By: ‘dayo Adedayo<\/b><\/p>\n
B\u00ed \u1ecdm\u1ecdd\u00e9 \u00f2 k\u00fa, \u00e0gb\u00e0 n\u00ed d\u00e0.
\n(If a child does not die young, they will live to grow old.)<\/p>\n
As I stand on the threshold of my 61st year, I bow my head in reverence, not for what I have achieved, but for what I have survived.<\/p>\n
For what I have been given.<\/p>\n
For what I have become.<\/p>\n
Ol\u00fawa, mo d\u00fap\u1eb9\u0301. Lord, I thank You, for Your mercies that endure forever and Your grace that keeps showing up, uninvited, yet always right on time.<\/p>\n
When I cast my mind back to the origin of my journey, I cannot help but marvel.<\/p>\n
That single victorious sperm, mine, swam against millions to fertilise life. From that miraculous moment, You have preserved me.<\/p>\n
Born in the 1960s, when infant mortality was a silent thief in the night, You kept me safe.<\/p>\n
Through the perilous birth canal, less than five inches long but lined with stories of lives never lived, You carried me.<\/p>\n
When medicine was basic and diseases common, You chose to shield me.<\/p>\n
As a crawling toddler grabbing everything in sight and putting it in my mouth, You kept me from poison and peril.<\/p>\n
When I stood on wobbly legs and uttered my first words, You were already my silent Guardian.<\/p>\n
At age seven, I lost my father, our breadwinner. That loss could have broken me, but You, O Lord, held me together. You’ve been my pillar since then. Through every storm, in every silent night, You whispered strength into my soul.<\/p>\n
You sent me friends who became family.<\/p>\n
You blessed me with destiny helpers who walked with me across continents.<\/p>\n
At a time when I lived more in the sky than on land, flying local and international for my daily bread, Your arms never failed to carry me.<\/p>\n
I look at my children, my very blood, and I see perfection. No health scares, no mental anguish. Just divine gifts from a loving Father. How can I thank You enough?<\/p>\n
Even in my mistakes, my sins, my failings as a man among men, You poured mercy over judgment.<\/p>\n
At sixty-one, I am healthy, whole, and hearty. No ailment holds me hostage. While men my age count pills, I count blessings. What more can I render but praise?<\/p>\n
M\u00e9l\u00f2 ni k\u00edn k\u00e0, n\u00edn\u00fa ore t\u00ed B\u00e0b\u00e1 \u1e63e?
\nHow can I ever count the blessings the Father has given me?<\/p>\n
To my mother, widowed for 54 years, thank you for embodying strength.<\/p>\n
To my siblings, family from both sides, and all my fans, thank you for being part of this journey.<\/p>\n
To my dearest friends, my inner caucus, who kept me grounded, focused, and joyful, you are more than friends. You are the fabric of my becoming.<\/p>\n
To my ex-wife, I say thank you. Thank you for nurturing my first fruits with love and wisdom. Though paths diverged, respect remains. I will always be grateful for the role fate allowed us to play in each other’s lives.<\/p>\n
To my wife, thank you for restoring balance and peace. For the two beautiful souls you’ve given me. They are laughter in my days and light in my nights. I pray to grow old enough to witness their own joys, their weddings, and their children.<\/p>\n
To my clients and readers: every book you bought, every image you admired, you put food on my table. You gave meaning to my work. Thank you for believing in my vision.<\/p>\n
Sixty was magical. I saw the world like never before.<\/p>\n
At sixty-one, I want to show the world my country like never before. Nigeria, in all her raw beauty and hidden grace.<\/p>\n
And now, as I breathe in the quiet grace of 61 years… I am 61 years of purpose, grace, battles, victories, falls, risings, and stories.
\nBut inside me still lives the soul of an eighteen-year-old, curious, adventurous, loving, full of dreams and mischief.<\/p>\n
I do not count candles, I count mercies.<\/p>\n
I do not chase applause, I cherish presence.<\/p>\n
I do not boast in years, I marvel at the God who carried me through them all.<\/p>\n
To everyone who walked with me, in the shadows of lack or the sunlight of success, thank you for being part of my becoming.<\/p>\n
You may never know the depth of your impact, but I carry you in the warm corners of my heart.<\/p>\n
And to You, my Father in heaven, the One who saw me before I was formed, who shielded me when I was helpless, who lifted me when I was low, I lay this life at Your feet. Every breath, every step, every heartbeat is a testimony of Your unwavering love.<\/p>\n
If I had a thousand tongues, they would still not be enough.<\/p>\n
If I had a thousand lifetimes, I would spend them all saying thank You.<\/p>\n
Happy 61st Birthday to me, a man graced beyond measure, walking in light, with joy as his companion and gratitude as his song.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: ‘dayo Adedayo B\u00ed \u1ecdm\u1ecdd\u00e9 \u00f2 k\u00fa, \u00e0gb\u00e0 n\u00ed d\u00e0. (If a child does not die young, they will live<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15235"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15237,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15235\/revisions\/15237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}