The Bermuda Triangle

  KEEP HOLDING ON On Our Anniversary- 21 st November, 2020   You were the one who agreed to hold my hand When I’d thought there would be no one out there for me. You accepted me as I am- Flaws, pluses, blemishes, everything.   I was never going to be ready to leave my home- But you made the process less painful. You patiently waited till I got my mind in the right place And my heart opened up to this stranger.   I could never break a coconut before I met you I could never peel a mango too. But I still don’t know how to cut or fillet a fish Or to grind batters as you do. *(Maybe I’ll learn that in the next eight years !)   I love reading and you start dozing As soon as you open a book! You love to plant and harvest, While I love to stay in and watch a movie or two.   It wasn’t so easy to get adjusted to the Chilli level of your home While you adjusted to the mild and instant cooking of my abode. Well, as from me, you got exposed to mo

  On the demise of His Grace Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan on 18th October, 2020 IST. Our Matchless Shepherd A personality without match,  A Minister without fail, A Bishop with a difference, An Administrator with its full gear. It was not easy to delve into your eyes, It was not easy to comprehend your ways, It was not possible to realise your magnanimity. It was amazing how you remembered details, It was surprising how you tackled every problem, You knew how to hold on to tradition,  Yet keep things updated. You'd travelled around the world, You loved to collect souvenirs, You knew how to comrade with anyone. You mark the end of a great chapter A chapter worth looking back to for morals And lessons on management.  You made yourself a legacy, A legacy which can never be duplicated, A warrior model which had no other twin.  I can’t say that I loved you, But I know that many of us revered you, Yet you knew very well how people talked about you. I hope those tongues will stop tal

  THE 'TRANCE'D SHEPHERD AND FLOCK Remya Rachel Thomas (Published as a Facebook post on 4th March, 2020- slightly edited) We were looking for a ‘good shepherd’, and instead we got a German Shepherd.’ Pope Benedict XVI   A face, four legs and a tiny tail- draw it on a white cloud and you’ve learned how to draw a sheep. Sheep can be the cutest, meekest animal that lives in flocks. They are very social-like us. That’s the first sentence in any sociology book right- Man is a social animal. So, we do have a lot in common. Sheep love to be together-and they try to stay together. The more sheep in the flock, the safer from predators. Being one of the earliest domesticated animals on the planet, you will hardly find a sole wild sheep wandering alone in search of ‘freedom’. They have never known a life without the shepherd or at least a shepherd dog. If you find a sheep go astray, that usually means that it is not feeling well. The role of the shepherd is quite challenging.

I wrote this poem about a very special time in my life on 7th October, 2015. A gift was due to us on 13th November, but we received it in God's time on the 17th of November, 2015- a perfect little parcel from above- our miracle girl.  Dedicated to all Moms! THE FLUTTERINGS OF LIFE Everyday I wake up to feel Something moving, something kicking I know not yet what it is I know not yet what it will be. This feeling is not continuous But it comes back again This feeling is not painful But so overwhelming and divine. Life, in its initial stage comes silently Reveals itself in amazing ways. Life, a new life, comes unknowingly Emerges to this world when its time has come. It is a great responsibility to be part of this phenomenon A long tiring process that ultimately fulfils God's great plan. My days are now spent in preparation To welcome this moving body My nights supply more energy To be healthy for the new role. I will see very soon, I w

THE LIFEBOAT YOU NEED Some Quarantine Thoughts “Mightier than the waves of the sea is His love for you.” Psalm 93:4     'Titanic' is a masterpiece blockbuster movie directed by the equally popular James Cameron. Everyone knows Jack and Rose and their everlasting love story. Everyone knows how it’s based upon the true story of the once largest boat afloat in 1912 which met with a tragic accident on its maiden voyage. I’m not boring you with what you already know, but with what I felt yesterday as I saw it again on TV.  The Titanic has hit the iceberg. The captain and crew try not to create panic. Everyone is told to wear warm clothes and a lifejacket, and to come to the deck. Rose’s mother Ruth tells her stewardess to keep the water heater as she would want a hot coffee as she comes back to her room. Wow. What arrogance. Now doesn’t that sound familiar to what is happening in our world even now?  I’m not saying that all first class aristocrats are arrogant. But still the dispari

HERE AM I, SEND ME (For our priests, their life partners and those who wish to be so) It's impossible to fail when you do your best when you are on the Lord's errand. There was a song I learned in Class 7-  Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, and he said 'Here am I send me'. I used to wonder how he could hear God's voice and with what courage he took up the challenge. More confusing were the last lines: And when I hear the voice of the Lord, I will say, 'here am I, send me' . The song was certainly fun to sing, but those last words were heavy. Each time I heard that verse again in church, VBS or camps,I would struggle in my seat, determined not to give my all.  We all have made the decision to serve the Lord being inspired and touched by the Bible verses like 'The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few' (Luke 10:2) or 'Go into the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation' (Mark 16:15). But when it come

A verbal tribute - written in January 2019 Salute to the selfless soldiers Salute to the armed forces on sea Salute to the fearless fighters in the sky The life of a soldier is worth to follow,  Discipline, Dedication and Daring- Ever-ready, Ever-giving and ever-willing. From the sound of the morning alarm  Till the last of the engines returns Or even without knowing the moon has come up They are constantly on the move, ready to charge. The nation's security, the need of the hour- Whether an attack at the border- Or a flood or fallen bridge- These brave lads reach to the aid Save, defend, attack, mend, rescue and build. Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Gujarat to Guwahati Camped in unknown lands- in the  Arid deserts and the bleak winter cold- The heavy monsoons and the fierce tsunami winds. Can we breathe freely in our own comfort zones without their sacrifices and services? Can we move and travel about freely and safely without their undivided attention?

Writen during the last week of our tenure in Jagaddal Mission, Kolkata...a posting which will always be dear to my heart...an experience like no other... That’s been my feeling for the past several months. As the year advances that gut feeling is just deeper and more painful. It’s exactly the emotion any mother would feel if you take away her child ‘for a good reason’, but leave her in tears and a lifetime of regret. Kolkata-the land of Mother Teresa-that’s how I knew it. Okay, I can add Netaji and Tagore too. Oh ya- and Ganguly; and I also had a maternal aunt here (and she still is!). Otherwise, Kolkata was just a point on the map of India- a place I never thought I’d visit-nevertheless, LIVE for six and a half years. For all these years, our pin code was Kolkata-700151 – so you see, we were quite far from the city-yet occasionally enjoyed its perks and bumps. The old capital of the British Raj-many areas still show that grandeur and architecture even after so many d

Add caption Posted on Facebook the day we got to know about the demise of a dear KJMTC senior...Dedicated to Rejina chechi... 7th July, 2019 Does anybody know the right time to die? Even if we do, do we have any control over it? It's one last thing man has to invent right. Thousands and ten thousands of people die every day- accidents, natural calamities, old age, terminal illness, heart attacks- there's no end to the causes of how people 'go'- not to forget the numerous murders and suicides increasing by the day. There are even people who go to sleep as usual but never wake up from bed -no prior symptoms whatsoever. Death's ways. Every single being on this earth-once born, you just have to die one fine day. I remember a quotation of Mahatma Gandhi I used to use in autograph books long back: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow...." We do keep living for sure, but without thinking about death. Everyone has dreams and aspirations- after school you want