Saballys & Striker Ebrima Bojang

 My beloved boys, I was billed to deliver a speech on Thanks Giving Day as part of the Hosea Feed the Hungry Program, November 23, 2006 at Turner Field, Atlanta Georgia, but poor coordination on the part of the planners robbed me of my slot to speak to the future of black America. Going through my soft files this week I came across this script which, I herewith transmit to you, and to all children in a letter that I do hope you will keep and live.

Message: “Give Thanks, Dream Big and Have Faith”!

First: let’s give thanks for what God has been doing for us and what He is doing for us; thank God for making it possible for you to be breathing right now!

You see many times we overlook the great blessings in our life. So once in a while you need to sit down and count your blessings. I was impressed by NBA star Shaquille O’Neal when he was asked what he was going to do on his birthday; “am going to thank God for the blessings in my life…in fact every day is my birthday”! Yes, why can’t you treat everyday as your birthday? 

Muhammad, you once sang me the following rhyme:

Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the sky

And then I said to you: Son I want to share with you, nay with all children, black white or brown, the promise that is held in the rhyme you sang for me. Now listen for I shall tell you something that if you will hold on to tenaciously, success will be yours now and forever, by the grace of God.

That ‘star’ that you wonder about in that rhyme is none but YOU. YOU are that star that is “up above the world so high”. You are born to be a star. Every child is born to be a star.

You are that giant star hanging out there in the sky waiting to be full blown when you come of age. In the Desiderata you are told this great fact. Consider the author to be speaking directly to YOU; yes no one but YOU. Says the great mind

you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here.

Yes, that’s right, what the author says is indeed true for you are “no less than the trees and the stars”. You are truly that star twinkling “up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky”.

Just a word of caution, knowing that you are that star should be tempered with that inner awareness to be, as the author of the Desiderata puts it “without surrender be on good terms with all people”. This is the attitude that will endear you to God and man. You must be humble. To be humble does not mean to be timid. You need self-confidence to succeed in any area of your life. Only that you must distinguish the thin line that divides this fine quality from the evil of arrogance (and undue pride), which is the mother of all sins. This is why, in one of my poems I wrote:

A fat head that raises you high Will tumble you down and crush your might

Be humble and wise, is great wisdom. Go out there with humility, yet be yourself and be bold in your journey in life. Search for your true passion, what you love most and develop your career in life along these lines.

You once told me that French soccer hero Zinedine Zidane is your star as you watched the last world cup.

Now let me tell you how Zidane came to be the world star that he is. He first wanted to be a star, looked for what makes him happy and found the answer in football. The multi-talented star who, I understand, is also a martial arts star, focused on football, mixing hard work with perseverance, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now upon my return from America, my first outing with you was to watch a football match as the Gambia’s Under 17 football team clashed with their Sierra Leonean counterparts. The Gambia won a decisive victory with star striker Ebrima Bojang scoring twice. You demanded that we take a picture with him. He has since risen higher as a mightier star in the global football firmament, becoming a millionaire and signing for a major European soccer team.

The Wright brothers dreamt of a machine that would fly. The world scoffed at them but they persevered with faith and flew with what is now called an airplane. They flew up above the world so high like a diamond in the sky.

Philip Emeagwali is one of the world’s greatest scientists. He is one of the people who invented the internet. He faced many problems in life as a child, and as a young man. He was a child soldier in Nigeria during a civil war. Yet he did not let that stop him from being a great star. He went to school, traveled abroad and made sure he attained the education that he needed.

Now he is a world star!

I see in you, and in all Gambia children and children of Africa and the world, stars in football, in basketball, in science and the arts. 

I once read the lyrics of a song by Fred Knipe:

That’s you

In your wildest dreams

Doing the wildest things

No one else can do.

If you

Just love and keep those dreams

The wildest dreams

You’ll make yourself come true

So I want you sing out loud: I am going to be a star because I was born to be a star!

But you can only be a star if you learn to behave well and avoid crime and all delinquent behavior. Stay in school and make sure you get the education that you need. You will be a star if you do what you love to do. Keep on working and never give up. You do not have to fear anything. God is always there for you.

There are problems in life but these problems, if you approach them with faith, will make you grow and become stronger and better. In spite of all the troubles, it is still a beautiful word. Be cheerful strive to be happy!

Remember always that LIFE IS GOOD. YES, LIFE IS GOOD BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS A GOOD GOD.

Always GIVE THANKS, DREAM BIG AND HAVE FAITH!

 Now here comes the golden voice and sweet melodies of our kora king, Jaliba Kuyateh:

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a step, so take your step children

Leading to your paradise

Leading to your paradise…

With Love

Fafa

By Momodou Sabally

Author, Instant Success