At one point or the other in our lives, we feel inadequate, not good enough. We compare ourselves with people we feel are the perfect example of what our lives should be and most often we fall short. I think we need to constantly remind ourselves of what we have and what we've had in order to be ever thankful. Today I am feeling kind of down and inadequate, so I'll be going down memory lane in order to count my blessings.

  As a child, I was loved. I have no sister and I never enjoyed boys games, sure I joined them in playing "war start'' but that was it. I do not understand football and why people injure themselves in the name of boxing and wrestling beats me. My mom does not believe in buying toys for kids so we had none.

  Books saved me. My parents ensured all of us went to the best schools, we are not wealthy but my parents would move heaven and earth to make sure we had the best. Thank God they did, I learnt to read at a very young age and that was my saving grace.

  My mom bought the ladybird series - Peter and Jane, if you remember. My brothers were not interested in reading books, they had football matches to set and play, so the books were left for me. I read and read and read, when I was done with the series I read everything in print. As a result, I had a good command of English and a very active imagination at a young age.

  
  We were not also introduced to cartoons and Mom felt buying movies was a waste of money. Since we had no cable, NTA Aba and RSTV were the only channels we had access to, so Tweenies, Tellytubbies, Tales by moonlight, Super story and This life, were all we watched. Every Tuesday evening, we listened to nti nara rie on radio. My aunty always threatened not to let us into the parlour if we did not finish our homework and chores before the programs started, we worked with happiness.

  We did not feel denied of anything, my dad operates on a "ask and you shall receive principle" and my mom will always say "No is also an answer" so we always got answered positively or negatively but mostly positive.

  
Saturday mornings or Friday evenings were our best part of the week, that was when Dad came back from work. Mum always made us clean the house spotless, do homework, wash our uniforms, and any other thing that would make our dad happy, and then wait for him.

  My brothers would keep some of their assignments so that my Dad will help them out especially science related. Mum does not know anything science related, but English?, she is the queen. She keeps saying "You can't live under my roof and speak wrong English".

  
  We would finish with the chores and go out to play, telling our neighbors what our dad was going to bring back for us. I can still remember, the sound of our car horn, we could hear it from down the street. My brothers would throw the gates open and we would jump around screaming "daddy! daddy!!'

  When ever he comes out of the car, my first and second brothers would rush him and he will throw them in the air and catch them. Then it was my turn, after that he would carry the last born in and tell us to open the boot of the car -our favorite work of all time. Mum would be in the kitchen, making sure the food was perfect, dad doesn't like much pepper.

  He would enter the kitchen to greet her and my aunties and then come to the parlour to share what he bought - peanuts, guinea fowl eggs and any other thing but he never missed those two. I grew up thinking peanuts and guinea fowl eggs were only sold in Port Harcourt .

   
  We are not the outing type, so a typical weekend in the Mba's family included cleanup, Dad's arrival, eating, doing homework, reporting those that were bad during the week (mum's work) and reprimanding them (dad's work). Sunday service on Sunday, ironing and arranging uniforms for the week, drawing of menu, writing out what we wanted dad to buy while coming back the next weekend and bidding him farewell.

  On very special weekends we ate out, but mum will keep complaining that it's a waste of money, after all she can cook better than the eatery for less amount. Dad never listened, so out we would go.

  To be continued some other time,  my books are calling. But just so you know, I feel better already.

count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done