NDUKA B. OJAIDE

The journey of life is a difficult one as well as amusing. The difficulty is not in the experiences, but in understanding them and interpreting them. It’s amusement is in the perplexity we are subjected to as we wonder in awe of the beauty it reveals. A man infected by a disease, at the point of death is suddenly revamped through the miracle of modern day medicine. His physique shrunk by infection previously, suddenly becomes robust after a few days of administering the recipe of medicine. Looking at the two side of the divide- the grief in the face of the sick and his loved ones, and the joy and smile and happiness on the same faces, after the recovery of the sick, - is amusing in itself. Life is like a pun. The journey of life is punning. I am not a pundit on life. I doubt if anybody is. But lives lesson are the best education available to mankind. Our journey through life teaches us the obvious as well as the extreme. The journey is necessary and we all have to take it and learn fro...

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life changing experiences that you hear other people talk about. You know, the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly? Well, this one occurred a mere two feet away from me! Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jetway, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family. First, he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, and movingly loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other's face, I heard the father say, "It's so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!" His son smiled somewhat shyly, diverted his eyes, and replied softly, "Me too, Dad!" Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe 9 or 10) and while cupping his son's face in his hands he said, "You're already qui...