time flies, I emailed my friends a story about what I wanted to achieve in my life.

Still believing in the power of goal setting, I wrote in 2014 a blog story about what I desired to attain by the year 2020. That was after a friend of mine, then an undergraduate student at the renowned Stanford University, asked me where I saw myself in five years.

Because I deleted all my emails in 2016 after I stopped the bad habit of lying, exaggerating and plagiarizing, I have no record of the goals I wrote in the email I sent to my friends in 2012. But I am quite sure I have achieved none of them, twelve years later.

And because my web hosting company deleted all my stories in 2016 after my blog became inactive for several months, I also have no record of the blog story in which I listed what I desired to attain by the year 2020. But again, I am quite sure I have achieved none of the goals, four years after 2020 ended.

Judging by my story so far, you might conclude that I am a born loser. Look, I have actually grown in leaps and bounds. One way I have grown is blogging consistently. And the quality of my blog stories has greatly improved if the feedback I have received from my brother Paddy is anything to go by.

You see, Paddy is a brilliant guy. When I started blogging more than a decade ago, he didn't think I could make it as a blogger. He would therefore pester me to get a job and go back to university to acquire an undergraduate degree.

In recent years though, Paddy has evolved into one of my cheerleaders. He has complimented me for sharing excellent blog stories. That I am earning his approval shows I have been making remarkable progress in my blogging career. Isn't that something to write home about?

Besides blogging consistently, another way I have grown is becoming virtuous. I used to be lazy, perverted, impatient and untruthful - vices that the Bible condemns. Due to my sinful nature, I often felt guilty, insecure and fearful.

Thanks to God and support from my family, I have moulded myself into a diligent, upright, patient and truthful young man. As a result, I now think clearly and feel at peace with myself. Isn't that also something to write home about?

Indeed, I have grown in leaps and bounds. And the progress I have made has laid a firm foundation upon which I aspire to build lasting success. Much as I will continue working hard to achieve such success, it'll be up to God to order my steps. And I am ready to accept His will for my life.

My beloved reader, I beseech you to also assess where you are and envision where you wish to see yourself in five years. Then work hard to fulfill your vision. Don't be discouraged when you seem to be making no progress. Just keep grinding. With time, you will discover you scaled a mountain as you look back and realize how much you have grown.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on tracking progress, you might also enjoy another one on "Celebrating Progress" which I wrote sometime back. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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A Speech That Changed Me

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This is Rev. Jesse Jackson delivering the 1984 Democratic National Convention keynote speech which I will mention in the story below.

Like I have narrated before on this blog, I joined the 9:30 a.m. English service choir of All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi in April 2007 shortly before I matriculated at the university. I came to love being part of the choir. It gave me a wonderful sense of belonging.

Come August 2008, I went astray at the university and abruptly stopped attending church at All Saints' Cathedral. A few months later, I tried to resume going to the cathedral but I didn't have it in me to be a consistent churchgoer as I was before I went astray.

Despite my failure to attend church at All Saints' Cathedral, I still felt part of its 9:30 a.m. English service choir. I would think about the choristers and even google them just to find out what they were doing.

In 2011, I began messaging the choristers. But something about my messages annoyed them. They summoned me on one Sunday, grilled me for about fifteen minutes and asked me to apologize for what I had said to them.

Instead of straightening out, I became worse. One night in 2011, I sent them a message, saying that I was going to commit suicide after several of the cathedral's head honchos refused to assist me financially. I later on felt guilty about sending such an inconsiderate message.

In 2012 when I was preparing to run for a political seat, I listened to Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1984 Democratic National Convention speech. And wow! I was inspired by how Rev. Jackson spoke. Then I thought of using his words to apologize to my fellow choristers at All Saints' Cathedral. I therefore listened to him speaking till I internalized the words I intended to use in my apology.

After weeks of rehearsing the speech, a day finally came when an opportunity arose for me to address the choir. It was on a Thursday night in 2012. That night, as the choristers assembled after singing practice, the choir administrator asked if anyone had anything to say. Without hesitating, I began:
Hi Choir!

As you all know, there is a proper season for every activity under the sun: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to sow and a time to reap. And I think the author of Ecclesiastes would have agreed with me if I added that there is also a time to argue and a time to apologize.

I am Thuita J. Maina, the guy who seems to never have anything to do and thus keeps sending you messages. When I joined this choir in April 2007, I loved the camaraderie that existed among its choristers. And throughout my time in the choir, I have strived to be helpful.

If in high moments, I have done some good, offered some service, healed some wounds, rekindled some hope, stirred someone from apathy and indifference, or in any way along the way helped somebody, then my Christian faith has not been in vain.

For those of you who love and pray for me, for God who always spares me, and for Jesus whose life and teachings inspire me, I am eternally grateful.

If in my low moments, in word, deed or attitude, through some error of temper, taste or tone, I have caused anyone discomfort, created pain or revived someone's fears, that was not my truest self.

If there have been occasions when my grape turned into a raisin and my joy bell lost its resonance, please forgive me, or charge it to my head and not to my heart because my head is so limited in its finitude but my heart is boundless in its love of this choir.

That's why I keep sending you messages. One thing you have to realize is that I have invested my faith, hope and trust in you people, and you must send me a signal that you care or I will melt away.

Another thing you have to realize is that I am not a perfect servant; I am an aspiring public servant. So as I develop and grow, be patient - God is not finished with me yet.

Following the criticism I have received for the messages I send to you people, I wish to let you know that I am a person of clear mind, conscious peace and pure virtue, and that my integrity and moral authority are beyond reproach. Any insinuations to the contrary are false and unfounded.
That speech, which I have edited for clarity, made me a hero in the choir. It made some choristers speak of me in glowing terms.

Although many of the words in the speech weren't my own work, they aptly captured what I was and what I aspired to be. I was therefore brutally honest, hence the impact of my speech.

Encouraged by how convincing I had been, I would listen to the original speech by Rev. Jesse Jackson and relive the Thursday night I addressed the choir. Once when my mother heard me listen to Rev. Jackson, she asked me whether I had recorded myself.

The speech by Rev. Jackson changed me, for it reconnected me to a vibrant part of myself I had lost touch with after I went astray at the university. It also improved my awareness of the struggles that people go through as they relate with others.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on a speech that changed me, you might also enjoy another one on "An Inspiring Speech" which I wrote several months ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author

Name: Thuita J. Maina
Nationality: Kenyan
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just For Laughs

There was this drunkard named Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"



The 7 Deadly Sins

  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note

I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination. So I am trying to enjoy each day as I anticipate to fulfill my dreams especially meeting my soulmate and traveling abroad. Tomorrow may never be mine.

Fun Facts

  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com

Health Tip

So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help to give you that greatest blessing of all - good health.


Wonders of the Modern World

  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

Great Example for Politicians

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels

  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Computers & Radios
  6. Anesthetics
  7. The atom bomb

My Supreme Desire

Although I'd like to be rich and famous, my supreme desire is to be radiant: to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without hate, guilt, worry, jealousy, cynicism and envy. I wish to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so and to treat all men with kindness - to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents

  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Making Peace With the Past

"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."

~Eileen Caddy

Toughest Colleges to Get Into

  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations

  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins

  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love

"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen

The World's Largest Cities

  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes

  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers

  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)