WHAT MAKES A STRONG MARRIAGE?|| COL SAM AHMEDU'S 35 YEARS WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

 

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you are having a good day and are not allowing anyone or thing steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day.

In today's post, I want to share some amazing secrets to having a long lasting union from one of the most respected men I know. He has been a blessing to me and many others I know and I have heard about. He is a father, a husband and an inspiration. I have watched  him shine his light amongst youngsters and older people for years and he just keeps shining. I have no doubt the reason he always shines bright is because of his heart of service to others. His no other than my Col. Sam Ahmedu. He is a leader in the Nigerian Basketball Association and also a leader in Africa. I can not express completely how inspired I am by him but I can say that I have seen him help many people and he never stops. I am just thankful to know him.

It is his 35th wedding Anniversary and I asked his permission to share his secrets with my readers all over the world and he humbly agreed. His humility is no surprise to me as I am in awe of how amazing of a father he is to all who have had the privilege to be in his presence. I am so thankful to share his response to my questions. Please read and be inspired.

Question: How long have you been married?

Col. Sam: 35 years(26, July 1986)

Question: What quality do you love most about your wife?

Col. Sam: Her simplicity, honesty, supports me in all I do and she is a good mother who appreciates family values.

Question: What makes a great home?

Col. Sam: The art of sharing and having trust in one another.

Question: What is the greatest virtue to keep a home?

Col. Sam: Family first above all other things. And keep family problems to yourselves.

Question: Any advise to Younger people?

Col. Sam: Learn to forgive each other, never go to bed without resolving any disagreement and learn to say I am sorry.

Well there you have it everyone. I want to say how thankful I am that Col. Sam took the time to answer my questions. I must say that he is just amazing like that.

May his marriage and union continue to flourish like I know it will in Jesus Name. Amen!

Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Joy!

Maryam

SHE ALREADY MADE A DECISION TO SUFFER

 

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Hope this blog meets you well. Today is a beautiful day day and I am very excited to be here today. Welcome to Maryamsjoyfullife.

So I wanted to share a something profound with you all and it is inspired by a live broadcast I did yesterday.

Here it is. Please watch

Someone came on the live broadcast and asked what to do if they are in a toxic marriage. She said that she and her husband had divorced because of abuse and then they came back together and remarried but the same situation has started again. My advise was she should use her brain. If there's abuse and no apparent change, get yourself out. She said where does compassion come into play. This is what I want to talk about today. Compassion does not mean make yourself a sacrificial lamb to abuse and suffering. It is so foolish to use compassion as a reason to stay in an abusive home. Obviously, she didn't need any advise because she has made up her mind to be compassionate and stay in the abusive or toxic relationship.

This is how we often justify a negative condition. We use a messed up belief  to cloud our judgement and then waste people time by asking them for advise or counsel when we have already made up our minds to die in an unfavorable situation. I would like to make one thing clear here, today. God doesn't take glory in your suffering. The Bible clearly states that God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. What glory will you bring to God if you die in a situation God is clearly telling you to get out of. 

I have done some things I am not proud of but one thing I am deliberately doing these days is using my brain. God did not give us intelligence for nothing. We are using religion to keep us trapped and in bondage when Jesus the Savior already obviously brought us salvation through His death. 

Don't be deceived, God does not take glory in your poverty, shame, suffering or pain. Glory comes to God when you overcome these things. 

Don't let anyone steal your joy

Maryam

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE CONFUSED

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and amazing people. Thank you for checking out my blog today. It is a beautiful day. I hope you are all having a good weekend. Today is a good day. Today, I want to share what to do when you are confused. I have gone into details on a recent video. Please watch and you will gain a whole lot from it.

Why are you confused? The reason is because you are too close to the situation. Step back from that situation and watch it like you are watching a movie. Say to yourself it is well with you.

Step back and go to your closet and pray and meditate. I especially like the Psalm 23, 91 and Matthew 6:33. Learn to surrender everything to God and give thanks like everything is already handled and you will see God's glory. For more, please watch the following video.

 Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

CHICKEN AND DUMPLING RECIPE

 

Good morning wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. It is Friday. Thank you for checking out my blog today. As you all already know, I love food and enjoy sharing my favorite recipes with you all. Before we get to the recipe, I hope you have all had an amazing week and are ready for the weekend.

Remember to protect your joy from killjoys and yourself.

For more recipes, please get my new cookbook available on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Dinner-Recipes-Plus-Dessert/dp/B097VX15BP/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1627046304&sr=8-1 or get the e-book here: https://www.maryamsjoyfullifeapparel.com/listing/12-easy-dinner-recipes?product=1451

Thank you for your support. Lets get to the Chicken and Dumpling recipe.

SIMPLE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

What you will need:

2 cups of pillsbury southern homestyle biscuits( 8 count)

A 32 ounce box of chicken stock

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 cups of half and half milk

2 cups of chopped roasted chicken breasts or shredded rotisserie chicken

A soup pot

½ cup all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

Set stove at medium high heat

Add chicken stock to soup pot

Let boil

On a cutting board

Dust board with all purpose flour

Open biscuits, separate them and place on floured surface

Cut each biscuit into 9 small sizes

Open pot with boiling chicken broth 

Throw cut biscuits into pot

Stir lightly

Turn heat down to medium

Let dumplings cook for 5 minutes

Add half and half milk

Add your chicken

And stir in salt and pepper

Stir lightly

Cover pot and let cook thoroughly for about 15 minutes

Turn stove off

Set pot aside to cool for 10 minutes

Enjoy!

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

cashapp $maryamsjoyfullife

paypal maryamsjoyfullife@gmail.com

Photo is from https://tornadoughalli.com/homemade-chicken-and-dumplings/

HOW TO MAKE MONEY BLOGGING

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Thank you for checking out my blog today. It is a beautiful day indeed. I am glad to share some tips about blogging with those of you who are thinking about starting your own blog. I also would like to invite you to try my new blogging e-course; https://www.maryamsjoyfullifeapparel.com/listing/BLOGANDMAKEMONEY?product=1447. In this course, I share everything you need to know about starting your blog, picking a niche, building your blog and monetizing it. Now that I have shared that with you, please enjoy the following tips from my e-course

Blogging is something that I believe everyone should do. For me, I love blogging because it gives me a platform to share my story, inspire and encourage millions of people. Blogging helps me get over any heaviness that creeps into my mind. Anytime I am feeling overwhelmed and cannot think of what to do to change my mood, when I write a blog to encourage people or share one of my favorite recipes, I feel better. It is as if the moment I start writing I break through that cloud and the sun starts to shine again.

 I believe everyone can benefit greatly from blogging. Your age is not a barrier and as long as

you have the necessary tools and strategies I share with you, you will be off to a great start.

Blogging is great because it gives you the freedom to choose from a wide range of topics to

focus on. Blogging is also great because you can blog about your experiences and lessons you

learned from them. Whether your blog is about your hobbies, travel adventures, budgeting,

planning your best vacations, the benefits of reading, having a community of support around

you, food, life’s virtues, family life or fun activities to do with your family,  it is all up to you.

You have the power to choose where your focus will be and that is why I love blogging. There’s

no end to where you can focus your blog. 

My advice is that you blog about what makes you happy and feel expansive. If it makes you feel good and happy, it will be successful and worthwhile.

Once again if this resonates with you, check out my e-course: https://www.maryamsjoyfullifeapparel.com/listing/BLOGANDMAKEMONEY?product=1447

I look forward to hearing about your success story after taking my course.

Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Joy!

Maryam

CashApp $maryamsjoyfullife

Paypal maryamsjoyfullife@gmail.com

MY HOMEMADE GRAVY RECIPE

 

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Thank you all for checking out my blog today. I am so happy that you are here. Today is tasty Tuesday and I am excited to share my gravy recipe with you. It is absolutely delicious and my children love it. I hope this inspires your culinary curiosity.

EASY HOMEMADE GRAVY

What you will need:

2 packets of .87 oz brown gravy mix

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp crushed red peppers

½ tsp knorr beef bouillon powder

2 tbsp all purpose flour

¼ cup chopped onions

1  tbsp olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS:

Place a saucepan over medium high heat

Let heat for 2 minutes

Add oil to saucepan

Let heat for 2 minutes

Add onions

Cook until onion is translucent

Get a mixing bowl

Open gravy mix and pour into bowl

Add 2 cups of water

Add all spices

Mix until you get a loose batter

Empty bowl content into saucepan

Stir saucepan content until onion mixes well with gravy

Taste for salt taste

Add a sprinkle of salt as needed

Cover pan and let boil

Keep an eye on pot to handle overflow

Turn off stove and let pot sit on heat for 5 more mins

Let cool for 5 minutes

 Serve over mashed potatoes and rice or even biscuits

If you want more recipes like this, please get my simple cookbook:https://www.maryamsjoyfullifeapparel.com/listing/12-easy-dinner-recipes?product=1451

Don't Let Anybody Steal Your Joy!

Maryam

Cashapp $maryamsjoyfullife

Thank you!

HOW TO MOVE ON FROM SOMEONE YOU LOVE

 

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. I hope this blog meets you well. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all for stopping by today. You are all amazing. Today is the first day of  the work week and I wanted to share this post with you today. I already made a video on it. Make sure to check it out. I have linked the video below. Please watch!

If you are thinking about moving on from someone you love for no reason, you never really loved them. You were with them on a conditional basis. If you love someone, you never walk away when things get hard or when you feel like you are done. Love doesn't work at your convenience. Love is action. That means support, communication, forgiveness and perseverance. Passion doesn't last in relationships because it is based on physical attraction and hormones. Passion can not hold a relationship. Any relationship not built on God as the foundation, is bound to fail. The reason I said not built on God is this; God loves us and shows us mercy whenever we mess up. God always gives us strength to overcome difficulty. If we depend on our strength and wisdom alone, we will always fail. Therefore, it is very important to have a relationship with God. 

On the flip side, if you are in an abusive relationship and have done everything to stop the abuse, it is God's will for you to get out immediately. Don't hide what you are dealing with because you are afraid to be shamed by others. Don't endure abuse because you are praying for God to change them. Get help and get out! 

My advise to women is to have a relationship with God. Spend time in God's presence in prayer and meditation. Go for a walk in the nature and pray while you walk. Communicate everything to God and wait to get guidance from God. The answer for your next move will come from within. God will speak to you. Even if you are surrounded by pretentious pastors asking you to stay in an abusive relationship, God will clearly tell you what to do. In my case, I called on God and paid attention to the prompt of the spirit. I didn't have to do anything, God handled it. When it was time, I disclosed everything to the world and God took it from there.

God is real. The way God becomes real to you is when you spend time in your prayer closet in prayer and meditation. God loves you and it is not his will for you to endure life but enjoy life.

Life is good when you make God the first priority. Seek God first thing in the morning, during your day and last thing at night. Matthew 6:33 is very powerful!

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam 

I WAS PREGNANT AND DIDN'T KNOW IT

 

Throwback from when Zoe was cooking in my oven.

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. I hope this blog meets you well. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for checking out my blog today. I hope this weekend is your best yet.

I was pregnant with anger, resentment, fear, worry, anxiety and comparison but did not know it. For years, I wondered why things were not happening the way I wanted. I prayed, gave money to prophets and pastors but it was always like my sin were too deep for God to forgive me so I had to suffer. This continued until I decided to seek God's face differently. How long and how many times do I need to ask for mercy for things to change for the better? 

After all, compared to some people I knew and had heard of, I was a saint! Why did I keep hearing these so called prophets talk about sin and forgiveness.

Well, the unanswered prayers and recurring pain led me to discover God for me. I found out that the more I focused on what was not working for me, the more of that I had. It led me to become mindful of where I focused. God NEVER keeps good things from me, I keep myself from accessing God's good by harboring all sorts of negative energies. These negative emotions are stored up in the Solar plexus area and build up like pregnancy. This pregnancy gives birth to more of the same negative cycles. 

Right now, I can gladly say that since I started meditating and focus on the things I want and the goodness of God, I am no longer controlled by my solar plexus. I have no use for negative energies. 
I acknowledge that God is good and all that I want is already available to me. Now, I just raise my vibration in gratitude and connect to the good I want. Giving thanks that I already have it and expect it to show up by God's grace. The good news is, it always shows up! 

Truly God's ways are beyond finding out. His Grace abounds for us all.

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Operate in LOVE always!

Maryam

 

Good morning wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. It is so nice to bring another blog your way. Hope this day meets you with such great spirits and happiness. Today is a beautiful day and I am grateful to be alive.

In today's blog, I am happy to inspire your culinary curiosity with my recipe. This right here is delicious and wonderful. I just made a pot of this fried rice yesterday and shared it with my neighbor. It is really yummy.

MY FRIED RICE RECIPE

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

2 1/2 cups jasmine rice

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons Knorr beef

1 teaspoon Jamaican curry

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Jamaican oxtail dry seasoning

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

4 midsized fresh tomatoes blended

1 green bell pepper blended with tomatoes

1 8oz bag frozen chopped carrots and green peas

1 teaspoon crushed red peppers

DIRECTION

Turn on stove to medium high

Place a soup pot on it

add oil and let heat for 2 mins

add onions and garlic and cook till translucent

add rice and fry for about 5 minutes stirring until mixed with pot content

add spices and seasonings

add blended tomatoes and pepper

stir

add water and let the water be about an inch above rice level

cook for 25 mins

make sure to check for burning and stir

If water dries up before rice becomes soft, 

add a little bit of water and turn heat down to low.

when rice is cooked, turn off stove and set aide to cool for about 5-10 mins

Enjoy!

Don't let anybody steal your joy!

Maryam

Cashapp $maryamsjoyfullife

MY FAVORITE JAMAICAN MAN GIVES LE'VEON A HAIR CUT

 What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. I hope this meets you well. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all so much for checking out my blog today.

Today is a lovely day and I am so thankful for everyone of you. A few days ago, I took Le'Veon to my favorite Jamaican man's barbershop for a haircut. He is the best barber ever and I am so grateful that he gets to cut mine and Le'Veon's hair. He is available to cut your hair at Lovejoy, Ga Walmart. Just ask for Craig, the Jamaican barber. Here's his phone number 201-823-7378.

Here's the video of my favorite Jamaican barber cutting Levy's hair:

Thank you for stopping by again.

Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Joy!

Maryam

Paypal: maryamsjoyfullife@gmail.com

Cashapp: $maryamsjoyfullife

I AM CAREFUL NOW HIRING PEOPLE ONLINE

 

Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. I hope this meets you well. Thank you for checking out Maryamsjoyfullife today. We are very happy that you are here. Today is a wonderful to blog and I wanted to share something important with those who are thinking about applying to work for me.

So I am hiring for work from home positions and I have made a few hiring posts on Facebook and the reason why I am so hesitant in following up with application is because most of the people who I have followed up with are not serious about it. They believe it is child's play and I am tired of it.

Right now, I am not in the place to convince people to take opportunities they do not want or are not ready for. There are many steps involved in the process of getting to work from home and they are all very important. I have discovered that most people want opportunities but do not want to pay the price. There is studying involved and background checks and technical checks. It can be frustrating but it is all part of the process. So, while I am still open to hiring, I am not ready to babysit grown people. I am only looking for people who are ready and want to put in the work and time it requires to secure the opportunities that I am offering. 

To those of you still looking for opportunities, please visit https://www.ariseworkfromhome.com/client-opportunities/  for more information. When you have all of your information and want to be under an Independent Business like mine, reach out and I will be more than happy to see if you are a great fit.

Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Joy!

Maryam