Silence is Death
Silence is a room with no windows,
where thoughts knock and never get answered.
It is a tongue folded inward,
bleeding words it refused to release.
Silence is not peace—
it is the heavy kind of quiet
that sits on the chest like stone,
teaching the heart to forget its own rhythm.
It is the scream that never became sound,
the truth that died on the edge of a lip,
the apology never spoken,
the love never confessed,
the pain never named.
Silence is death in slow motion—
not the ending that arrives once,
but the one that keeps arriving daily,
each time you choose not to speak.
It grows in the corners of relationships,
feeds on unasked questions,
and becomes a graveyard of “I should have said…”
where voices go to rot in memory.
And yet, people call it strength,
as if drowning in yourself is noble,
as if swallowing fire
does not eventually burn the inside hollow.
But life was never meant to be muted.
Even the wind argues with the trees.
Even oceans refuse stillness.
So speak—
even if your voice shakes,
even if your truth costs comfort,
even if the world does not clap for it.
Because silence may look like safety,
but too often,
silence is simply death
wearing a calm face.
©® Coker Favour A.
May 11
May 11, 2026 at 3:21 PM UTC
Let Life Be
Let life be filled with peace even in difficult times.
Let life be guided by wisdom, kindness, and understanding.
Let life be a journey of purpose, where every step leads to growth and every challenge builds strength.
Let life be surrounded by love that never fades and hope that never dies.
Let life be brighter than yesterday and better than today.
Let life be full of open doors, endless opportunities, and victories over every struggle.
Let life be a source of joy to family, friends, and everyone we meet.
Let life be protected from harm, disappointment, and sorrow.
Let life be blessed with good health, happiness, and success.
Let life be a testimony of grace, faith, and perseverance.
Let life be meaningful, fruitful, and inspiring until the very end.
Amen.
©® Coker Favour A.
May 8
May 8, 2026 at 8:30 PM UTC
I Smiled Through It All—But I Was Falling Apart Inside
There’s a version of me everyone knew.
The one who laughed easily.
The one who showed up.
The one who always seemed… fine.
That version of me was convincing.
Maybe too convincing.
Because no one ever asked if I was okay.
---
It’s strange how easy it is to hide pain.
Not by lying…
…but by functioning.
By doing what’s expected.
By replying messages on time.
By showing up to places with a steady voice and a calm face.
You learn how to wear “I’m fine” like it’s part of your identity.
And after a while, people stop questioning it.
---
But what they don’t see…
is the silence after everything.
---
They don’t see the moments when the noise fades and it’s just you and your thoughts.
They don’t see how heavy your chest feels when you finally sit still.
They don’t hear the conversations you have with yourself late at night—
the ones filled with doubt, regret, and questions that never get answered.
---
I became an expert at holding things in.
Not because I wanted to…
but because I didn’t know where to put them.
---
You try to speak once… maybe twice.
And when people don’t really listen—
or they respond with surface-level words—
you start to feel like opening up is pointless.
So you stop.
---
And that’s how it begins.
---
You start dealing with everything alone.
The pressure.
The confusion.
The expectations.
You carry it quietly.
So quietly that even the people closest to you don’t notice how much you’re holding.
---
And the scary part?
You get used to it.
---
You get used to smiling when you don’t feel like it.
Used to saying “I’m good” without thinking.
Used to pushing through days that feel heavier than they should.
---
But pain doesn’t disappear just because it’s hidden.
It waits.
It builds.
It stretches itself into every corner of your life.
---
Until one day…
you feel it all at once.
---
Not in a dramatic breakdown.
Not in a way people would immediately notice.
But in a quiet moment where everything suddenly feels like too much.
---
You sit there…
and for the first time in a long time, you don’t have the energy to pretend anymore.
---
That moment is terrifying.
Because it forces you to face something you’ve been avoiding:
You’re not okay.
---
And for a while, I didn’t know what to do with that truth.
---
I had spent so much time being “strong” that I didn’t even know how to be honest with myself.
I didn’t know how to sit with my own emotions without trying to fix or ignore them.
---
But slowly… I started learning.
---
Not how to be perfect.
Not how to have everything figured out.
But how to be real.
---
I started admitting when I was tired.
Admitting when things hurt.
Admitting when I didn’t have the answers.
---
And something unexpected happened.
---
The weight didn’t disappear overnight…
but it became easier to carry.
---
Because I wasn’t fighting myself anymore.
---
I wasn’t pretending to be okay just to make others comfortable.
I wasn’t hiding behind a version of myself that didn’t exist.
---
I was just… being.
---
And that’s something we don’t talk about enough.
---
We praise strength.
We admire people who “hold it together.”
But we rarely talk about the cost of always being the strong one.
---
The truth is—
Strength isn’t always loud.
Sometimes, it looks like admitting you’re struggling.
Sometimes, it looks like slowing down when everything in you wants to keep running.
Sometimes, it looks like choosing honesty over image.
---
So if you’ve been smiling through everything…
If you’ve been carrying more than people realize…
If you’ve mastered the art of looking okay when you’re not—
---
You’re not alone.
---
And more importantly…
you don’t have to keep pretending.
---
You don’t have to have everything figured out.
You don’t have to be strong all the time.
You don’t have to carry everything by yourself.
---
It’s okay to pause.
It’s okay to feel.
It’s okay to be human.
---
Because at the end of the day…
being real will always be more powerful than being perfect.
---
And maybe…
just maybe…
the moment you stop pretending—
is the moment you finally start healing.
©® Coker Favour A.
May 8
May 8, 2026 at 2:33 AM UTC
"Before Christmas, I'll be back",
John said, and he departed.
He left his wife and his child
crying, alone at an empty home.
With other knights of the king
—his comrades— he marched,
"To the victory!", they shouted
and their horses ran.
Far, far away, they marched
looking for their enemy to die.
Only sad people were left
at the city, and every
wife, some with their children,
was alone at an empty home.
Weeks passed, and so did months—
the summer went away.
No letter came from the fierce knights,
no trace or sign of life.
The people at the city
no more did cry or weep—
they just tried to carry on
without their fierce knights near.
Then winter came, autumn was gone,
and each citizen was still
alone at an empty home.
Sad candles were lit on tables
on the 25th December
for the fierce knights were abroad.
No, they weren't back—some of them
never would.
Yet more months passed:
harvest, sow, harvest, sow.
Three years came and went,
three candles of sorrow in each house:
every Christmas, they were
alone at an empty home.
The fourth year, plague came—
but when it was gone
the knights were still abroad.
The fifth year, famine came—
more women died while waiting
than knights perished while fighting.
Some came back, deserters,
but no shame fell upon them.
In the city, people celebrated
that a few wives had
their husbands back.
But most didn't have them:
they were still
alone at an empty home.
With the sixth year almost passed,
a herald came:
"Our glorious knights have won,
through fierce battling, this long war.
They are coming back"
The herald spoke on the 1st December.
The 10th, from nearby cities,
notice arrived.
The 20th, when the sun was setting,
dust unsettled they saw.
The 24th, leading the march,
Sir John, fierce and glorious knight,
passed the doors.
With the fist raised,
he jumped down from his horse.
He ran towards his home,
and there he knocked the door.
His wife, with the experience
that the years of vainly expecting
had given her,
opened as if it were
a normal day.
But what she saw
was a knight —her knight—
right before Christmas.
May 8
May 8, 2026 at 2:30 AM UTC
HAPPY NURSING DAY
To the Hearts That Heal, the Hands That Comfort, and the Souls That Never Give Up
Every year, the world pauses to celebrate a group of people whose sacrifices often go unnoticed, whose pain is hidden behind warm smiles, and whose strength carries the lives of millions. Today is not just another day on the calendar—it is a day to honor the warriors in white, blue, and green. It is a day to celebrate compassion, courage, and humanity. It is Happy Nursing Day.
Nurses are not just hospital workers. They are guardians of hope. They are the silent fighters who stand between life and death while carrying burdens that many people may never truly understand. When fear fills a hospital room, a nurse walks in with reassurance. When patients feel abandoned by the world, a nurse becomes family. When pain becomes unbearable, a nurse offers comfort even while silently battling personal struggles.
Behind every successful surgery, every recovering patient, every newborn cry, and every healed wound, there is often a nurse who gave their time, energy, and sleep to make it possible.
People usually remember the doctor who performed an operation, but many forget the nurse who stayed awake all night monitoring the patient’s heartbeat. Many celebrate recovery without realizing that a nurse was changing bandages, giving medications, cleaning wounds, and speaking words of encouragement when the patient felt like giving up.
Nursing is more than a profession. It is a calling. Not everyone can endure the emotional and physical demands that come with caring for sick people every day. Nurses witness tears, trauma, emergencies, and sometimes death, yet they continue to show up every single day with strength in their hearts.
Imagine working long shifts without proper rest. Imagine standing for hours while attending to patients. Imagine carrying the emotions of countless families while still trying to remain strong. That is the life of many nurses around the world. Yet despite the exhaustion, they still choose kindness. They still choose service. They still choose humanity.
A nurse may skip meals to attend to an emergency. A nurse may ignore personal discomfort just to ensure a patient is stable. A nurse may smile warmly even when their own heart is heavy. That level of sacrifice cannot be measured by salary alone. It is powered by compassion.
During difficult times in history—disease outbreaks, pandemics, accidents, wars, and disasters—nurses have always been among the bravest people on the frontlines. While others ran away from danger, nurses moved closer to it because someone needed help. They risked their health to save strangers. They comforted patients isolated from their families. They became the emotional support system for people who felt alone.
That is true heroism.
Nurses are also teachers. They educate patients about health, guide families through difficult moments, and help communities understand how to stay safe and healthy. They are counselors to the depressed, listeners to the worried, and motivators to the weak.
A child who fears injections may find courage because of a nurse’s gentle words. An elderly patient may feel less lonely because a nurse sat beside them for a few minutes. A mother in labor may find strength because a nurse encouraged her not to give up. These moments may seem small, but they change lives forever.
Sometimes society forgets to appreciate nurses enough. Many work under pressure, face emotional stress, and still remain dedicated to saving lives. Yet they continue because they understand the value of human life. They understand that every patient is someone’s child, parent, sibling, or loved one.
Today, as we celebrate Nursing Day, we are not merely celebrating uniforms or hospital duties. We are celebrating love in action. We are celebrating people who have chosen to care for humanity even when the job becomes difficult.
To every nurse reading this:
Thank you for every sleepless night.
Thank you for every emergency you handled bravely.
Thank you for every patient you comforted.
Thank you for every life you helped save.
Thank you for choosing compassion in a world that sometimes lacks it.
Your work matters more than words can explain.
You are the calm voice in moments of panic.
You are the light patients search for in dark moments.
You are the bridge between fear and hope.
You are proof that kindness can heal.
Even when people forget to say it, never forget this truth: the world is better because of nurses.
Happy Nursing Day to every nurse across the globe—the experienced ones, the newly trained ones, the student nurses struggling through long lectures and clinicals, and the retired nurses who spent years serving humanity. Your sacrifices are seen. Your dedication is appreciated. Your impact is unforgettable.
May your strength never fail.
May your kindness return to you in abundance.
May your sacrifices never go unrewarded.
And may you continue to inspire the world with your courage and compassion.
Because nurses do not simply treat patients.
They heal hearts, restore hope, and remind humanity that love still exists.
HAPPY NURSING DAY!
©® Coker Favour A.
May 8
May 8, 2026 at 2:28 AM UTC