Posts

Showing posts from 2018

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - Out of the Boat

Oh My God!!!! What the .....!!!!! Grandma!!!!! Eline started cooing and babbling. The boat started rising from the water by the water and was placed near the front door without spilling a single drop of water. Phew!!!! That was cool wasn't it grandma? Yes Indeed Ram, Surprisingly Cool!!!! Robert got off the boat and helped Naomi out of it, Ram jumped off the boat with Tiger. And wonder of wonders Noah was waiting for them with his long robe and a big smile to welcome them. "Ooh Sir!!! where's your boat?" It disappeared upon my will Ram. You know my name!!!!! I know all your names including Eline's too. So now come inside, you have had a very adventurous day, you all might be exhausted. Naomi, can I extend a maid to help care for Eline? "Oh!!! that would be wonderful." Grandma, is it okay, if I go with Eline? She might get frightened because she does not know anybody here. Sure dear, you can. A middle aged, pleasant face

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The Palace

The sight spread out in front of them was awe inspiring. They never would have imagined it even in a million years!!!!! A palace of Gold!!!!! Really!!!! I cannot believe that this palace actually existed in our backyard. Why is it that nobody claimed it? Because they were not supposed to !!!! They all turned to see a man of formidable height but angelic face following them in a swan boat. Super Cool!!!! Ram whispered with awe. Welcome!!!! we have been waiting for you four, your chambers have been prepared. Who are you? I am Noah. I am the caretaker of this palace. The message that you will be arriving was received one week back. How come!!! Naomi asked wide eyed, we didn't even know this palace existed until a few moments ago. So how is it possible, that you know of our arrival, sir? Noah took a scroll from his robe and extended it to Robert, he opened it and gaped at the message,  a live picture of all four of them, just like how they are to the minutest detai

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The Palace

The boat glided through the small river under the canopy of the forest for sometime and they came to a clearing where the sun shone bright and the view they had in front was breath taking with one side the fort and the other side a breathtaking view of misty covered mountain and valley. WoW!!!!! what a sight grandma. I have never seen like this before. Where are we grandpa? Heaven?? Really!!!!! ??? Is it really heaven grandpa?? Look grandpa, there is an opening in the fort, our boat is going through that way, Oh my God, will we be safe grandma? Yes Ram, we will all be safe, don't worry. Robert manoeuvred  through the opening of the fort, which was luckily very small and exactly the perfect fit for the boat. When the boat was squeezed through the crevice, the sight they behold was above all expectation. .....to be continued....... Meena

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The Decision

The boat slowed down,  Robert asked, "Naomi, what do you think, should we row forward or should we get off here? Its your boat, if we get off now, we will have no option but to abandon it here. We will try to hide it inside these bushes." Robert you are indeed a God sent angel, isn't he Ram? How would we have managed without Robert?  Ram nodded and smiled at them both. "So Robert,  as I told, you are an angel, likewise, this boat too is a gift from heaven. I hadn't even known of its existence until this morning. So I cannot say, this is my boat. If the boat goes from me, then the person who gets it needed it more than me, and I should let it go too, don't you think? Both Ram and Robert stared at Naomi, but Naomi continued,  We have a big problem now, how do we get back to our places? To be frank, I have several unanswered questions, I don't know whether you could be of help Robert, but do you know the reason for this flash flood?" Robert shook

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi- The Little Things

But Grandma Naomi, I am just a kid, how will I share and what do I share? Hmm... That's easy Ram, You have dad, mom and baby sister at home and you are really helping your mom by looking after your baby sister, so you are sharing, here you looked after baby Eline, you are sharing your presence, your kindness, your soothing voice to help baby Eline be happy. Whatever you had you gave. That is how the tree works too. Robert nodded and patted Ram's back. Naomi continued, "You can help keep your room clean by not throwing around your things, doing your homework, helping your mom to take dishes from the table or wash your plates, such small small things. The trees they give small small things, but we will not know until we lose them, now we are really finding a lot of difference when we stepped into this forest, right? Yes grandma, I really love this place. That is how we should be to others, be present for everyone by our actions. Yes Grandma Naomi, I will try to

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The Trees

Really!!!!! Both Robert and Ram blurted together in surprise waking Eline in the process and Tiger started barking. It was total chaos in the boat. Immediately Ram started patting Eline and Naomi slowly soothed her with her soft words and started rocking her back to sleep. Robert mouthed sorry to Naomi and she shrugged and mouthing "its okay". After sometime, the calm settled in and Ram whispered, Grandma, how are we trees? Dear Ram, don't take it in the physical sense, you are a boy, Grandpa Robert is a boy, I am a girl, Eline is a girl and tiger is a dog, we are not trees. Have you plucked a plant from the soil? Several of them Grandma, several of them. The place where I play have grass and weeds growing, so my mom would say, if you want to get rid off it I should pluck it off on my own. So she showed me how to do it and I learned real quick. Good!!!! have you looked at it? Of course, I have looked at it because, when I pluck a plant, I need to take with th

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The Tree

Grandma Naomi, Look!!!! so many trees and we have no flood here. Yes Ram, trees do help us a lot in helping save our nature. Really!!!! how so? Look at the trees Ram. What do you see there? I see leaves, fruits, flowers, branches and roots Grandma Naomi "Even I too see the same dear, now I want you to learn something." All nodded. "Trees take water and minerals from the soil and the leaves with the help of sunlight makes food to keep it alive and while its living it bears flowers and fruits. These flowers and fruits are not used by the trees, it is for us." Yes grandma, I do have a mango tree and I get loads of mangoes from it and its very tasty too. But  Grandma Naomi I don't use any leaves for anything?" "Hmmm... what do you think Grandpa Robert, do you think the leaves of trees are useful?" "Oh you know Ram, when its very hot I sit under the tree, I even have a hammock under the shade of the trees. I love to be there, do

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The End

And thus, the journey started with Robert, Naomi, Ram, Eline and Tiger on the boat. Since the river narrowed, the boat didn't have to go far to reach land. But Naomi had no idea where they were but she didn't voiced it loud instead she asked, "Robert, do you mind me looking at your gash on your forehead?" Robert shook his head and winced. I think, I really got a good thrashing. Naomi slowly stretched herself and took the first aid box and took the necessary things and a bottle of water and extended to Robert and said, "Here, drink this." Robert gulped some water and waited for Naomi to do her ministration, which didn't take long. Then they opened the food box and had whatever was there. "Robert, what happened, that you got a gash on your head? How did you end up on that log?" "Actually I was saving my neighbour's cow, as I let it go, the roof fell and I caught the end part of a wood on my head, but I was lucky, that I got th

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - A New Partner

"Ram, how come you are so good at looking after kids?" " I babysit my sister when mom is busy in the kitchen or when she goes to bathe. She is the same age as Eline. I know a trick or two to keep babies smiling grandma." Grandma smiled and replied, "Yes indeed you surely know how to keep them smiling." "Grandma, Look!!! there is a log floating with a man on top of it, will it crash on us?" "Well son, sit tight, I am going to slow down this boat with the oar, but I wonder, why the man is lying and not sitting?" "Is he hurt grandma?" "I hope not." Naomi, took the oar and with all her strength started to paddle in the opposite side of the current to slow down the boat. Though it slowed down a bit, the log and the boat were passing together side by side and Naomi saw the man was older than her lying eyes closed with a big gash on his forehead and wet completely. Naomi shouted, "Hello!!! Hello!!!! Sir!!!&q

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The Miracles

Naomi immediately removed the container from the rope, wiped it and asked Ram to replace its contents which was done immediately and she took a bar of chocolate and some biscuits for Ram and the dog, and the baby food for Eline which was already prepared and in her bottle. Ram sat on the floor of the boat with the dog and munched on his chocolate bar and Eline had her food without any fuss. Naomi had no idea, where this is all going to end. But she had one confidence, there was some super power who was guiding her. Her thoughts wandered,  How is it a boat comes to her doorstep even before she thought about it? How the heck was she able to help Ram and his dog? There was no sane explanation. She felt like giving a big hug to the guiding power. Naomi took a sip of water from the bottle and passed it to Ram. The boat was moving along with the current. The boat felt happy, that the boat maker did indeed a great job, no matter how the water rushed towards it from any direction, it

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - At The Right Time, At The Right Place

Ram started patting Eline, Naomi was real surprised at the maturity of Ram. He indeed was a special boy, but how in the world am I going to save this dog??? God Help!!!! Eline stopped crying and was looking fascinately at the dog who was swimming real fast. The dog was following the boat, swimming along the flow. "Grandma Look!!!! Tiger knows to swim, he is really strong." "He won't be able to do that for long, so we will have to help him back to the boat." Ram nodded understanding the grave situation Tiger was in. "Ram I cannot really bend, so can you slowly crouch down and empty the white container we have there? Its the food container." "Yes Grandma, I will do that." Ram slowly crouched and emptied the white container and gave it to grandma. "Son, can you bring to me the end of the boat's rope which is lying on the boat floor?" "Yes grandma." He slowly went on all fours and took the end of the rope a

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The Grand Adventure Begins!!!!

The boat didn't need much steering, as it was going with the flow of the water. Seeing Naomi with the boat, the child stopped crying with great expectation, he came forward with his puppy. Naomi, slowly started steering the boat with her oar towards the boy, so that they could stop at the dry patch of land where the boy stood. All the people waited with baited breath to see the outcome. The boat crunched itself on the piece of land and Naomi helped the boy and the puppy into the boat, but within a matter of minutes, water took over the strip of land, pushing the boat towards the boy's family. Naomi was relieved as, she knew it would have been difficult to push the boat from the land. Naomi's fear ebbed, as she knew, this adventure is coming to a close, at least, she was able to save two kids. But suddenly, a gush of water with a lot of debris pushed the boat away from its course into a total different direction. The people shouted, giving all types of suggestions!!!!

The Adventures of Baby Eline & Grandma Naomi - The First Step

Naomi immediately went to the kitchen for the required food and utensils for Eline and put into a large plastic air tight container, a very big bottle of water and deposited these items in the boat. Then she went to collect Eline's clothing where the wardrobe too was in the water. Naomi felt, there is no point in feeling sad about the situation she and Eline was in, everything would be wet and muddied too, the only silver lining was no fishes, snakes and crabs crossed her path. She took a deep breath, expecting the worst and opened the wardrobe and to her surprise all Eline's dresses were hung on hangers and nothing on the lower part of the wardrobe. She took a warm romper, waterproof pants and vests, some onesies, napkins, diapers and an emergency medical kit. Apart from the warm romper, a diaper and the waterproof dresses, she packed the rest in a plastic bag and put it in a small backpack and placed it in the boat. Naomi prepared Eline's food, collected her dres

The Boat with a Stern Ring

Once upon a time, there lived a family of four, a husband, Eric, wife, Isabel, a baby daughter, Eline and Eric's mother, Naomi in a very beautiful place. Eric, a  scientist, was researching on a certain species of plant which helps in curing all diseases. He bought a plot of land with a small house and a large area of paddy fields on one side and a small rivulet on the other side. It was a beautiful perfect setting for a family to grow  and a calm place for his research. The family lived happily there.  One day, Isabel had severe bleeding and Eric immediately took her to the hospital leaving behind his daughter in the care of his mother. His mother assured him, "Son, don't worry, everything would be okay, just get to the hospital with care." Bidding his mother both goodbye, Eric left for the hospital in town, with Isabel. Naomi, knelt down near Eline's bed and started praying, but suddenly, she felt water on her legs. "Holy Heavens!!!! what is happenin

The Lonely Boat

Hey Guys!!!!! This story is dedicated to all the people who are affected by natural calamities. My thoughts and prayers are with them. Once upon a time, there was a boat - a simple boat with a small oar. It was made of the best wood and very lightweight too. Unfortunately, there weren't any takers for this boat. The boat stayed in the dock all alone. The boat was very sad.  It felt useless and good for nothing. It started crying,  it cried and cried, but nothing changed. Then it started praying to God, "God, send me a sturdy, strong man to steer this boat through all the seas of the world. Still nothing happened. Time passed, months passed and the boat stayed all alone. One fine day, the boat found that there was water lapping all around it. "Really!!!! How is it possible!!!! No way, but later it came to know that there is a big flood raging in the land and the boat also became a part of its casualty, it started drifting on the flooded water and slowly started m

Simply Life

Hey Guys!!! Two months back, I happened to visit Mumbai. The amount of people and the way they co-exist is indeed mind boggling when we come face to face with that area. But there are certain areas, which divides the rich from the poor. Colaba region is one such area where we find financially high category. The structures in this area and the space they occupy (very quaint and historical) and above all, we feel an aloofness, where an outsider feels alienated. we don't feel like talking to anyone or smiling at anyone. But there is another place where even an outsider feels like an insider - The Darawi Slums. Here even the vehicles weave without mishap through the throng of people, which literally are jostling and the best part is, all have work, nobody stays idle. The toddlers, the kids, the youngsters, the youth, the middle aged and the old all are busy. I have never seen such a congested area where one has not a foot space vacant.  There are factories of leather, pot

The Alone Time

Hey Guys!!!! Its so long since I spoke to you. I had a pilgrimage to fulfill for my mother. So I left for 4 whole days. Isn't it lovely????? You know when we travel, we meet people of different culture, caste, tradition, outlook and perspective and its a small window to a world which we have not thought about.  So I met a youngster, very energetic with very positive outlook, while I was talking, I asked, "Are you happy with your life?" He replied without any hesitation that he was, he loved his job. I asked, how do you spend your life? He replied,  apart from my job, I have my personal time of one week, where I go for adventure sports within the country with other people whom I am meeting for the first time for this trip alone and then we have family tours, sometimes it might be weekends or trips with all family and friends. Hearing him, I could feel his enthusiasm of life. That is when I felt that giving the quality time for our own Self can bri

A Second Chance

Dear friends!!!!! Some days back, one of my colleagues asked me, "Chechi (sister), we help others and they do not reciprocate in that same way, should we continue to help them?" That is the usual way of thought for most people, we expect in return what we are giving, so I replied, "Then what will be the difference between you and them? Just give them a second chance or a third chance or a fourth, it doesn't matter, how much." Its better to lose count of giving chances than to lose hope in humanity because we all do need more than second chances in our lives at one point or another. So that we are able to make a difference for ourselves as well as for others. But there is one big glitch in it, we will have to have a big heart to forgive to give them the second chance. I'll give an example, Suhaz, my colleague, he is a very good guy, who helps lot of people a lot and he is a fast and good cook, he is punctual and ensures all the guests are happy

Let God Provide - Enjoy your Ride

Hey Guys!!!! Today I happened to meet a person who always asks me, "How is business?" I replied, "Oh!!! by the grace of the Almighty, everything is superb." His eyes widened and said, "Really??" If you look at my business sheet, its zero (0) and my bank account pass book it has a 3 digit number, so he should be surprised by my answer. But I told him, "You know, God has a tendency to provide for us out of nothing. And I don't know about you, but I like to see God work His magic on me. So I let Him provide for me and enjoy my life, as it comes." He smiled and replied, "What you said is true, I am sitting here simply but my body is working non stop and I don't even have a role in it. That is a good example of the miracle of God, isn't it?" I smiled and nodded. So, what about you? Do you have to do everything on your own, including the beating of your heart? Yeah, you might think me sarcastic but believe it, are

Being a WoW Teacher - Sr. Daisy Kozhikott

Image
Hey Guys!!!!! I would like to speak about a very good teacher, who really made a difference in a big way. She was a nun, her name is Sr. Daisy Kozhikott. In life I have always wondered why I made the choices I made. One of the choices was to become a teacher, believe it or not I had the mightiest stage fear you could ever imagine and still has (undoubtedly). I tend to forget when I am in front of people, whether it is a kindergarten student or big guys. But my life forced me to take a job to teach students from Kindergarten to class 12 and at one point of my life even bank managers and bank clerks. I didn't know how I was evaluated by my kids, nobody told me, how I was. I thought I was an okay teacher, please note :- Not a WoW!!! teacher, only okay.   I only became a teacher to be with my kids always... both at home and school and during vacations too, until the time I had to let go off them. But when I resigned from job I got the best compliment from the most unsuspe

Spur of The Moment - Biju

Hey Guys!!!! Today I took a rickshaw to go to the bank, this bank is near the road and it has some parking space too inside. Usually the rickshaw drivers stop on the road and I cross the road to get into the bank, but today, this man turned the auto into the driveway of the bank and stopped exactly at the doorstep of the bank. Imagine my feelings or should I say surprise? That is what I call making a difference. I gave an extra tip for him. What do you think? There are thousands of professionals but if you really love what you do, you will make sure that your clients are happy, by going an extra mile for them. Hope you could make yourself go that extra mile...... And be the best in your field of expertise. Here the money is not the counting factor, it is the service, the money automatically comes to you for sure. Want to bet???? So I come to the last classmate who was more of my kind than anyone in that class - a dreamer??? His name is Biju, he was a very good artist, he used to

Gain - The Don Juan

Hey Guys!!!! Though I am a social worker at heart, I do business for a living, believe it or not, I should be the last person to be in that profession because I don't know how to put a value for my service. When ones heart is involved, we just do it for love, kindness and all the heartly feelings, instead of money gain. So materialistically I have nothing to be proud of except I am there. Even now, my mom is angry with me for squandering my education for nothing. Well!!! I should thank my parents for giving me the best education in the best of schools, it helped me being me, making me happy, knowing a world which is far beyond my imagination and living my life to the maximum. Why I am saying this? I am happy what I am doing because I am following my heart. Do what your heart says and that is what is important in the end, that is the right path to get the ultimate fulfilment in life. No matter what the society says, if you feel strongly about what you do or want to do, then

Comfortable in your skin - Saneesh

Hey Guys!!!! Today, I would like to say something about Saneesh. He was always a smiling boy and a very simple person. Though he was not very studious, he worked hard to make a difference. I have never seen him joke or brag or outspoken. I have always thought, that every teenager had a tendency to  dramatize or overreact their circumstances. They would do anything to gain attention, but Saneesh was not that type, to be frank, only when the rolls were called we came to know, that Saneesh was there. I think, all students of my class got to learn from him about being complacent and non dramatic. Saneesh really made a difference with his presence alone for the whole class. He never criticized anyone and so everyone was comfortable around Saneesh. He was there to curtail our over zealous personalities by just being there, it brought a clear perspective of what to speak in public. Even the teachers gave him a special preference and nobody ever complained because he was innoce

Face Value - Jinson S Velamkunnel

Hey Guys!!!! Today its the boys of my class I am supposed to speak about, believe it or not these guys were gentlemen through and through but if you ask me very deeply about them, I would not know a single thing, because this was a convent school, the nuns were overwhelmingly protective when it comes to mingling with boys. That doesn't mean we cannot talk, we talk, joke, etc..etc.. but not the heart to heart talking eh!!! Still, I would like to write what I felt about these guys and how it made a difference in my life, it might not be true from their perspective. I am just jotting what I felt and make sure you understand, its my perspective okay???? So I will start with Jinson S Velamkunnel. He is a first bencher and a very studious boy. He was a real masterpiece in thinking. His thoughts had depth. Its like if we are talking chemistry, he thinks in chemistry, but does not connect to the real world, for eg :- 2 Hydrogen atoms and 1 Oxygen atom combine to form water, b

The Choice - Jancy James

Hey Guys!!!! I am sorry, I was not able to write for two days, its not because I was lazy, its just that I was sick. So while I was sick I saw a movie. In that movie, the mother of the heroine says to her daughter, "Don't ask God what you want, just say to God your problem and He will solve it for you more perfectly than imagined."  Isn't it Wow!!!! I was touched and it made me think, that is what we all do, we plan and waste all the time to solve our problem (which is incessant). When in real, we are making our life more tangled and complicated. So how about "Let God do the needful and we enjoy life????" Great!!! Now back to my friends. You might wonder why I am continuing with my friends, you know we have several organs and parts in our body, but each part is unique, we cannot replace it with any other part, likewise, each person helped me to be me as you see now.  My dad would always say, "just find one good trait in the person who is in

The Choice - Jancy James

Hey Guys!!!! I am sorry, I was not able to write for two days, its not because I was lazy, its just that I was sick. So while I was sick I saw a movie. In that movie, the mother of the heroine says to her daughter, "Don't ask God what you want, just say to God your problem and He will solve it for you more perfectly than imagined."  Isn't it Wow!!!! I was touched and it made me think, that is what we all do, we plan and waste all the time to solve our problem (which is incessant). When in real, we are making our life more tangled and complicated. So how about "Let God do the needful and we enjoy life????" Great!!! Now back to my friends. You might wonder why I am continuing with my friends, you know we have several organs and parts in our body, but each part is unique, we cannot replace it with any other part, likewise, each person helped me to be me as you see now.  My dad would always say, "just find one good trait in the person who is in

Consistency - Rency Alex

Hey Guys!!!!! The next classmate which I would like to introduce is Rency Alex. If ever I think about her it was the way she maintained her beauty and the way she dressed up. She was also good at studies and she has been studying in this school from kindergarten. She had a competitive spirit and always came in the category of first five ranks. (Please note  I was in the last or the second last rank holder). So its always good to appreciate all the intelligent people, which was literally the whole class. Now back to Rency, her consistency and persistency is what struck me to the core. From day 1 she always dressed well and made herself so beautifully that it was indeed a sight to behold. Usually at the age of 13 (personally, even now), I never cared how I presented myself but she did and still continues, even at this age is something to appreciate about. In life consistency is an asset which we really should cultivate and seeing Rency, I knew I can't compete in dressing up,

God's Plan for the World - Lailamma

Hey Guys!!!! One of the most simplest classmates I have had is Lailamma. I have never seen any big kid so childlike. Lailamma came from a lower middle class faily. The only difference between Lailamma and me was, she worked in the convent instead of playing. She was an upbeat person. Her main focus was the headmistress of our school, Sr. Jonas. Her world revolved around this nun. If the nun was angry, Lailamma will wilt within the second, but she forgets it and returns back to her normal self. She was not the type to hold grudges. I don't know whether she knows me, even though we were 13 in class, she was like a butterfly. Regarding the studious part, she was not very brilliant because she wasn't used to having to learn the subjects in English language. Even though it was very difficult for her to understand, despite all odds, she learned really hard and tried to pass just to get a smile from the headmistress and I think and feel that the headmistress reciprocated her af

Self Importance - Anjana Chandran

Hey Guys!!! You might be wondering, why I am writing about some of the people specifically. There are three reasons. I am dissecting my life when it started to matter and that begins with - People. To get clarity for me the details which brought change in me. If ever these friends of mine read this blog, they would know that they were special at least to one person-Me. They made a difference for me. Today I am speaking about Anjana Chandran. We both had a special connection, before I was enrolled in this school in Idukki at the age of 13, we studied in the same school, same bench in Kochi the year before. Its really incredible the circle of life. She was really a studious child, an only daughter for her parents and she was the focal point of her parents. If ever I think of pampered children, I will think of Anjana, please note, its pampered, not spoiled. She is not over talkative. She doesn't joke often, but I think I have heard her crack one or two jokes in the four

Don't Underestimate The Power of Tears - Annie George

Hey Guys!!! Annie was another classmate of SHEMHS, Moolamattom. She usually sits in the very next bench before mine in class. She was also a boarder, like me. But the worst part was, it was her first time to be separated from family. Annie had everything in life, she had parents, siblings, money, intelligence and focus. Despite having all these, she felt sad and alone. Since I had a policy of non attachment to anyone or anything, I tried to keep a distance, but when we see someone in tears for wanting to go home, I could relate to it easily and I had no choice but to just point that she is not alone in that and I too am there facing the same problem.  I have never ever seen, so much heart break like I saw with her and believe it, she had it for the whole 3 years she stayed in the boarding. Annie was one heck of a person. She was very strong and motivated when it came to studies and she believed in prayers, saints and God and she used to kiss all the statues and pictures of sa