Familiar stranger

How come the man that I love is this familiar stranger now?

This man that I live with, that I sleep with, is a familiar stranger now

Even he looks at me, I can tell he’s faraway, he is this familiar stranger now

He says he is with me but he’s not the man I know.

He’s a familiar stranger now



This is the hook ‘Familiar stranger’, a song I wrote a couple of years ago. It is actually better sung than read like some songs.

I wrote the song when I witnessed a classic love story go so so wrong because the guy simply…..changed.

The young woman was heartbroken. They had been high school sweethearts and everybody believed they were made for each other. He went away to college. She stayed behind and worked as a makeup artist. He came back and they got back together. He was her angel. He respected, adored and loved her. They got married some years later, he got a job and life was sweet. They had two lovely boys. Life was beautiful. Then bam! He just….changed.

That was just what happened. She swore with tears running down her cheeks that he was not the man she married. Jude can’t be responsible for her black eye. He wouldn’t hurt a fly let alone the woman he loved. He wouldn’t yell and spank their sons for nothing. He had cried tears of joy when they were born. It just wasn’t Jude. Anne was sure of that.

Yes. People do change consciously and sometimes, without even knowing it. But it is indeed the hardest when it is the man you went to the altar with, adopted his name and had kids with that just stopped being who you knew and came to love. You decided to go to the altar with him, adopt his name and have kids with when you could just live your life on a roller coaster without being really responsible for a whole lot like a husband and kids. And he changed!? Not good!

Well, life throws a lot of sh… stuff at us. We don’t have any choice but to find the warrior and survivor in us to be able to scale through. So whatever it is darling, just do your best; your very best so you can be able to proudly say “I tried all I could” without having a fatal case of ‘the conscience thing’

And really guys, sometimes the best and only thing to do is to walk away.



Lily Johnson

Your very own love cards

I just want to share this simple Valentine’s day idea of mine. By now you must know that you have to look really good and smell good too.


So you have to get a fine dress for the evening making sure it suits your body type yet flatters your best assets. Give the LBD a break and go for some color.

I love perfumes and we all know that a good one often gets us what we want with who we want. Dab on something sexy but mysterious. Or any one that works for you.

Make up should be carefully applied. Just do your thing; smoky eyes, red luscious lips. Just ‘wow’ him.

Now, my idea. It is simple and it is what Valentine’s day is all about. The word ‘love’

Three beautiful little white cards

Three languages

Three different locations

One sentence.

Write the words “I love you” in three different languages in each card and put them in three places you are sure he would find them.

I would write: (without the words in the bracket)

Ahuru m gi n’anya (Language of the Ibo tribe of Nigeria)

Je t’aime (one of the few sentences I can say in French)

I love you

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Simple isn’t it? Yes I know.

And if you are currently single and loving it, put the little white cards where you would find them. After all, loving yourself is the greatest love of all.

But I am sure that there is someone in your life that deserves these white cards and all the love you can give.

Have fun people!

Thanks to Zazzle.com for the pic.


Lily Johnson.