“Gratitude
is the currency we can mint for ourselves and spend without fear of Bankruptsy”
Fred De Witt.
November
began with my mother’s death anniversary, which was on 1st
November, 2003 and she was buried on 2nd November, All Souls Day
–significant days to recall - memories of her conversations, the last birthday
celebration at the hospital, the birth of my son after her death, wherein she
was optimistic and agreed to stay with me in the hospital for my confinement.
I did not want to feel
sad thinking about my mother but wanted to do something to keep her alive in my
heart storing all the good things about her and being grateful for everything
she has done for the family. She loved good food and was kind and generous – so
I cooked some fried rice, dal and chicken and shared it with those who were
around me and am glad I could get involved in small little acts of kindness in
her memory.
At the work front I got
into the routine of travelling to work almost every day; except for few days
wherein I was not feeling up to the mark; due to the change in weather I
developed allergy, severe cold, and cough with light temperature.
I feel blessed for David and Dorothy who are ready to take care of me; and help me with household chores. Which made me recover fast with lot of attention, and willingness to accommodate and adjust with the situation, of not been demanding but step in manage themselves and also help me simultaneously.
This month there were
students who called to thank and appreciate me; long distance calls always
makes me happy. There was one student who went home after her exams and called
me all way from North East only to thank me for the time I had given when she
was in the campus. There was another student who called me and updated me about
himself. He had come to me for counseling few years ago. He reminded me of his name and the issue he came with and told me that he got a
government job as a teacher and thanked me for the timely support.
I feel happy when I get
call from students and how they have moved on… there was also a session on
couple counseling and I had tough time handling as it was domestic violence and
the lady was suffering with two small kids. These kind of sessions makes me sad
and I wonder how much more time will it take for women to live dignity.
November is also
Domestic Violence Awareness month and there was an invite from an NGO to be
part of the panel discussions and I happily agreed as I too enjoy discussing
social issues.
I was glad to be on the Panel Discussions on Gender Based Violence
– Prevalence/Causes /Recourse was held on 28 November, 2020. There were
approximately 25 participants. There were 3 panelists who addressed Child
sexual abuse, adolescent issues and women facing violence. November being the
Domestic Violence awareness month, this webinar was relevant and I am glad that
I could participate in these forums and talk about Domestic Violence Prevalence, Causes and Recourse. There were other two panelist who focused on Child sexual abuse and Adolescents.
I was happy that my
close friend’s daughter delivered a baby girl and it was a normal delivery and
we were praying for them. My friend was worried because of the situation and in
the pandemic whether it would be safe and was constantly getting nervous and
asking us to keep praying for her daughter. It was such a joy to hear and see
the picture of the baby and everything turned out safe for both mother and
child.
There also so many
things coming to my mind; The regular supply of snacks, fruits, dates, anjeer,
cashew nuts, pista and a variety of sweets that never runs short is a huge
blessing and there is always something different and variety of food that we enjoy, sometimes David gets it and at other time some of our friends and extended family members who are thoughtful, I am grateful for these things.
I am grateful for the
service providers, despite the cold weather, they have been regularly collecting
garbage, there has been no power cuts which helped me work on my computer and
also attend all the virtual meetings without any problems.
I am eternally blessed
for the food on my table, a quiet place to rest at the end of the hard day’s
work and got up every single morning from my bed with thanksgiving in my heart.
Added to all the above,
my friends who connect with me often; find ways and means to ensure that some
how we have a common meeting, update one another and pray for one another. November
is also a month of Thanksgiving and its only fitting for me to do this post J
How was our November,
2020? Would love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading
my post; would appreciate to hear your thoughts.
I thank vidya
for initiating this process of forming a gratitude circle and inviting everyone
to share the monthly gratitude post.. If you are
interested in joining the Gratitude Circle:
Write
a gratitude post,
Add
the badge
Post
it on the last Thursday of the month and
Add
your link to the Gratitude Circle. https://vidyasury.com/
Be Happy & Be Blessed!
Your November sounds full and meaningful Genevive. It's lovely to keep the memories alive of your Mother by way of food which is of course nourishing, like the memories. Sorry to hear that you the flu and hope you're completely well. I too am always grateful for the many blessings in my life. All is well here, we travelled up from Plettenberg Bay to Johannesburg last week and it's lovely to be here seeing friends, plus seeing a few medical people for some non urgent check ups ..xx
ReplyDeleteHi Susan its such a pleasure to read your comment, thank you for your constant affirmations. I am much better now, due to COVID I am afraid of going out to the doctor. Luckily nothing serious, just had cold, cough and felt feverish but managed with home remedies. Glad to know that you have traveled up to Johannesburg to see friends and medical people, I love to travel, looking forward for the opportunity ... may be after 6 months, things may be better. Thanks again, appreciate you for stopping by and wishing you wellness, stay safe, Love and hugs:)
DeleteAlthough I am sad to hear about your cold/cough, I love how you have recalled all the wonderful things in your post, Janet. Indeed, when we lose those close to us, as the years pass, we tend to remember only the good things with gratitude. I too am grateful for technology that allows us to stay in touch with our friends, family and work activities. Take care of yourself my friend. Thank you for being part of the Gratitude Circle. Send you lots of love and wishing you a Merry Christmas and a fantastic year ahead!
ReplyDeleteThank you Vidya, feels so good to read your comment and thanks for all the affirmations. I am privileged to be part of the Gratitude circle and I look forward to connect with you, more than that you have disciplined me to focus, because of you I keep recording and writing everything so that i know at the end of the month it will be easy for me to post. I appreciate your wishes and support, thanks once again, hope you are in good health and wishing you a splendid year 2021. Take care, love and hugs.
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