The New Pope Francis had a Childhood Love

Some priests are born, and some are made, some fall in between. The new Pope Francis seems to be in the latter categories. As a young 12 year old, he had a crush on his class mate and sent her a love letter. Their puppy love became not so secret anymore when teachers discovered the note, and sent for the girl's parents. That girl is now 76 years old Amalia Damonte. She told newsmen,

...it was clear from the start that he was thinking about dedicating his life to God.

Damonte especially remembers a handwritten letter he left for her, because it got her into a lot of trouble at the time.

"I remember perfectly that he had drawn me a little white house, which had a red roof, and it said "this is what I'll buy when we marry."

She said he also told her "If I don't marry you, I'm going to be a priest."

"These were childish things, nothing more," she said.

So sweeet, reminds me of this short story - the secret love letter :)

Kate Middleton Wants a Boy, Prince William a Girl

People often ask pregnant couples, and the woman in particular whether their coming baby is a boy or a girl. And it's not much different when you're a royal it seems. Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, at an official St. Patrick's Day ceremony honoring the Irish Guards made the revelation to a soldier she was chatting with.

"I asked her 'do you know if it's a girl or boy?' and she said 'not yet,'" said Guardsman Lee Wheeler.
"She said 'I'd like to have a boy and William would like a girl.'"
Wheeler said the duchess told him the couple had not settled on names for the baby....

At the baby shower I attended, I also asked the celebrant the same question. She too didn't know, as they wanted to wait to find out at the birth. I know it's easy enough to find out and I sometimes wonder whether I'll like to know or not. I think curiosity will just kill me, so I'll go ahead and ask to know.

BTW, isn't it the other way around with the gender of the baby, women want girls to play dress up with, and the husbands want boys?

Chioma Nnani - Forever There For You [Author Interview]

Chioma Nnani is the author of Forever There For You, a Christian Fiction novel. She describes herself as a blood-washed, feisty, passionate God-chaser, born to tell stories, and very creatively too. She says she often shoots from the hip – mainly because she's still trying to pass classes in ‘tact and diplomacy’.

She holds a Law (LLB) degree from the University of Kent, Canterbury (in England). Of her stories, Chioma confesses they are character-driven, and she will obsessively look up, build, mix and match psychological profiles to get exactly the personality that will best deliver her message and touch her characters. She is a people-watcher, and draws writing inspiration from those around her, and their reactions to events. Enjoy our interview...

What inspires you to write?
This is going to sound really clichéd but I’m inspired by God, events, and people. Sometimes, I’ll get up really early because I have to write, so I can’t sleep. This would normally be between 1 and 3am – that time when you’re sleeping, but you’re not really sleeping. When I look back at some stuff that readers claim constitute some of my best work, I find that they tend to be the ones I’ve written during such periods.

Again, sometimes I’ll be reading the Bible, or listening to a pastor, or even praying, and I’ll get an idea that could range from really simple to pretty outrageous. I’ll jot it down, knowing fully well I’ll return to it later.
Also, sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a conversation with someone, or even hear something in passing that strikes me. I’ll park it in my mind, to be revisited at night, or even days, weeks, or months later. With some statements I hear, I just know that they will form the basis of future material.

My husband doesn’t want me to sleep in his room

I read this post and my mouth dropped open in shock. A lot of the comments were trending towards cultists, rituals, prayers, but my mind said no! This could just be an upbringing and personality thing. Maybe the guy just feels that being too close to his wife may bring disrespect to him from her. I also know that some traditional men who are close to their culture feel this way.

What actually baffled me more was how the lady never saw it while they were dating, is that possible? Does it mean the topic of how men treat their wives never came up? There's probably no easy marriage, but in my opinion, it's easier when the husband and wife can agree with each other's beliefs and personalities, no matter how wacky they may sound to outsiders. When there's a gap or they don't agree, things may quickly become sour like in the story below;

When my husband and I were dating we used to share his room and bed so I assumed after marriage we would share a room. But to my amazement, after a week, he told me to move my things into the next room. Even though the rooms have doors that link them together through the bathroom and toilet, I didn’t like the idea of sleeping on a separate bed from my husband at night.

Naeto C and Wife Celebrate Baby Shower in the US

Naeto C got married to his beautiful wife, Nicole, last year [see wedding pictures], and they are both currently in the United States as they prepare for the upcoming birth of their first child. Family and friends got together to throw them an intimate baby shower. I wish them a safe and healthy delivery.