Stephanie Linus Daily

Author: stephanielinusdaily

  • “You stole my joy, you murdered my happiness” – Amoaa Oppong-Kwakye

    I am a 22 year-old Ghanaian lady. I am a poet.

    After watching DRY, I couldn’t control my tears. I felt the pain of Halima. It was my first time of hearing about Fistula and I really want to help girls and women in such situation.

    Below is the poem I wrote, I dedicate it to all girls who go through such situation.

    CHILD NOT BRIDE
    Under the silvery stare of the moon,
    The children sat to listen to soul refreshing tales
    Beneath the starry blue skies,
    We smiled and laughed and galloped our ignorance of the world away
    It was in the nakedness of the breeze that I learned to smile my soul away
    And I enjoyed it; A perfect peace
    And out of the blue came the fifty nine year-old weary man, Alhaji (FUSENI)
    His defective smile exposing his cola nut stained teeth
    With a keg of palm wine
    And a saddened cow in hand
    That moment, every joy I have known turned to ashes in my mouth
    The very ground on which I stood gave me up
    The warm uterus I knew turned cold
    The strong arms that protected me slipped off
    Like garbage, I was disposed, abandoned, rejected,
    That night, my guardian had darkness for a smile
    My innocence forced out of my being
    I had tears for supper that night,
    That devastating, dismantling, smashing, shattering night,
    The stain on my body could not be cleansed
    I battled with unknown demons he possessed
    And as if by magic, he planted his seed
    On my tiny piece of fertile land
    I sat helplessly. watching my innocence slip away from me
    In the glare of the sun
    The moments I spent with my friends
    Crushing right in front of me
    I am just a child but you snatched my childhood
    You stole my joy
    You murdered my happiness
    You strangled my future right before my eyes

    I’m a child not a bride!!

    My body and soul and spirit and being
    You tortured
    When the seed you planted in me withered and died,
    You called me a witch
    You stole my joy, you murdered my happiness
    You strangled my future right before my eyes

    I am a child not a bride!!

    ****

    Thank you Amoaa for sharing this lovely poem. You described Halima’s pain so vividly with your words.

    Have you watched DRY? What did you learn from it? Please email info@stephaniedaily.com and share your story on DRY to join the Movie Club.

    Want to see it? Order now from Jumia or Konga or check your nearest stores. To buy DRY on Jumia, CLICK HERE. To buy DRY on Konga, CLICK HERE.

    SL

  • Is It OK to take Relationship Advice from a Single Person?

    It’s okay to take advice from people who love and care for you, such as close friends and relatives who are single?

    Many people will argue that there’s a reason they’re single and to be honest, they should be focusing on how to change that,  and not be so concerned with  giving you advice.

    On the flip side, some single people can be so full of wisdom that they dish out good advice even in situations they have little or no experience in.

    For me, this is the way I see it: Your friends and family can be very bias when it comes to the personal responsibility because they see you in a different light than your spouse does. They don’t realize that you function in a different capacity as a friend than you do as a lover, so they’ll almost always side with you if they’re biased. 

    So most times, their advice is not biased because they are single, but because of the relationship they have with you. That’s the way I feel.

    What do you think? Is it OK to take relationship advice from a single person?

  • Key Facts About Female Genital Mutilation You Should Know

    • Globally, it is estimated that at least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM.
    • Girls 14 and younger represent 44 million of those who have been cut, with the highest prevalence of FGM among this age in Gambia at 56 per cent, Mauritania 54 per cent and Indonesia where around half of girls aged 11 and younger have undergone the practice.
    • Countries with the highest prevalence among girls and women aged 15 to 49 are Somalia 98 per cent, Guinea 97 per cent and Djibouti 93 per cent.
    • FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15.
    • FGM cause severe bleeding and health issues including cysts, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth increased risk of newborn deaths.
    • FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.
    • The Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 calls for an end to FGM by 2030 under Goal 5 on Gender Equality, Target 5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
    • The elimination of FGM has been called for by numerous inter-governmental organizations, including the African Union, the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as in three resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.

    Source: UN

  • Talk To Steph: My Husband complains that I’m not attractive

    Hi Stephanie,

    I am a mother of two lovely girls. My hubby complains that I am not looking attractive to him because of my big belly and fatness. Each time I ask him to take me out, he will complain that he has no money. Despite my tight schedule at work, I did create time but he never takes me out. We have been married for 4 years now and he has never taken me out for honeymoon before. Please Stephanie, could it be my shape that is making him ashamed or no money to cater for the trip? I wish I can be more attractive than I use to be. 

    Dear Hope

    Firstly, let me tell you that you’re beautiful. God made everyone beautiful and you shouldn’t feel any less than that. 

    Secondly, from your words, I sense that you are uncomfortable with the way you look. If you are, then do something about it, not just for your husband, but for yourself. Do some exercise, change/watch your diet, take care of your hair and clothes, make yourself more attractive and feel good about it! With time, you’d notice that your husband will feed off that positive energy and give you the compliments you want to hear.

    I’d also advise that you make the first move and take your husband out. Most of us married women make the mistake expecting that our husband must make the first move in organizing date nights and fun times. It doesn’t have to be somewhere expensive, find a lovely place where the two of you can enjoy some time together and when he has a lovely time out with you, he’d want to go out more often.

    I hope this helps and I wish you the very best in your marriage.

    SL

    So, what are your thoughts on this? What do you think Hope should do? Please drop your advice in the comment box below.

    *If you have any kind of situation you need advice on and you’ll like us to discuss it here, please send an email to info@stephaniedaily.com with the subject: Talk To Steph.

  • Comparison: The Greatest Thief Of Joy

    This quotation, from Theodore Roosevelt, argues that comparing your work, your life, or whatever else will only serve to make you unhappy. Why? This is because, in most cases, comparison is corrosive. It eats away at your ability to be content and confident. It is a poison that kills the love you have for yourself.

    I am sure that if you think about it you have your own list of qualities you envy in others, and also a list of qualities people envy in you. The point is, we all have a unique makeup of skills, faults, blessings and infirmities that make us who we are.

    It’s so easy to compare ourselves to others. When we do that, we simply do not measure up. We tend to compare our worst with another person’s best, and that makes us feel terrible. We feel we are too flat or too curvy, too little or too big, not enough or too much. And it doesn’t feel good.

    Comparing ourselves to others simply removes focus from what we should be excited about within ourselves.

    So don’t hold yourself up to some outside vague standard of greatness. Judge your work by your principles and leave comparison out of the equation.

  • You need to read this real life experience

    Hi Lovelies,

    I thought to share this experience from a friend of mine. He posted it on his Facebook page. I hope it touches you and encourages you to live a life worthy of our Lord’s coming always.

    ***

    Should I call it a Vision or a Dream?
    Real experience happened early hours of Sunday January 15, 2017.

    On Saturday I arrived at the Tennis Club to hang out with my friends. We stayed late and agreed to meet at 7pm to go to a club and have drinks and listen to music. Went back to the hotel, freshened up and drove back to the clubhouse from where we went to the night club. We had drinks and ate diner and then left. I drove back to the hotel and went to bed. My alarm clock woke me up at 5am, I went to the bathroom and returned to my bed. Not sure if I slept or just in a trance but I found myself walking on the most beautiful and widest road I had ever seen. It was so smooth and I wondered why we did not have these kinds of roads. Then I looked in the distance and saw a huge gate across the road. The gate was grey in color, made of metal. It was a continuous gate, as wide as the eyes can see in both directions and the height was well into the clouds. Was amazed. But as I walked closer, I could feel the heat radiating from the gate. The heat increased with every step I took towards the gate. At some point it was becoming unbearable so asked myself, is this the entrance to hell? I then summed up courage shouted the following words. “GOD, in the name of YOUR SON our LORD and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, I don’t want to go to this hell. I then heard a loud and clear voice that said “OKAY THEN, TURN AROUND AND GO BACK.” I turned around and started walking back and then I woke up. I heard GOD speak to me. I could not look up to the direction of the voice but heard the deep but loud voice instructing me to go back. This is too vivid, scary and I cant stop thinking about it. I was very shaken when I woke up. So said to share. I am available to talk about this.

    From Iyeme Efem

  • How do you respond to ‘I love you’ when the feeling isn’t mutual?

    Hey SL Fabz,

    I need your help with this tough question.

    What is the best way to respond to ‘I Love You‘ when you are not ready to say it back? How do you do this in a good way without hurting the person’s feelings?

    This question is for every one, the guys and the ladies. I’ll really like to know what you think.

     

  • 5 Tips To Help You Achieve Your Reading Goals This Year

    At the start of the year, I asked a few people what their New Year Resolutions were and reading more books was at the top of their list. Apparently, the desire to read more and read more frequently is something ingrained in many of us goal-setters.

    Here are a few key tips to working towards increasing how much you read in 2017.

    1. Set A Goal: Don’t just say you’re going to read more, set a specific goal for how much you want to read. For example, if you read 5 books last year, increasing to 8-10 would be a good goal.

    2. Get A Reading List: Determine ahead of time exactly what books you plan to read. You can add or subtract from the list as time goes by but it helps to have a list of what you want to achieve.

    3. Have A Reading Schedule: Create a schedule for reading the books you think are most important. Be specific about what you want to read and when, setting deadlines for finishing each book or even each chapter. These deadlines will help you stay accountable to your schedule.

    4. Join Reading Challenges: I’ve seen a couple of them online like the 52 Books Challenge, in which you read one book a week (give or take) for the year. This comes with the bonus community of r/52book, where fellow readers can cheer each other on.

    5. Carry Your Book(s) Everywhere: There’s always an opportunity to read. Maybe in the car or before a business meeting. Whenever you have a moment, you can bring out your book and read. This is also very possible if you like to read digital versions. I still prefer hard copy. 

    What other methods can you employ to help achieve your reading goals this year? 

  • Talk To Steph: Should I Pursue A Masters Degree Or A Career In Acting?

    Good morning Stephanie,

    My name is Adaku Okeke. I have seen the movie DRY. It’s very touching and I cried also. I want an opinion from you. I got an admission into UNILAG for my Masters degree but I want to pursue my dream in acting. Please I need an advice or guidance and I don’t want to regret my decisions. I anticipate your response.

    Thanks.

    I got this email above from a reader of this blog just this morning. I quite understand the difficult position you are in Adaku. For you to apply for a Masters degree, pass the qualification test and get an admission, then it should be something you really desire. A career in Acting is also a good thing if you are very talented at it. You didn’t state the course you are going to study, but it it has something to do with Acting and the Performing Arts, then its a plus for you. You also didn’t state if you have already started acting in some productions or if you just want to launch your acting career.

    However, I’d advise that you do both. If you do pursue a career in Acting, the beginning will be tough. You will not get jobs landing at your doorstep so often at the beginning so it will be good to have something to fall back upon. It will also be an added achievement for you to have this degree. Whatever you choose, make sure you are passionate about it. 

    Be prepared to work really hard. You can achieve all you want to achieve this year if you set your mind to it. Also, pray for God’s direction and favour in all you do.

    I wish you the very best!

    SL

    So, what are your thoughts on this? What do you think Adaku should do? Please drop your advice in the comment box below.

    *If you have any kind of situation you need advice on and you’ll like us to discuss it here, please send an email to info@stephaniedaily.com with the subject: Talk To Steph.

  • “Before watching DRY I never knew Fistula even existed” – Nancy Chidimma

    I have never cried as hard as I did watching DRY. Before watching DRY I never knew Fistula even existed. Thanks for raising awareness about this.

    I am a lady who has a special interest in the welfare and all round development of the girl child. Dry was an eye opener for me. I told everyone I know to watch it because it has a massage for all. Mrs Stephanie Okereke Linus may God bless and preserve you, thanks for giving young girls out there a voice.

    I am a Psychologist and I know first hand the trauma young girls go through when their childhood is ripped away from them. Thank you for being an inspiration to young women out here. DRY made me realize what we owe our younger generation.

    ****

    It warms my heart every time I get such touching emails. Truly, knowledge is power, and if we are empowered with the right knowledge, we can touch people’s lives in positive ways. 

    Have you watched DRY? What did you learn from it? Please email info@stephaniedaily.com and share your story on DRY to join the Movie Club.

    Want to see it? Order now from Jumia or Konga or check your nearest stores. To buy DRY on Jumia, CLICK HERE. To buy DRY on Konga, CLICK HERE.

    Thank you so much, Nancy. Truly, we owe our younger generation so much.

    SL