Friday, October 19, 2012

Look


It's Friday... and here I am .. as hundreds of women will be.... Five Minute Friday hosted by Lisa Jo Baker. Whats the word?

LOOK

GO

Autumn break was supposed to be "look around the house and do what is required". Well its Friday now and I have just begun to look around at the things that I planned to do since Monday.
What happened?
Well, I was taking the kids out to play areas and for play dates... thats what happened? So I wasn't wasting time.

Can I look around and clear up areas that need clearing up in the next three day, before I start work,again?
Yay! Of course I can!
There will always be "clear up lists"and I dont have to "clear up" the entire 3 days.
The autumn break was for me too and not just for the kids.
Thankfully , not that bad!
Rest is as important to the body and mind as  is a "junk cleared house".

So thats what I am just about to do.
Look around to where my eyes dare go. Clear up. Choose my rest moments wisely.
Its not the end of the world, when stuff hasn't been cleared up.
Enjoy your weekend!

STOP

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The welcoming gift

Every Friday, the word is released. It appears on our screen, as we wait for the word, welcoming it to hook on to our hearts and mind. I usually ponder over it throughout out the day and finally write it at the end of the day, or even sometimes Saturday. Today I awoke at 6 am , because I wanted to know what that word was. And swore I would write my 5 minutes worth as soon as I saw it. No pondering, no thinking, no editing, no back spacing , no tracing back and reading it a million times to check the sentence structure... Five minutes of pure unstoppable pouring.
 Welcome to this weeks Five minute Friday....

Welcome

GO

Those with open hearts usually have an open house. My first experience was when I was doing my Masters. And I entered the open doors of one of our campus churches. I knew quite a few from back home. Acquaintances were  renewed. This couple invited me with open arms into the service 9 years ago.The church was very welcoming. But their home(the couple's), was an open house for students to come in. A place to relax, a place to pour out burdens and struggles, a place to savor her wonderful cooking when one was homesick. Some of us even slept there. When one was sick, we went there and she would care for us. Sometimes, because of exhaustion we slept  in their room. Her poor husband would sleep on the couch.

Some who received more would trample on their love and guidance, some betrayed their trust, some left and never kept in touch. 

But they still continued to pray, guide and love us. They couldn't keep the hurt long enough. That wasn't how they were built. They were built to welcome and care, and give. Their arms were meant for hugging and caring.

They have been spiritual mentors for many. Many still keep in touch. Many still call for guidance. Many have learned to care for others through them. They helped many to recognize their purpose and their gifting. They helped guide many, when it was time to decide on a life partner.

Five minutes isn't enough to pour out here on what they mean to us, what they meant to me.

Their open house, set my heart right with God. Their open arms taught me the true meaning of the open arms nailed to that cross. 

They welcomed us in to their home and into their heart.

Jerry and Blessy, I love you guys and its been an honor to know you. 

STOP

(We meet every year when I am in India, and we call, on and off. She usually starts off,blasting me for not calling sooner, and then just begins to pour out her love.)

How it all began

It's been more than a year since I started this blog(September 18,20..)I had to stop and look back at the date to my first entry and it said September 18, 2010. How did two years just go by?

Recovering from the previous line..Phew!

I have been tempted to join Lisa -Jo in the "31 days to Write your story". But the commitment to do that this time was too much of a choice to make. But I had to put in at least a post. To settle the ramblings of my mind during my 30 minute quiet shower at 10 pm. (Note: This usually doesn't happen at all.The shower , I mean.)

How did it all start?

I loved to scribble as a child. It even extended to walls and furniture. Once, after an intense disciplining moment by my mother, the scribbling appeared to stop for a few days. During a cleaning day, when my mom pushed the couch away from the wall to hoover that area, she found out why I had stopped scribbling. The wall behind the couch was scribbled to the maximum. I had to vent it out, apparently.

My brother and I 
I signed my silly signature in every book I had. I labelled them by letters and numbers just like in a library. And I poured over my diary. Which was always locked in my study table. My brother faithfully broke open the lock everyday to read it. I think, I realized he was reading it when he couldn't stop rolling with laughter as he told my mom that I was in love with "Prince Eric" from Disney's Little Mermaid. (Gees.. was I immature or what?). So I stopped writing. And picked it up only in university. But then again carrying all of it from one place to another,  one university to another, proved to be heavy luggage in addition to all the other things I collected over the years.

Then, before I got married, I decided to put an end to all the university diaries with its silliness, secrets and worries by burning them in our "out house" in India where the wood burned. New beginnings... and also to make sure no one read it. I now wonder what the need was to burn it... Dramatics was in high fashion in those days.

I chose not to write anywhere for a long time and it clogged my mind with all the things I wanted to put down on paper. I wasn't the writer in the family. My brother wrote poems and stories. Not me. I barely could get through school. My family called my school education the "continuing saga" . I was forever stationed at my study table.

Blogs came into existence , and I casually read those of friends and strangers and swore that I couldnt possibly convert the ramblings into writing. So, two years ago, I had to vent it out somewhere. And found this space at the right moment to birth.

That stopped after a few posts and rose again when I met this wonderful person in my church called Tracey from "Control the Chaos" then and "Intend to Live" now.  She rekindled that fire that shook those ramblings live again and needed to be written.

I found "Five minute Fridays" through Tracey and this proved to be the best thing ever to systematically and casually, without hesitance, without thinking, to put my thoughts to the screen. And so began my journey with  up's and down's, but oh so joyous!

I am not a writer. But here I am.