Our 5 year old started kindergarten this fall, on Sept 7th. We are naturally all very excited and very thankful to God for this milestone. My little guy has graduated from pre-school – Yippee 
! Praying and continually trusting God for the best for the entire family as everyone takes each new step.
Fortunately, our 3 year old also has a big milestone to celebrate this year – he started preschool on Sept 14th – Yay to graduating from “baby day care”! ! I am especially thankful this is happening the same time our 5yr old goes off to kindergarten – wouldn’t want to get asked 100 times every week – “When do I get to go to school Mummy?” lol. It’s been a very exciting time for us as we’ve settled into our new routine. We are all absolutely loving their schools and all their new friendships and experiences:)!
For instance, my 3yr old announced yesterday as he recalled everything that happened in school – “I’m a smart cookie Mummy”! Oh really?, I replied. Did your teacher tell you that? “No she didn’t, I just know I’m a smart cookie.” Amen to that! ! lol…
One day, during the first couple of weeks of school, I was picking my 5yr old up at the end of the school day. We were all still getting to know each other, so I was meeting (or speaking with) many of the parents for the first time that week. I took my son’s hand and was about to walk to the car when I noticed one of his classmates coming out to meet his mom. He just looked sooo handsome in his cute little outfit and his contagious smile. So I turned to his mom and said – “Your son is so handsome”!
She smiled and replied, without skipping a beat –
“Thank you. He looks like his dad, and his dad is very handsome.”
I don’t know if she even remembers saying that now – but if she does, I don’t think she knows what an impact that simple statement made on me that day. All I did was smile… and then we exchanged a few more words before we said our good byes.
But as soon as she replied, a song I know immediately came to mind – “Oun Ani la’ngbe laruge”. It’s a Yoruba song, and it essentially means “We should value and give honor to whatever is ours that is good”(By the way, Yoruba is a beautiful language spoken in many parts of West Africa ).
So simple and so true – isn’t it? If we have something valuable, something good – should we not honor it before others? Should we not continually value it? If we don’t, yes – it will probably remain valuable, but its value will continually diminish before our very own eyes. We take its value for granted, and eventually we may not even realize how valuable what is right under our nose is.
“Oun Ani”… I am specifically referring to the people God has placed in our lives. Our spouses, parents, children, siblings, in-laws, relatives, friends… It is sometimes easy to become so familiar that we take so many things/people for granted. Yes, everyone has their flaws (we all have that in common lol), but if we sit down, reflect, and find that the very good in our loved one far outweighs the not-so-good, and that the not-so-good is getting better every day – then we have a whole lot to be thankful for.
For example, instead of constantly reminding people of your spouse’s flaws (jokingly or otherwise), how wonderful would it be to remind them of all the things you love about your spouse? Or just taking the time to reflect and think about it from time to time – you will most likely think about so many things that you had even completely forgotten about… and I hope it will make you appreciate them even more.
Same thing goes for all the other people in our lives… in a nutshell, what happened that day reminded me to continually “value and give honor to whatever or whomever I have that is good”!!! It is a great exercise, believe me !
So today and by God’s grace always, I am valuing and giving honor to –
- My dear husband and #1 best friend (after God 
), who is amazingly such a perfect answer to prayers I prayed long before I met him . I am extremely thankful to God for this wonderful and ever delightful gift! & My dear children, who continually amaze and humble me. You all continue to teach me so much, every day – I am very grateful to God for this opportunity. I pray that our lives and our home will always give glory and honor to God. Amen. Much Love !
- My dear parents, who have always been there for me and who have always been such a great and practical example to me and my 5 sisters. My parents are so awesome ! We are all so truly blessed. My 5 (+x ) dear sisters, my God-given best friends, & My 3 (& counting!:)!) dear brothers – I’m very thankful God brought you into our lives…. Love you all very much. You are all a huge blessing to me !
- My dear in-laws – including my wonderful parents-in-law and siblings-in-law:),
My dear Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles, Cousins, Relatives, Friends-Like-Family, Old Friends, New Friends, Everyone that has shown me love one way or another – I thank God for every single one of you. From the bottom of my heart, I truly thank you all for being such handsome 
/beautiful people to me. I can’t believe how many different amazing people I am blessed to be connected to ! And I keep meeting more and more wonderful people almost every day! I feel very blessed, and I certainly do not take this for granted. Thank you .
Praying that your lives will be continually surrounded with much beauty and love. Praying that God’s sweet presence will ever be with every one of you, and that our lives will always radiate God’s love and goodness. Praying that we will all continue to support, strengthen, learn from, value, and give honor to each other – to the glory of our Father! Amen.
And most of all, I value and give honor to the One to whom all honor is due – God, my creator, my source, my all. The one who has no flaws, who is beautifully perfect. Even when we have questions, we can be assured that His love for us never ever wavers, and that He loves us more than we can even imagine. Thank God for God, right ?
Finally, I would like to share the entire song with you:
Oun ani lan’gbe laruge… (2x)
E ba mi gbe Jesu yi laruge… , [nitori..]
Oun a ni la’ngbe laruge…
Thanks for reading everyone – you are loved, valued and honored! And please, don’t forget to “value and give honor to whatever or whomever you have that is good”– starting with God !!!
Something else to think about –
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~ Marcel Proust
- See More Great Bible Verses & Quotes
Much Love & Blessings,
Bomi Jolly
Thanks Bomi! for sharing ! for encouraging! for putting smiles on our faces….for being a sharp knife that sharpens me! God bless….!
Thank you Bomi for this enriching edition. I missed your past ones and this particular one has compensated for the gap in your episodes. May God bless you for your spiritual and insightful writings.
Bomi this is BEAUTIFUL and thank you for reminding me to value the good people and things in my life. May it not be too late to value and honour the people in our lives…. Amen
@Toyin – Thank you thank you thank you, you know the feeling is certainly very mutual:)! God bless you!
@OA- Thanks so much. I’m so glad to hear that!! So sorry about the gap=). So glad to hear this is a compensation and I’m forgiven lol:)! Thank you for your very thoughtful and kind words & prayers… Amen. God bless you and yours:)!
@Aderonke – Thank you for that important reminder – it is so easy to assume we have all the time in the world isn’t it? Thanks so much for taking the time to read and share – very happy to hear it was good for you. Stay blessed=)!
Well said Bomi. It’s true we all do sometimes forget to appreciate what we have especially the people in our lives. Thanks for reminding us again how important they are to us and that God allowed them to be part of our lives for a reason just like this piece has reminded us to place value in people. Thank you. You are appreciated too.
Very nice… very true… thank you
Aww, so awesome! Last week a patient asked if I was married and without thinking I said “yes, and happily married at that! Infact if I wasn’t married to my husband, I would still want to be friends with him. That’s how much I like the kid!”… haha…I was quite surprised after the words left my lips. Thanks for this reminder. May the appreciation never cease and the wonder of knowing the people we love continue to amaze us!
@Yetunde – Absolutely! Thank you so much:)! Have a wonderful rest of the day… Much love to you and your family:).
@Orifie – Thank you very much – glad you liked it, appreciate it:)! Stay blessed.
@Maxine – I love that=)! aww!!! And I echo your very apt prayer — “May the appreciation never cease and the wonder of knowing the people we love continue to amaze us!.” – Amen!! Thank you very much Maxine!
We should value and give honor to whatever is ours that is good – Very good!
Your messages are always timely and very inspirational.
Thank you.
Hi Bomi,
You have been missed, your post are so inspiring and uplifting. This sure makes up for the gap, lol.
Hmmm that song brought back a lot of memories. Just like you to dig up something like that.
Have a great thanksgiving and regards to your family.
Buky
Thanks for this article, apart from reminding me to love the good things I have, you also reminded me that I should love those that God has sent to me the way they are and to love God without giving a thought about why I should. Just like the woman who acknowledged her husband’s handsomeness without a thought. That is how God should be to us…
@Tony – Thank you!:)! You should see the smile on my face. Thank God. and Thank you:)! lol!
@Buky – Yay:)! Thanks… My sincere apologies for the wait…. Thank you because I know you have forgiven me:)! lol. Have a great thanksgiving too Buky!! Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving and beyond. I pray we are always in a “thanksgiving” mode – way beyond thanksgiving:)! So much to be thankful for.
@Izebhokhae – Thanks so much for taking the time to share that reminder! May we always remember to love and acknowledge God, as well as others, without having to give much thought to it. That it will always come so naturally us…Thank you!
Bomi dearie,jst as u said smtms we get too familiar with ppl and so do not attach any importance or relevance to them.
Thanks for thhis reminder and I’m sure placing more value on ppl can surely make the world a better place.
Thanks sweetheart.
I am particularly thrilled on the way you brought up the place of family whether immediate nuclear one OR our extended one.
it is a piece that nurtures that has a soft spot for family value(s).
keep up the good work Sister.
bomi , am so loving this , thank you for bringing it into our minds that we should value people , God has brought into our lives. you are blessed.
@Tomi – Absolutely – like you, I believe we will all be better off for it – reminds me of this quote – “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” ~ Mother Teresa. Not sure how true that is exactly, but I think the message is very clear. We all need it and we are all the better for it. Thank you very much Tomi:)!
@Bola – Oh yes:) – family family family. So important. Was just having a conversation about family with my 5yr old the other day. Ah – that’s the topic of another post haha!:)! Thank you very much:)!
@Tolulope – Thanks so much, very glad this was good for you! Thank you. Stay blessed=)!
Thanks for this reminder.
i speak yoruba more reflexively than igbo…but ideeply love songs in nigerian language. unfortunately, i dont always know the meaning of what i’m singing but i sing anyways. this is one such song. thanks 4 d insight-now anytime i sing the song, i’d add appreciating u as part of it. You are doing a great job dear.
Nyc one Bomi,truly oun ani… I most especially love how u dressed ur husband wit dat garment of praise… Mo jealous.. Lol.. Ur boys r growin so fast o. Adupe lowo Olorun… Sur dy wld soon begin to ask 4 a baby sister!! Lol… Yes ooo,we must appreciate every1 ard us especially our gud friends,parents,siblings and even our pets… And mostly importantantly our CREATOR.. Oun ani lan naa ni o.. U can only appreciate wot u av… And i must mention dat i appreciate and love not only ur name,ur surprise calls,ur inbox msgs…but appreciate ur PERSON as well.. Tnx 4 bin a frend.. Constant lv…
@Kemi – You are very welcome – Thank you much:)!
@Onyi – lol.. aww thank you:)! I know what you mean about singing some songs just because – even though u don’t know what they mean! lol! I know some Ibo songs like that too, and some songs in Swahili/other African languages. I sing them cos they are sweet to my ears but I’m not entirely sure what they mean – I just have an idea! lol! Happy to have been of service – I love Yoruba and I will be very happy to translate any other songs that come to mind! Just let me know
! haha:)! Thanks a lot Onyi.
@Kinkimo – lol!! Thanks for the prayers and the very encouraging words.. Thanks for being a friend too – I appreciate you – you are one of a kind:)! Thanks dear. God bless you:)! And yes, our pets – So true – we should appreciate our pets too!! I don’t have a pet now but we had a dog when I was little – I know how faithful pets can be!:)! As for a baby sister – they already have one – My sister’s little girl:D. lolxx
hunm so so true, its so easy to forget and appreciate people in our lives,( and oh by the way wonderful write up lifted and cheered me up!!!.) To all my friends i love you all to BITS!!!! (BIG HUGSSSSSSSSSS)
Beautiful!!! XO
Thanks alot for this inspiring message.it has thought me a lot with regards to apreciating every1 around.most importantly I’ll like to thank God 4 u cos u have been an inspiration to us all. May God continue to bless u.Amen
@Ade – Sending Sega Mega Big ((((HUGSSSSSS:))) to you too!:)! Have a great evening – very glad to hear this lifted/cheered you up! Keep smiling and stay in God’s love. God bless!:)!
@Anonymous – Many many thanks:)!! xx
@Christy – Thank you, thank you very much Christy for your very kind and encouraging words and prayers. So good to know this was good for you. God bless you too!:)!
I am convicted… and very appreciative for your words of wisdom. It takes continual exercise in this area to get good at this ‘unconditional appreciation’ thing but it is well worth the effort.
Thanks Bomi.
Bomi love! Missed you! Been a while and thank you once again for this enriching piece! I smiled when I read what the lady said. I like her spirit! I guess having a heart of gratitude and and a spirit of contentment is key. All our relationships, either good or well, not so good
have played a part in shaping who we are today. So here goes my own thanks to God, family & friends including wonderful Bomi 
Stay blessed.
Bomi once again, thank you for another wonderful insightful topic, welcome back, I have missed reading ur wonderful and inspiring posting.
Thank you for reminding me to appreciate does people around me, especially my family, you know most time we are so used to having them around us that we stop appreciating them. May God give us the grace to stop taking our love ones for granted.
@Victor – Yes, I couldn’t agree more – I think every single one of us needs this “continual exercise” of appreciating others, and just like physical exercise, the more we do it, the more it comes naturally to us=). And we’re all the better for it! Thank you very much Victor!:)!
@Abiola – Hellooo:)!! Love how you put it – “having a heart of gratitude and and a spirit of contentment is key.” And I agree 100% with you – All our relationships, either good or well, not so good have played a part in shaping who we are today. Absolutely… I was just thinking yesterday when I wrote this about a not-so-good relationship I encountered. I would certainly not want to re-live that in a million years lol, but I learned a lot from it and I can honestly say I am a much better person for it. And it has certainly played it’s part in shaping who I am…. I pray that whatever we face in life will help to mold us and shape us for the better, never break us. And may we ever have a heart of gratitude and contentment towards those things in our life that are good. Thanks again Abiola – I am certainly thankful for you:)! lol!:)! Stay blessed!
@Titi – Thank you so so much:)!! Thank you for taking the time to read and share as well it really means a lot. Yes ..so easy to fall into the familiar… especially with those that are closest to us i.e. family. I echo your prayer – Indeed, may we never take our love ones for granted. Thank you Titi:)!
Yes o, Bomi. Word!!! I thank God for being the Anchor of my Existence. My baby, my heart, you know every
Family, friends including Bomi, I appreciate you deeply. Thank you.
Hey Bomi, this seems to be the message for the season…letting the people in our lives know we place a value on them and not just assuming, ‘oh, he/she knows’… Like a message I heard about 2 weeks ago, when we treat our spouses, our children, our neighbours..the people around us generally like ROYALTY, we most certainly will bring out MORE of the ROYALTY in them. So to you, Bomi and all the lovely people I have been blessed to know and love, thank you for the light you bring into my life and world. You are God’s special gift to me!!!!! Love always….
beautiful piece … heartwarming… jst had a mild break up wif a friend who i felt was suddenly taking me for granted. if we are nt appreciated, i think we are not wanted …d past few days had me thinking and depressed that i sort of expect too much from friends…what you have just done without knowing it,Sis Bomi, is show me that am perfectly normal to want to be loved and appreciated …thank you…i feel so good right now.
@Tola – I too, thank God for being the Anchor of my Existence. .. love that:)! Thank you very much…you know you are positively and absolutely very much appreciated too:)! Thank you Tola!:)!
@Titilola – thank you for that extremely important reminder – “when we treat our spouses, our children, our neighbors..the people around us generally like ROYALTY, we most certainly will bring out MORE of the ROYALTY in them. “ – I hope we all always remember – So even when the royalty is not 100% lol, it will continue to move in that positive direction when we continue to treat our loved ones accordingly – and vice versa:)! Love it. I hope we always remember that. Thank you very much Titilola!! Much love!!
@Sam – So sorry to hear about you/your friend… oh you are perfectly normal based on this desire, I know that for sure lol! I think we all definitely need to be loved and appreciated – it’s a basic need within each of us. Could you possibly consider giving your friendship/relationship a second chance, or at least telling them how you feel? Moving forward, things could be very different once you guys talk….. please think about it
! Thanks Sam for sharing, God bless:)!
Please tell me. what is the source of your joy. your write-ups always bubble with contagious excitement. do you ever have issues you struggle with that weigh you down? I so want the joy that you have!
Great write-up…it has been quite a while! This is a very good pick-me-up on an evening where I’m sooo tired & have been snapping at everyone! I really do love and appreciate my family, and do try to show/say it often.
Thanks for this delightful and insightful reminder. Keep up the good work & remain blessed dear.
i accidentally came across this piece..love it..God bless u n urs.
@Sofiya – You should see the huge smile on my face right now haha!! I am more than happy to tell you – thanks so much for asking! To answer your specific question: without a doubt – God is the source of my joy! Absolutely and totally. But Sofiya, I would really like for you to read, whenever you get a chance, the following article: Finding Joy & Staying Joyful. It contains 12 practical tips on how to stay joyful – I can honestly tell you that they are all working for me! Please check it out whenever you have a minute. If you have any questions/want to chat some more, please feel free to email me anytime – via here (see links to my email on the sidebar) or on facebook. Thank you Sofiya! Have a very blessed day:)!
@Eno – Thanks a lot:)! I’m very pleased to hear this helped cheer you up and lift your spirits:). I know what you mean – I’m certainly not my best when I’m really tired too lol. Glad this helped, and I am really glad to hear you show your appreciation to your family – it’s a great exercise, may we always remember:)! Thank you very much once again Eno. I hope you had a restful night, and I hope you have a restful weekend too:)! Much love to your family – Stay blessed:)!
@Wumi – Many many thanks – Glad you found JollyNotes:)! Please come again:)! Thank you for your very kind words. God bless you and yours too…Enjoy the rest of your day and your weekend too:)! Thanks.
OMG! this is really so beautiful I just can’t stop singing that song: oun ani lan’gbe laruge 2x e ba mi gbe Jesu yi laruge, oun ani lan’gbe laruge. lol its a beautiful song really. thank you so much bomi. may the good Lord continue to bless u and your wonderful home.
Do thank God for Jollynotes, for Bomi and her lovely family. for my life, parents, siblings and friends. for my future spouse, cant wait to meet her!
I can lol…. see, I am waiting.
wonderful of you to share this.., great article, very useful for me…thanks!
@Stella – lol! I had kinda sorta forgotten about this song until this happened… since then, I’ve been singing it almost every day with this goofy smile on my face lol!! Some days, the kids are looking @ me like “ok, what’s gotten into her?” lol! And other days, everyone sings along lol! I know what u mean, it’s truly a beautiful song… May we always remember to acknowledge and be thankful for “Oun Ani”…!! Thank you so very much Stella! Amen..! God bless you and all of yours too:)! Thanks!
@Nelson – And I in turn thank God for YOU:)! You are a blessing. I thank God for your life, your family, for facebook for allowing me to meet you
. And I Thank you for being who you are… can’t wait to meet your spouse too:)! Thank you Nelson…
@BRC – Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment! So glad to hear you found this useful. Thank you…Enjoy the rest of your day=)!
Beautiful piece…. Appreciation is very crucial to all the relationships in our lives and it goes without saying that no one will value what you have if you don’t value it yourself.
Thanx for this reminder.
What a beautiful reminder!
Thank you very much for sharing this, Bomi. I missed reading your notes and I’m so happy that you are back!
I thank God for you and for the love of God you carry and share with us.
Love you lots darling!
God bless you and your beautiful family richly!
Bomi, this beautifully inspiring piece is a wake up call for relationships@ every level. It is important to appreciate the people God brings into our lives and value them highly. It especially holds true for husbands and wives who tend to take each other for granted after a while of living together. In local parlance, it is, ‘sabi me finish’ syndrome. Thanks for this jolly inspiring note, more fire to your fingers as you type these jolly notes, more inspiration to ur mind. God bless you-i appreciate you too.
@Esther – Thanks a lot Esther for reading, and for sharing those useful words and reminders! May we always remember to value what we have and not take it for granted. Thanks Esther – Have a wonderful weekend, God bless:)!
@ Ope – doing the happy dance…lol! Thank you, thank you, thank you
!! Thank you for sharing the love of God with me too… Thank you very much!! Love you too!!! I truly thank God for all of you wonderful people he continues to surround me with=)!! I really agree with the quote – the wonderful people in our lives are “charming gardeners that make our souls blossom” – working with and for God of course 
! So thank you once again. Much love & blessings to you and all of yours!:)!
@Ivy – lol @”Sabi me finish” syndrome – had never heard the term but I love it! So apt! lol! Thank you very much for your extremely encouraging words and prayers. God bless you too:)!!!Have a wonderful weekend, love to your family!
Your write up is something lovely and inspirational, may God keep widomising and knowledgising you for us your lovers. Pls dont be curious about these words being used here, these were some of the words the Oyinbos forgot when writing the dictionary.
Your write up is something lovely and inspirational, may God keep widomising and knowledgising you for us your lovers. Pls dont be curious about these words being used here, these were some of the words the Oyinbos forgot when writing the dictionary.
You’ve really been a blessing, more than you could fathom…and anytime you talk of your children or hubby, you make me whisper a word of prayer to God…lol.
Thanks for your inspiring note as usual.
…nani nani nani oun ani la n nani. Mo nani wura mi owon, yeye mi, mo nani egbon mi, awon ore mi, ololufe ti olorun ti seto fun mi, ati awon omo ti olorun yio fi jinki mi.
It’s so easy to take people for granted & to focus on the negatives rather the positives. A great reminder to take the time to think of those positives & to be thankful for those He’s placed in our lives. Great post!
@Tolani – I’m laughing but definitely saying Amen @ “Wisdomising” and “Knowledgising”!!!
! Amen. Thank you very much – much appreciated – glad you found this useful! Stay blessed.
@Mary – lol…Thank you so much:). Amen to all your prayers… the last part made me smile!! Thanks a lot Mary! Enjoy….
@Anahid – Yes! Exactly!! Thank you very much Anahid – pleased this was a useful/good reminder for you. Have a great rest of the week=)! Thanks.
I love your notes, they are so positive and uplifting ….I’m still catching up, on to the next one and keep them coming.
Thanks