Some More Gratitude for October, 2015

“Replace Fear with Gratitude, and the whole world changes” 

Terri Guillemets    

The month of October began with few celebrations and in between there was also a feeling low phase; wherein I was not feeling ok with cough which seemed persistent, recurring and I did not want take any antibiotics if not required, so tried another alternative; a home remedy.

Thanks to my friend Neomi who gave a very useful recipe to deal with cough and it worked like magic for me. I am grateful to share this here: here goes the details for the home made Kshayam i.e., (syrup).

2 cups water boil with 1 medium onion chopped+1 table spoon of peppercorns + 1 table spoon jiggery+ 1 small piece thumb size ginger crushed.

Boil this cool strain and keep in fridge, keep making it hot and have throughout the day.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to be involved in Life Skill Education programme for 24 young Adolescent Girls [who are affected by HIV] in collaboration with, Global Organization for Development [G.O.D.]. in this month and it was such a pleasure interacting with them and being part of their learning process which also enriched me and brought in some newness in my routine, wherein I felt energetic at the end of the sessions.

I am also grateful and inspired by David my husband who patiently and cheerfully visits his mother every day and keeps a check on her well being; sometimes even cooks, feeds and helps her by providing all the medical help required as she is unable to move and manage independently.

Gratitude for the regular friends and neighbours who stay in touch by their phone  calls, visits, whatsapp and some times surprise us with some snack or a trial recipe; are a great blessing in life, they are reminders of Divine love for us.

For all the bloggers who share their gratitude and keep me encouraged and motivated, throughout the month and yes! Some times a whole year through…

Be Blessed & Be Happy J

 

Matru Mandir - Meditation Centre

Today as I got up early than usual, I had enough time to walk for few minutes, do some yogic stretches and also meditate for some time and pray. The weather in Hyderabad is pleasant, very cool and in the early hours it’s a great feeling to just close your eyes and sit in silence. As I spent my time in silence a few images came to my mind….. the images were from the places wherein I visited recently, i.e., Matru Mandir, a quiet place for meditation.  

Matrumandir

I was very keen that I visit Aurvelle and meditate in this place; unfortunately it did not happen due to various reasons. Still my desire to be in this place was so great that somehow I reached with the help of my friends, hired a private transport for a whole day and reached this place.

As soon as we reach there are volunteers who help us and guide us; the centre volunteers guide you to view a video about understanding the concept of human unity. There are also vehicles that take you to Matrumandir viewing point, it’s a km shaded walk from the main entrance. For those who are finding difficulty in walking can go by the bus provided by the centre. There is no entrance fee.

I was filled with awe and admiration… as the weather was very hot we preferred to go by the bus there were also two other families. The bus stops at a particular point and then we can walk around the place. In first thing I saw here was a huge banyan tree which is supposed to be 100 years old, this tree was fenced and its stood majestically with branches hung low and some of the branches have even become trees.

oldest Banyan Tree

In my eagerness I clicked a few pictures standing near the tree and also clicking the total tree which was so huge, so I had to move a bit far to get the complete picture of this tree. The whole place is green covered completely with trees, maintained neatly and I walked along with my daughter and friend. We stopped at the view point to see the Matrumandir, sat down for some time, and enjoyed the quietness, cool breeze – it’s a lovely place for a retreat and to meditate here would be a privilege.

closer to the meditation centre

We were there for some time and clicked a few pictures, went around this place ordered for lunch, there was variety of meals, healthy plate, for those who prefer to go raw and want to detoxify, then there was also mini meals, the regular south Indian thali and there is also non vegetarian for chicken lovers. We ordered differently to taste the variety and visited the shops wherein scented soaps, candle sticks, incense sticks, jewelry, clothes were sold.  

I liked this place and hope to visit and stay for a longer duration. For more information you may log on http://www.auroville.org

The beaches are a great attraction in this place and there are so many. The one we visited was the paradise beach, which has an entry ticket and you go by the boat to the beach that has a pickup and drop; you can spend the day till 5.30 p.m. this beach was beautiful, we had a great time in this place. The other one was the promenade which is amidst the city, and closer to the Aurobindo ashram.

On the way to paradise beach

There are also some very old churches; we visited a few and also a temple. The ice-cream parlor at the promenade beach is tempting, there are also interesting places to eat... we enjoyed the sea food at the Chettinad Restaurants and evening hours we preferred to have light south Indian Tiffin, like idly, dosa, chapatti, upma  as most the lunches were delayed and it was too full to again have dinner.

We also went around the city to the Sunday market; as I just love to walk around window shopping, buying nothing in particular... picked up only scented incense sticks for David as he uses it every day for prayer.

ice cream of different flavours

Fruit Salad

I am grateful for this break as it gave me some time to be away from work, daily routine of household chores and also to be away from everything that can be worrying and demanding too much of  my energy draining me out and killing the joy of living. This quote is just appropriate one to express what I feel deep within.

“Its very important that we re-learn the art of resting and relaxing. Not only does it help prevent onset of many illnesses that develop through chronic tension and worrying; it allows us to clear our minds, focus and find creative solutions to problems” Thich Nhat Hanh. 

Be Blessed & Be Happy!

A short break – at Puducherry

Gandhi statue

Promanede Beach 

It’s been a long dream to visit Puducherry (Pondicherry) and every time I attempted to plan for a visit – I always had some thing else come up; this year too I have been thinking and even made a plan with family in summer holidays, then again David could not make it as it was clashing with some of his work commitments.

The thought was always there and in my conversation I casually shared with my friend, and she agreed to come along and was highly motivated; as she has been a great devotee of Sri Aurobindo  and she showed all the quotes which she preserved in a small little booklet and had kept it safe till date.

So I had enough support as I was not alone in my desire to visit this place…. So my friend booked our tickets almost two months in advance and I was excited to spend some time in the ashram there and go around the beaches which are beautifully maintained.

Botanical Garden

Collection of seeds in the Garden

Some very special places to remember is the botanical garden; I love trees and enjoy surrounding myself with greenery… so this place was cool, breezy and well maintained with a small aquarium lighted and decorated beautifully, capturing the imagination of kids,  and another place where there were collection of seeds with botanical names and neatly stored and covered with glass, wherein we can see them.

Tree as old as 108 years 

I was fascinated by a tree there which is supposed to be 108 years old, as told by one of the care taker.

We went around this place and then we moved to Aurobindo Ashram, a quiet place and there were a lot of people walking into, photographs are not allowed; plenty of volunteers to guide you as you enter; we sat there for a while and meditated… the place was calm, we are not allowed to speak and tombstone of both Sr Aurobindo and Mother were decorated with beautiful flowers, rose petals and lighted with sandal wood agarbathis.

Pomegrade beach

Domus Dei where the mass is in French

The church is opposite to the Beach

They also sell books, images, key chains, scented soaps, perfumes, bags, t shirt, saree, etc for the visitors and those who interested to buy. I picked up a few books meditation, some scented incense sticks and perfumes.

I loved this place; and we travelled by the east coast bus which was a pleasant trip; cool, full of breeze and all around greenery. I enjoyed visiting all the places that I wanted to went around visiting different places.

There are a few more places we visited almost all the places in pondicherry, shall write about it in my next post.

My Gratitude List!

I am Grateful for:

My visit to Pondicherry, a dream come true and the opportunity I found in visiting Aurobindo Ashram, Aurvelle, botanical garden and the lovely beaches surrounding this place.. .. Good food and a relaxed atmosphere with no work; out of the routine... and caring friends.

For my thoughtful  husband who takes additional responsibilities when we are out of town, and for calling us every day to know our well being.

For my ability to deal and manage stressful moments by diffusing it through yoga, meditation, positive affirmations and practising gratitude..

For the generosity of my friend who helped me in my travel plans, booking the tickets well in advance; and also kept in touch with me throughout my travel till I reached home.

For a small gathering of college mates for lunch; grateful for the effort one friend took in preparing a special meals for all of us; the time we spent in singing old, funny songs, playing simple childish games and reliving memorable moments of our college days.

For the gift of my mother as I recalled her birthday on the 25^th October, 2015 visualizing her charming face and a beautiful smile and a great sense of humor… felt so blessed to have had her in my life and praying for her soul.

For the doctors and physiotherapist who are treating my mother in law for a hairline fracture, who have been kind to even make home visits, sometimes at odd hours.

For the tailor who gets all my clothes stitched and delivers on time

Inspiring post from wonderful bloggers who never cease to amaze me.... … have always loved their posts, there are so many and I am also glad to connect with them, and also for the timely reminders I get to make this list.

Be Blessed & Be Happy!

Happy Birthday Mother !

My mother Rosemary Dass

Today is my mother’s birthday! A day that  brings to my memories all the beautiful moments I enjoyed her presence….her visits to my place are still fresh in my mind. The little things that she did with great love is unforgettable…. There was always a special bond between me and my mom. 

My mom & my daughter

She was very simple, approachable and loved to dress up!  She Loved cooking and serving without getting tired; she liked to socialize, and would be ready to meet people.  She was very kind and compassionate, was always generous with whatever she had.

My mom & my daughter

She trusted God till the end of her journey; she also trusted everyone around her blindly… she had a very good sense of humor, ever smiling and cheerful.

Recalling some special moments with gratitude !!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM ! I  LOVE YOU !!

15 Years of Married Life!

smiling at my friends 

Today I complete 15 years of married life and I want to look at these years with gratitude, not because we are perfect couple. Rather imperfect but at the same time we had the courage to stay together despite all the differences we had and we still have, for each  of us are so very unique and different in our thinking, our tastes, likes, dislikes, habits and hobbies  ..Yet there is one common factor that has kept us together is our faith in God and our trust in one another.

St Cecilia's church, 13.10.1999

There has been challenging situations wherein we could have just given up and found our own paths. .. Thanks to our friends, well wishers and of course prayers that always helped us to re think about our choices and  to give ourselves another chance... like in every other joint and extended families we too have had the drama queens and kings who tried to drag us into making our lives into a feature film, creating great stories to sell and entertain themselves. We are grateful to God for the ability to see the toxic being generated due to jealousy and unhappiness that exist in their own lives.

with Fr Peter Devaraj

We are glad to have trusted ourselves and our own instincts to stay together; sing along the praises of God and continue our journey of faith in gratitude to what the future holds for us. So today I am glad and I appreciate David for all that he is to me and our family. Fifteen years is a long period and has gone so swiftly… I felt like penning down 15 learnings of my married life with gratitude:

15 learnings for 15 years of married life:

1. Appreciate the positive side of each other and have an attitude of gratitude
2. Accept the weaknesses; never attempt to change the person; some basic traits will always remain
3. Trust one another, its greater than love… it’s better to have a person who trusts you than to have persons who says he loves you and is constantly trying to keep a check on you.
4. Pray for one another;
5. Send vibrations of peace, love and harmony to each other
6. Support one another at all times
7. Do not talk ill of each other; let go of the past; what is important is the present and believe in the best.
8. Encourage one another in your respective work
9. Respect each other
10. Giving enough space to pursue what each wants to –whether education, career or anything else that promotes and fosters growth as individuals.
11. Laugh loudly and always keep smiling
12. Create your own circle of relationships that brings in positive energy, promotes unity and fellowship among one another.
13. Counting your blessings … breathe and feel alive.
14. Let go of what we cannot control...  be aware and keep calm
15. Practice kindness and be calm

Feeling blessed & grateful !

Gratitude Link up for October, 2015

Here goes my list:

       I am thankful for my good health, feeling so much better after recovering from severe cold, cough and congestion.

Oregano

Thankful for the herbal leaves that is easily available for dealing with congestion, thank the gardener for sharing this plant with us. Today we have this plant in our pot, and has beautifully grown with plenty of leaves.

Thankful for my daughter for making the curry and giving me a small break in the kitchen.she took the effort of buying the chicken, and spent time mixing and marinating, before she started to make this curry.  I was so impressed that I clicked this photo..

Dorothy ready to make the curry

I am thankful to a professor who despite his busy schedule has agreed to help me and my friend to look at our data for analysis on stress and substance abuse which we need to present for a seminar.

I am thankful for some very lovely songs from Christian groups on whatsapp …... Bringing back the spark, motivating me to learn some new songs, and enjoy singing.

Thankful for a few great relationships – my two nephews Sunny and Sam for always staying in touch and for their love and care.

For the long conversations I have with my college mates.

Good friends in the neighbourhood for all the laughter and fun we have in the evening hours when we return back from our respective work places.

Thankful for this exercise … keeps me positive and happy!! Appreciating Laurel @ www.alphabetsalad.com

 Be Blessed & Be Happy!

Ten things to be Thankful for!

Thankfulness helps us brighten up !!

1. I am thankful for the gift of breath…  have been having cold and cough and what better time to understand the value of breath
2. Thankful for my  colleagues at my work place, for their understanding and support, giving me the required space to take a break
3. Thankful to the YWCA (Young women Christian association) for the trust and confidence in me to take on leadership position.
4. Thankful for my ability and capacity to be able to do all the household chores despite not having a maid.
5. Thankful for my husband for the care and concern to be able to take charge of the work at home.
6. Thanks to all the inspiring and motivating bloggers who help me nurture the attitude of being grateful… there are so many of them…
7. I am thankful to the students who trust me; and share the most sensitive and deepest issues..
8. I am thankful for the opportunity to co author a research paper on stress and substance abuse.. which will be presented for International Seminar on Stress Management scheduled for November, 2015.
9. I am grateful for all those who are helping m in the process in design, collection of  data, analysis  ...
10.  I am glad for this opportunity to post this list as I have been resting today, recouping myself quietly, and feeling so much better doing this exercise….

Be Blessed & Be Happy!