God's Wings

 Today I am touched by this story, and I remind myself of this lovely psalm 91 !

May you be inspired too !

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.  One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.

When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast ...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

 

'He will cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you will find refuge.'

(Psalm 91:4)

What a  privilege to know that we are loved so much by God,  and this is definitely a powerful affirmation  one can practice  during times of  anxiety, fear and worry.   May these words comfort you  and bring you peace and harmony and empower you to make a difference in your life.

Let us Treasure every moment we have. !

 

Make Gratitude a Habit

This summer season we enjoyed eating a lot of mangoes, and this fruit is something that we everybody in the family enjoys.  Especially my daughter loves mangoes, and we always make sure, that we have enough of it at home for my daughter.

A few weeks ago, David’s friend brought some mangoes from his village, and sent it to our family; the mangoes were so delicious, that we had a good time enjoying the mangoes at home.  So for two days I was bringing mangoes for lunch at the office, and while I ate my lunch, I enjoyed every bit of the taste of these mangoes – while doing so, my thoughts wandered and a single thought  that came to my mind was, who is the person who sowed this mango seed ?

Who could have been the person who watered this tree  ? and took so good care, that I am enjoying this fruit. A strong feeling of thanksgiving swept my heart – here am I eating the fruit of a tree which I had not planted, neither have I watered and protected, and still I am enjoying this fruit,  that was waiting for me from all eternity.  The more I ate these mangoes, the greater was my feeling of gratitude, and it became so irresistible that I wanted to share what I was feeling, so I began to write.  

This made me think still further, does gratitude means just feeling grateful and thankful and enjoy of the fruit of somebody else’s labour, I said no in my heart, and questioned myself, what am I doing in my life, so that the coming generation may enjoy the fruit of my labour ? How often I take these things for granted, I consume rice, chapattis, vegetables, fruits etc… but never for a moment think  of the persons with thanks, who have labored ? – now this thought has made me sensitive, but also helped me made a choice in life.  

Never to take anyone and anything for granted, and to look for opportunities to invest some of my time in sowing seeds of kindness, without expecting anything in return. 

• Save water,
• Save energy,
• Protect plants, and if possible plant a tree
• Get vehicle checked for pollution, 
• Keep a check on my attitudes
• Be constantly positive in my thinking,
• Send vibrations of love, peace and joy not only to my family, friends, near and dear ones but also to the planet earth!

I accept with gratitude, whatever comes into my life, and now I make a choice to be aware of these simple blessings in life. 

As Thomas Merton says:

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.  For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience.  And that is what makes all the difference” 

Be Happy & Be Grateful!

 

Thinking of Nissi

Yesterday was Nissi’s birthday, Nissi is my niece and she is great companion for my daughter Dorothy, I loved Nissi’s visits to my house for one special reason because she always attracted Emmanuel to herself.  

She used to help me in feeding Emmanuel, and also play with him, and when he was sick in the hospital, she visited him every day to help him in feeding and used to spend time playing in a quiet way. 

I can never forget those days when Nissi and her mom would bring steamed food and dal for my son, and also lunch for me, while I stayed in the hospital for almost 10 days. 

Nissi is also a person of deep faith in God, and always prayed with us.  Our family was always inspired by way she prayed, especially at a time, when I found difficult to pray, with my husband with a broken knee and my son being sick – I had a tough time to handle myself. My brother Vincent would come with  Maria and Nissi in the evening hours and pray with us for David's speedy recovery and for  Emmanuel's fever.

And now I forgot to wish her for her birthday, with too many things to handle, I came home very tired from work – while I desired to rest a while and get back into the routine, my brother Vincent calls me to remind me of his daughter’s birthday, stating that Nissi is very upset as we have forgotten to call her, and she was crying that nobody had bothered to wish her on her 16 birthday.  She wanted her father to call all the family members.  Nissi is the only daughter for my brother, and she is in college, so Vincent called me and invited me and our family for dinner.

It was 5p.m, a very short notice to plan to go out, as it was also cloudy and then what should I give Nissi at this time of the day, what do I shop for her.  I did not want to go out, somehow in my heart I felt I must go, for she brought in memories of how well she connected to my son, and then Dorothy my daughter insisted we go for she enjoyed Nissi’s company.

In a short notice, while I am still thinking of getting a gift, Dorothy was ready with her gift, I found Dorothy making collage of Nissi – it was beautiful, I got it framed and Nissi loved it and told me, she felt special. We are glad for Nissi in our family and  with gratitude we went to her house to celebrate the gift of her !

One More Chance to Be Alive

Today I had to travel almost 20 kilometers on the bike, since I enjoy riding, I was happy to go and visit an ICTC centre for counseling supervision.  While I completed my work, and was returning to my office in the afternoon, I was hit by a heavy bike that  was speeding away  breaking the traffic rules.

Within a fraction of seconds, I saw myself  lying on the middle of the road with helmet on my head and vehicles passing all sides. I got up and tried to lift my bike  which was damaged partially, and thanks to an young adolescent who helped  me with the bike, meanwhile the cops too came and tried to help me start my bike.

For a moment I was shocked, and was shivering, the only thought that came to my mind was my daughter , tears started rolling down my eyes – I am not prepared to leave her young, she needs my support and I want her to be independent, to be living her life.  

I have no regrets for where I am in life, and what I am doing, I am happy for every experience that has shaped me and has kept me happy, healthy and grateful.  I took my bike to the mechanic shop and got it repaired immediately, and started riding again, to continue my work. I am thankful to God for the gift of life to me, I just had a narrow escape, and I could have been killed today!

This incident today has doubled my gratitude, I am thanking God a hundred times for preserving me and protecting me, there is not a single scratch on my body, I am safe and secure despite being hit and fallen on the road – I am beginning to understand that I have a limited time on this earth, therefore, It becomes extremely important to   focus on what is essential in life. 

This experience motivates me, to renew myself, and relook at the quality of my life, to reach my highest capacity, to love, give and make a difference to those around.  

Be Blessed & Be Happy!

.  

 

St Anthony of Padua

Today I am inspired by St. Anthony of Padua, one of the most famous disciples of St. Francis of Assisi. A famous preacher, doctor of the church and wonder worker, he is considered as the saint of the lost articles.

St Anthony is also our family saint, I remember my grandmother an ardent devotee of the saint, and I have seen her in early morning hours folding her hands with great devotion in invoking graces from him.  She used to tell us that he is a very powerful saint, and is known for his miracles and wonders during his life time, I have heard all the miracle stories of St Anthony from my grandmother.

My grandmother lost her husband at a young age in the second world war, and she  had a tough life raising up two children, She named  my mother Rosemary and her son Anthony Bob; she loved her children, and worked hard to settle them in  life, I recall her having her a small statue of St Anthony, where she prayed the novena every day, she instilled the same faith in my mother, who follower her with devotion.

My dad too was a great fan of St Anthony, he was found every Tuesday in St Anthony’s church, and used to bring the bread that was distributed at the church in the name of St Anthony, my dad too told us stories of how St Anthony helped him to find lost things, especially when he misplaced important documents, money or any other problem concerning his job or family.

My grand mother’s house has a chapel adjacent, which is named after St Anthony, after my grandmother’s death, my father used to visit the chapel every Tuesday and later on after retirement he would spend time in the chapel every day  in front of St Anthony’s statue and pray for  people  who used to come and ask him to say the novena for lost articles, jewelry, family problems, missing people.

Our neighbors used to visit my dad regularly for prayers, they would come to thank him for success in whatever they prayed for; with candles, bread and also appreciate him, my dad was called in their homes to say the novena to St Anthony and he would take this opportunity to share his faith.

And today my husband who is also named Anthony David is  a great devotee, while we are plan to visit the church as a family, I am filled with memorable moments and also inspired by my husband who has so much to talk  about this great saint. He visits the chapel every Tuesday and at home shares his experiences of how he overcame failures and disappointments in his life, through the intercession of St Anthony.

While I appreciate all my family members for their devotion, I too desire to learn something from the saint today, he was man of faith, who trusted god and did great things in his life time. While I go with my family to the church this evening, I am carrying the faith of my mom, dad, and grandmother. I feel thankful towards this saint who inspires millions of people all over the world.

Happy feast to all & specially to  those who bear the name of Anthony !

“Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft."
-St Anthony