AMANDA saw in the Dark

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Amanda was the daddy’s-girl and the first of four girls. She also had two elder brothers. Daddy was another story of an erudite and energetic colonial bred, who was now recessed, by the huge avalanche of mediocrity that was burying our country.

Amanda’s family was struggling with imposed transition, from a life of privilege to one of pauperism. Some members of her family were trapped in the muddle, others were lost and some were hopeful.

In persistent denial, Amanda’s brothers would waste their days in strange battles of conceived entitlements. This was often fuelled by the younger of the brothers’ struggle with some distressing syndrome of hyperactivity.

The colours on their family’s landscape offered no shade of calm, except for her mother and the last baby girl.

Amanda and I met after the university in 1987. On Amanda’s head you could see those tiny brilliant eyes, that still saw in the dark. She spotted me and I was struck by the preciousness of a soul, who must be given the full value of her find. I paid her attention.

Through the years, she talked and I listened. The more she talked, the more I realised she had more to talk about.

Finally she got a job as an air hostess. With the job the scene at home changed for the better. Her family moved from where they had been squatting to a house of their own.

Though her boyfriend couldn’t wait, Amanda was to have a good life and a successful career in the aviation industry.

Leonard Chintua-Chigbu
Listening and Creative Communication Artist
BA Fine Art (Painting) University of Benin 1986

Taruzimaso is a growing community of people who have loved and shared their challenges, and are investing in patience, thought, and prayer to help one another. I have always enjoyed listening, and people have told me how much they have been helped.

Please cheer someone up. Feel free to share your story or stories with the ‘Community’. Make it an interesting, short, compact and well punctuated story. Your candle shines brightest where light is needed, so let it appeal to all people and gender, across racial, political, religious, and sexual orientations.

Your comments and supports are appreciated.

IMELDA doesn’t call Again

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Imelda has called again. Things would have been different if any of us had a manual on how to be angry with God. Since this is not the case, then everything is Dominic’s fault. Imelda believes Dominic can make her happy, but he is not doing that and don’t seem to find any motivation to do so. If some people should have a problem-free marriage, by God, Imelda should be one of them. All she wants is to be allowed to watch one or two movies on the television. The next thing she asks for is for Dominic to sometimes walk with her around the neighbourhood or to the city centre or a bus ride together to some museum or beautiful mall. Of all the difficult things in whole wide world, this has proved so more difficult for Dominic to do.

“I was late to marriage and for that, marrying a widower with children was upfront with needs I could avail myself of. I would care for his children, and he would continue to love me and we will both be happier for it”.

“Why is he ‘ganging up’ with the children against me? Can I possibly understand this? Rationally he knows the teenage girl is impudent and disrespectful. She is determined in her tricks to haunt, ruin my happiness and wreck my marriage”

“Dominic now makes me feel I complain for no reason, and that I just hate his children. Can you believe that?”

“Some days are not worse enough until the night comes when he decides to fiddle under the sheets. Apparently he wants to do me some favours; to give me some happiness I must be quick and grateful to respond to”

“How come I don’t have confidence in myself anymore? My self-esteem is gone and my weight is piling”

In all of these, Imelda looks forward to a future when the children have grown up and left home. Now she doesn’t call me frequently anymore. This could be indicative that the situation has changed or that she has changed enough to take control of the situation or what do you think??? My thoughts and prayers are always with you, Imelda.

Leonard Chintua-Chigbu
Listening and Creative Communication Artist
BA Fine Art (Painting) University of Benin 1986

NINE years since He left Home

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LARRY has tried everything to make his marriage work. He worked hard to keep a job and a roof over their head. His wife and four children were going to be a beautiful, monogamous family he had never quite grown up in.

Amongst his expectations was one that his hard work and dedication to his family, should guarantee him some happiness, and a good family he could be proud of, in the community.

Larry’s wife was not responsive. At least not in ways he expected. She saw the children, the house and everything including Larry as hers. She refused to share, lost every concept of it and felt religiously angry when anybody thought their feelings were equally as important as hers.

Larry often lost his temper and this did not help anything either. He left home, hoping he’d be missed, and he was but not her. He was broken hearted, when days turned to weeks and weeks to months without any letters or emails.

Larry and I met up again, when his first son was about to go to prison. Nine years had gone since he left home. “Those were years of nightmare and a bed made in hell”, he would say. He needed to talk and I was listening. He was also able to hear himself talk. We would meet often. And we would cry often. Though he was never allowed into his own house, he stayed around for them.

A beautiful bloom out of the adversity, the children meet up with him when they desire. No one knows where he stays, but everyone has his phone number. When they meet, sometimes in mutual silence, they share their wishes and deep desire for that one miracle.

Leonard Chintua-Chigbu
Listening and Creative Communication Artist
BA Fine Art (Painting) University of Benin 1986

Taruzimaso is a growing community of people who have loved and shared their challenges, and are investing in patience, thought, and prayer to help one another. I have always enjoyed listening, and people have told me how much they have been helped.

Please cheer someone up. Feel free to share your story or stories with the ‘Community’. Make it interesting, short, compact and well punctuated. Your candle shines brightest where light is needed, so let it appeal to all people and gender, across racial, political, religious, and sexual orientations. A candle is of no use when the sun comes.

Through the years I have remembered you and others who came into my life and flowered it which such beautiful petals. I have understood who I am and what I am to you and all. Thank you so much, knowing the extra value you’ve added to my life. I look forward to listening more, especially to those who have wished or prayed someone could listen.

LUCAS was in the University

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LUCAS was intelligent and had a good life in the the university. He had a girl friend who was studying in another university in the northern part of the country.

Somehow, for some wrong choices he may have made, he was dropped out of the university and his father threatened that he did not want to see Lucas ever again.

Lucas was out of school but could not come home to the town where his family lived. He hung around a neighboring town, not knowing what to do. During this period, he came to a change of heart and his attitude was largely positive. His situation persisted, but he was willing to work his way through it.

Lucas and I met later on and he needed to talk. We became friends and over a period of time he talked and I listened. We became ideas-partners and tested out a couple of business initiatives together. These weren’t much, neither did they produce much. But they were good for day to day survival and something to do for luck and miracle.

Lucas never made it back to the university, and his father never quite forgave him, but he had overcome his demons and things were better than before. He later traveled abroad where his girlfriend joined him and they got married.

If you feel a need to talk; to be listened to, you could share your story here or privately send me an email.

Let’s share the burden.

Thank you so much.

My name is Leonard.

I will be very much around the media, and you will please help me keep this going. Do let me have your comments and sincere feedback. I am hoping to hear from you soon.

Leonard Chintua-Chigbu
Listening and Creative Communication Artist
BA Fine Art (Painting) University of Benin 1986

Who I am and what I Want

My Book - Leonard's Book 2

Who am I and What do I want? I am attracted to the understanding, and appreciation of the art of human circumstances, challenge and situation, to imagine the likely configuration, components and cultured composition, in order to explore their possible beauties, and to discover composure and posture for a desirable and beautiful outcome.

How do I do this? We are able to do this through my listening to you. My attention will empower you and encourage you to feel safe and able to say how you feel. You may also be able to describe your circumstance, the difficult areas and what you think makes them difficult. You may also not be able to do this. But because you are talking and I am listening, we will likely see the knots untie or how they were tied and what could be the position we will take to encourage things to shift towards our goal.

Why do I do this? I am not exactly able to say why, but I like it and have always found energy to do it when it comes my way. I also enjoy it when my friends stop calling and call back sometimes to talk about another issue or call to apologize for not calling more frequently as before. I am continuously happy because they are now able to be happy.

It is a painting completed, rather a masterpiece restored, making our world richer by the brush stroke of one human life.

My name is Leonard.

I will be very much around the media, and you will please help me keep this going. Do let me have your comments and sincere feedback. I am hoping to hear from you soon.

Leonard Chintua-Chigbu
Listening and Creative Communication Artist
BA Fine Art (Painting) University of Benin 1986

Hello world!

TARUZIMASO introduction

 

Taruzimaso is a growing community of people who have loved and shared their challenges, and are investing in patience, thought, and prayer to help one another. We are an outreach and appeal to all people and gender, across racial, political, religious, and sexual orientations.

Please cheer someone up. Through your comments, feel free to also share your story or stories with the ‘Community’. Make it an interesting, short, compact and well punctuated story. Your candle shines brightest where light is needed.

“I have always enjoyed listening, and people have told me how much they have been helped” -Leonard.

 

Our cause

Our cause is a battle against our worries and fears which say ‘Worse things will happen to us’

We say that though there is no such life as one without challenges, or rose beds without prickly thorns, we tell the story of life’s challenge to illustrate that they are finite.

Our friends will come out with an after taste that they too can pull through their challenges.

In celebrating the ephemeral nature of all life’s impediments, our story is a collection of how all troubles ENDED.

Therefore, at any point you wish, you can, DONATE to support our cause.