The
qualification that gave you a job, is the same qualification someone has who
still does not have a job and is going from pillar to post. BE GRATEFUL
The prayer that God answered for you and showered you with his grace, is the same prayer others have been praying but without success for years. BE GRATEFUL
The road you use safely on a daily basis to travel, is the same road where many others have lost their precious lives. BE GRATEFUL
The
temple in which God blessed you, is the same temple other people too worship
in, yet their lives are still in disharmony. BE GRATEFUL
The
bed you used in the hospital when you were sick and you got healed and were
discharged, is the same bed many other people breathed their last. BE
GRATEFUL.
The
rain that made your field produce good crops, is the same rain that devastated
someone else’s field and left them shocked. BE GRATEFUL.
The
rich man enjoyed his day with all his riches in his big luxurious house, and
the poor man across the street lost all his belongings as he saw his old house
crumbling. BE GRATEFUL.
Be grateful because whatever you have is not by your power, your talent or your qualifications but it is just the ‘Grace of God’. HE is the giver and the sustainer of everything you have. BE GRATEFUL for everything you have.Wake up to a fresh new day with a heart full of love and thankfulness.……….
I was given this picture made by Robin Molin-Bird’s Eye View by my friend from scribeforlove.wordpress.com, Zaza who always encourages and motivates me to write a poem from her beautiful Haikus and this time I have have written a small story seeing this picture. Hope my blogger friends would like the story of my imagination. It goes like this:
Sam and Dan were best friends and they had set out on a voyage to far off lands. One day the sea was very rough and there was a lot of turbulence with the waves lashing like mad on their small ship. They had no other chance but to land on an island, till the sea was again calm and composed. In all this storm and chaos, Sam could see a landmass from his binoculars and said to Dan, “I can very faintly see a kind of a land some distance away. We will go and drop anchor on the shores and wait for a few days till the storm clears out. Let us go and explore this place.” They landed on an unknown island that was not very big in size but from afar they could see the beauty of the place. The island abounded with tall trees, vegetation all over and lots of greenery, birds flying high in a congregation and a kind of peaceful sensation everywhere.
Since it was early morning, the whole island was basking in the beams of sunlight and the white cottony clouds were flowing in all their magnificence in the deep blue skies. They both were inquisitive as they had never been to such a magnificent place. They anchored their ship and came to the shore. As they walked further inside the island, they could see few houses that were similar built of two stories like a small neighborhood with a backyard garden where each family could grow their own plants. They could not see any cars nor buses plying anywhere around but only horse driven carriages and bicycles as a mode of transport. A life infused with beauty, connected to nature, vibrant with exuberant energy of every day wellness and built around a balmy feeling that really mattered to them.
The walkway too was kept neat and tidy. Early morning joggers could be seen in all their lovely outfits with a smile or a nod to passersby’s. There were small gardens growing beautiful trees of magnolias, sunflowers, tulips, jasmines, daffodils and many more wafting fragrances of perfumes everywhere. Nothing was kept in disarray. It looked as if this island was untouched by human technology and it’s so called environmental devastation.
They both were in for a big surprise and said to each other, “Wow! this island looks pretty different from others that we have seen during our travels. We have come across many places that are quite similar from where we live. There is so much human degradation, wars and ecological havoc caused by urbanization but this seems like an ideal location, untouched by nature. Come let us see if we can find someone who we can talk to and find out what is the secret behind this scenic beauty.” As they walked further they came across few fields where the sheep and goats were busy grazing on the tall grasses. There were small farms too where the local vegetables and fruits were being grown. The big trees were nicely trimmed to their perfection, with the cool breeze ruffling the green leaves falling all over the ground as a golden cover.
A nice lamp post was kept at the end of the street among the reddish leaves for the postman who would come twice a week on his bicycle to take any mail that was kept there and segregate it in his small office with a staff of five. On the top of the lamp post a crow was nicely basking and enjoying himself to his glory.
At the thoroughfare, they saw people sitting on benches with paper in their hands and having a light heart to heart with tiny tots playing besides them. There was a nice archaic shopping center that served everything under the sun and a small coffee shop serving delicious coffees and pastries to their choice. The roads were not very crowded except one or two carriages carrying passengers to and fro. Mostly the people of this island would be walking wherever they wanted to giving a nod or a big grin to passersby. There were no stress levels seen on anyone’s aura, all were smiling and living an enthused life.
They saw a man walking with his dog and they approached him and said, “Sir, if you do not mind, we would like to ask you about this beautiful place. We are seafarers who are on a voyage. We have seen many an island but have never come across such an extraordinary abode. There is a kind of positive energy in the environment. Everywhere we glance everything is kept in order. There is nothing amiss.”
The man very agreeably said, “It is completely alright. There are many travelers like you both who have by chance come on our island and they too find the place beautiful. Let us sit down and I will surely tell you a story behind this lovely island that you have come to.” He made both Sam and Dan comfortable on a garden chair and said, “In the olden days, a Great King who belonged to the Pavlova Dynasty owned the entire region as well as many small islands. This particular island abounded with fauna and flora, was a kind of a summer retreat and was his favorite from all his other possessions. It looked as if the Gods too were pleased and showered their choicest blessings on the island. There is abundance of beauty everywhere.
Whenever the burdens of managing his entire kingdom became too much, he would call one of his trusted man and tell him, “I am going on a vacation for a few days to my lovely island and I have realized how much more energized, attentive and happy I feel once I return back completely refreshed from my most prized island. I can then take on any challenges that come my way. A kind of calmness and being one with nature is felt in the surroundings. You have to see that no one comes to disturb me and I do not want to hear anything about my kingdom and how it is progressing. You manage and take care of whatever is happening in the empire. I can trust you implicitly.”
He would regularly take a vacation with his gorgeous Queen and children for a few days to rejuvenate himself and to enjoy this gorgeous panoramic beauty where there were natural springs, sweet singing of birds in a chorus, fragrances of cherry blossoms, tulips, drifting everywhere and the warmth of sun rays falling lightly in the months of summer. All these added to the kind of nature’s goings-on that support life. It was kept to his taste and from that time onward, many of his sons too came to this island of ours but none of them spoiled the very essence of the place. It was as fresh as a dewdrop that sits on a lotus leaf.”Sam and Dan then understood the special beauty of this island and till date the people had not let an inch of this place get spoilt. There was a sense of fellowship and happiness all around.
As soon as the sun set in all its golden rays and dusk settled, the small island took on a scenic beauty, silent and deep with everyone having an early dinner and tucking themselves in their cozy beds. All the charming archaic shops too would be closed and not a single soul would be staying awake in the deep of the night. Only the halogen lights gave a translucence kind of an atmosphere. The island was as quiet and peaceful as ever.
They both knew in their hearts of hearts, that they would never come across such an island of beauty. They had to leave, as their families waited for them back home. Once the sea was calm, they said their goodbyes to the wonderful people and boarded their ship with a heavy heart and went back on their voyage. Both stood silently observing the island from the deck as it faded away to a tiny speck. Each of them hoped, they could have stayed there for the rest of their lives and lived a simple life of love and harmony with the people of this island.
Hardly
the day started and it is already six o’clock in the evening.
Barely
arrived on Monday and its already Friday.
and
the month is already over.
And
the year is almost up.
And
already 40, 50 or 60 years of our lives have passed.
And we
realize that we lost our parents, friends and relatives.
And we
realize that is too late to go back.
So
let’s try, however, to take full advantage of the time we have left.
Let’s
not stop looking for activities that we like.
Let’s put color in our greyness.
Let’s speak lovingly and kindly with whomsoever we meet.
Let us smile at the little things in life that puts a soothing balm in our hearts.
Let us go for long walks, breathe deeply and cherish the moment.
And
yet, we must continue to enjoy serenely the time that remains.
Let’s
try to eliminate the ‘AFTER’ – I will do it after, I will say after, I
will think about it after, we leave everything for later as if ‘AFTER’ was
ours.
Because
what we do not understand is that:
After, the coffee cools, after priorities change, after health passes, after the children grow up, after we become old, after the promises are well forgotten, after the day becomes the night, life ends and after that it’s often too late, so leave nothing for later because always waiting for later, we can lose the best moments, the best experiences, the best friends, the best family.
The day is today. The moment is now. We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone until tomorrow what needs to be done right away. Start Living in the Moment that is so precious and beautiful.
A
hard-working farmer who toiled from morning at his small farm under the rays of
the sun, in the afternoons took advantage of the shade of a walnut tree to rest
for a few moments. As he relaxed, he looked at his pumpkin vines and said to
himself, “How strange it is that God puts such big heavy pumpkins on a frail
vine that has so little strength it has to trail on the ground!” Then, looking up into the green branches of
the tree above him, he added, “How strange it is that God puts small walnuts on
such a big tree with branches so strong they can hold a man!”
A
cool breeze swept by, shaking loose a walnut from the tree, which fell directly
on the tired farmer’s head. The tired farmer wondered no more as he rubbed his
head. This time he said, “It’s a good thing there wasn’t a pumpkin up there
instead of a walnut. Sometimes I’ve wondered why God does certain things the
way He does. “Wouldn’t it be better if You did it this way, God?” I’ve thought
more than a few times.
As
time passed, though, I began to recognize that God makes no mistakes. He knows
what is best for each and every one in Creation. I’ve also begun to realize that I can trust
Him, even if I don’t understand everything He does. He knows exactly where to
put the pumpkins as well as the walnuts. We need to simply know that God has us
in the palm of His Hand. He is with us and will see us through no matter what.
An Incredible Title “Unbelievable” wrote my friend from scribesforlove blog. She wrote a beautiful Haiku and I continued further and made it into a Poem. Thank You Zaza always.
