Jayne Whyte's Portfolio

It been days now that I woke up to this sad news; vibrant BBC Focus on Africa presenter Komla Dumor had died in his home in London precisely on January 18, 2014. He was just 41…..really sad. A lot about life…. who we are, what we are and what we should do with our lives while we own it has got me thinking not just thinking this time but also acting.
This morning, I saw this post that was written by Komla himself before he died on his facebook page and he wrote;

God has been v good to me.,last year I experienced a lot of illness ..my BP nearly gave me a stroke but I trod on..waking up at 2am and heading to work..exhausted sometimes..aching in my body a soul..mentally and emotionally drained ..but I kept going ..I smiled for the camera..I volunteered for extra shifts ..I showed respect to my colleagues from directors to the security guards..I took a lot of jealousy driven vicious insults and backstabbing  from petty people without reply..I remain silent in my personal strife and misery..I kept smiling and pushing on to present better and to engage w my audience and increase my following.,long days and frustrating times..but I kept going..through the west gate mall coverage through the Mandela funeral..even when illness had me collapsing I delivered..today my boss the head of television called me for a 1 minute meeting..he said Komla we have decided to make you the anchor presenter for our coverage of the World Cup in Brazil ..we shook hands and I left..I looked to the sky and said thank you Lord for reminding me that you are on my side ..the enemy will be scattered..Selah!Selah! Praise Him..tomorrow is another day.

Honestly, this post spoke to me. These past months have been very trying for me especially with my career, my colleagues, my passion and I have had only God and close family members who basically gave and still giving me their prayers and support.
God said I am his heir and He reminds me of that everyday. And so, apart from being the woman I am, the ‘less talk-more-doer’ person and the personality I carry, I also feel like I am a celebrity of some sort…..and yes, I have found myself!
One of the things I enjoy doing is impacting lives and changing the status quo. Most women I know may not find impacting lives or rather sharing experiences and knowledge, a good thing to do because they don’t want to share ideas or else they think it will be “stolen” but its a good and enriching way of learning, building stronger relationships and encouraging people to see other views other than theirs……depending on the subject.
Komla may have gone to be with the Lord but he has taught me to be the best I can be in what I do, to always smile and be nice to everyone I meet…..life is just too short to hurt anyone and; enjoy all the beautiful gifts God has given me; my family, my friends, colleagues, nanny, cleaner, driver, blog fans……. and for all these and more coming, I am grateful.
Thank you Komla…..Take rest!