God is closer to you than you think....

13th November 1999...... It may be of no significance to the millions of beautiful souls in this world but it was "THE" day of my life. Yes, I was married on this day to the man I had once loved with all my heart and an honest confession that this love has defined my life. Everything happens for a reason and may be today, yes today I realize that we were not made for each other. Because all I remember today is not romance or care but the long nights when I cried endlessly to find the answers to the withering of what once was bloomed with love. I had faced horrors during the 12 years of my marriage... I don’t know which tore my soul apart. The terror I felt the first time when I witnessed such things, or the numbness that came after it started to become ordinary. I was silly and naive who continued to hope day after day that things could someday get better when really it was decaying.

During these years, I had felt the cold and darkness coming, I knew that this fairytale will have a tragic end but every time I wanted to free myself, I found as if being dragged behind a carriage and cannot let go or turn the course aside. I looked at my two adorable sons and thought I would someday be able to save my marriage for their well being. But now I realize that he knew what he would do and just walked over all of us... the three of us. I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now, I can still see the dark circles around my eyes sinking deeper and deeper and my skin resembling a fresh corpse, cuz' my soul had suffered and it had started surfacing. Just like those who say time heals, do not know that outwardly it does, but the havoc it wreaks inside is beyond repair. Those supposedly healed scars we carry with us around, they become our life defining secrets.

And then I accepted that the love that I had so long clung to, has gone forever. With all the lessons it taught me, I remain in debt for the strength it had given me... my two extra-ordinary sons. One masters academics while the other paints my life's canvas with a million colors that I never knew ever existed in this planet.

The story of our life can be told in a thousand different ways. I realized that I am a divine project and so instead of telling my story over and over as tragedy, I have chosen to call it an epic. I have gathered the boldness and courage to call it beautiful instead of calling it ugly.

And you know why?

Faith, love of family, friends, respect at work, enough money to raise my kids, time to pray, play, hug , laugh , forgive and forget, health, food, clothes and the list of things to bow with gratitude goes on and on as compared to the few tragedies I faced in life. So I retraced my steps and went back to the purest place in my heart… Where God lives. I found my way again because I know God is opening my book and I’m the next in line to be favored by Him.

Friends, with this piece of writing I hope to sweep away the terror and the sadness of my life and to have my heart made pure again by God's grace. And I also want each one of you to dream your dreams and surely God shall pour overflowing grace and divine power upon your life to make your dreams come true. Amen.


Stay blessed!!

Wise men had written that hearts and promises are meant to be broken. Yet you have to live and love because this is why you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart, and when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, you have lived the purpose and have given an oscar winning performance on your divine script.

Once upon a time, there lived a young princess surrounded by magic of love and care. She once cried endlessly because her doll was stolen from her backyard, she thought she would never heal her heart. But she was wrong. She soon found her solace in adventures of her teen. She then cried endlessly because her best friend was moving to a different place, she thought she would never heal her heart. But she was wrong. She soon found focus in her career. She then cried endlessly because she earned low grades, she thought she would never heal her heart. But she was wrong. She soon found dreams of her prince charming. She then cried endlessly because her prince walked over her, she thought she would never heal her heart. But she was wrong. She soon found her commitment to raise her kids. She cried endlessly when her kids moved on in their lives leaving her alone., she thought she would never heal her heart. But she was wrong. She soon found her conviction to celebrate her life. But now she was not wrong but was too late as she was just left with last few pages of her divine script.

This little princess of my story had done her best and continued to move on but through the journey she lost a piece of her heart, a fragment of her soul, a purpose of her existence and that was just not what God had scripted for her.

Life will hurt you but you have to realize that you are the value that God added on this earth when you were born. The world will tell you a thousand things, your name would be dragged in the mud a hundred times but you have to celebrate the value that God has inculcated in you. You are beautiful, you are sparkling. You are here to make the difference, so while accomplishing life's challenges dont ever lose that very spark , that very light, that very grace that defines you.

Dont let the burdens of your journey give way to anger, resentment and jealousy as this all doesn't change the heart of others-- it only changes yours. Remember that once diamond was nothing special, but with enough pressure and time, becomes spectacular, You are that diamond!! and dare not lose your originality in the testing times of fate... Value, love, respect , celebrate yourself as it is when you value yourself, you are letting the world see another masterpiece of the creator.

Love you all!!

There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.Human beings are born in relationship and the lives we lead right from infancy to old age are anchored in relationships. It is in relationship that we grow and achieve adulthood and die in the final peace that comes through dying in a trusting relationship with God.

I feel that one of the biggest tragedies of mankind is not to value people, relationships when alive ... we take every smile, every word, every deed of our loved ones for granted till they are actually gone.

A month after my 16th birthday,I fell ill with some renal infection. The doctors had prescribed antibiotics to be taken 8 hourly. Somehow one of the doses became due at 3:00 am in the morning. Obviously, this task was taken by no other than my darling Dad; we both had a heart to heart chat for a while but then I soon fell asleep. To keep himself awake, he sat to watch some video recordings of his favorite cricket matches, then woke me up at 3:00 am and gave the medicine. At 9:00 am, he walked to my room with the breakfast; he told me about how he managed to be up the whole night and I felt very special for all that he has done for me. But, as we humans are never satisfied on what we have, I experienced the very demanding side of my personality.

After finishing the breakfast with me, he said " sweetie, now you go to sleep and I'm off to office. Take your liquids and I'll try to come home early ." My rude and mean reply was " Oh, you are worried about your office when your daughter is not well. And now I know, you were not up the whole night to give me medicine, actually you never get time to watch your cricket so you actually were awake to enjoy your matches."  He smiled and walked away.

Today, I realise that he must have felt hurt and I should have thanked him with my love instead of my mean critical analysis. But its too late now, he is gone forever. I miss him when today I don't have anyone to care for me so much, someone who would sacrifice his sleep to feed me medicine on time, someone who would just smile and understand that even with these mean words all I meant was his presence around.

When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? Will you hug the degree hanging on the wall in wooden frame? Will you ask to be carried to garage to sit in your expensive car? Will you find comfort in reading your financial statement? Off course not! What will matter then would be people.. if relationships will matter most  then, shouldn't they matter most now?

Value the people who will make an ordinary moment seem magical, the kind of people who brings out the best in you;treasure the people who will drop everything to be with you at any time no matter what the circumstances. And most of all cherish the people who will put you at the center of their universe, because that's where you belong.

We never know but what we say and the way we say could completely change someone's life. If we can learn from hard knocks, we can also learn from soft touch, people will never forget how we make them feel.

It is only with true love and compassion that we begin to mend what is broken in the world.It is these two things that can begin to heal all broken hearts.

Its never too late to pick up a phone or write someone just to thank or that you care. You never know that such unexpected gestures of affection from you may bring joy or hope for someone to live again, to smile again.

Cheers!!

I am not the only one who is obsessed—or writing…It may not be true that “the three most written-about subjects of all time are Jesus, the Civil War, and the Titanic,” as one historian has put it, but it’s not much of an exaggeration. Since the early morning of April 15, 1912, when the great liner went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking with it five grand pianos, eight thousand dinner forks, an automobile, a fifty-line telephone switchboard, twenty-nine boilers, a jewelled copy of “The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam,” and more than fifteen hundred lives, the writing hasn’t stopped.

But today Im not writing about the movie Titanic but using this largest ever built ship, widely admired for its triple-propeller design, and declared by the press to be “unsinkable” as my theme to express the value of human relationships and words.

In a world where vows are worthless. Where making a pledge means nothing. Where promises are made to be broken, it would be nice to see words come back into power and relationships breathe their virtue.

I left every royalty of my family name to keep the promise of togetherness that I made with the man I had loved so much. I spent the glorious, beautiful years of my life making babies with him and building a home. Alas, someone from either of us failed and togetherness withered away. My life was a fairytale and I always longed for a happy ending.. But all fairytales have rules, and perhaps it’s their rules that actually distinguish one fairytale from the other. These rules never need to be understood. They only need to be followed. If not, what they promise won’t come true.

But like every fairy tale, I am also gifted with priceless possessions... my two adorable sons! I made a promise to always stand by them, to hold them up when they’re about to fall, and to always keep them safe. I never believed there was a strength out there for me. Until I had them. They changed everything. And I never want to live without them. I love them more than I ever thought possible.

Linking Titanic again... the success of this movie was also its superb talented cast. God has written your story and its beautiful, it may be tragic for some but a conviction for many to keep promises and that life must go on. Your story also has a unique cast... your selfless parents, true friends, wondrous siblings, amazing children and a beautiful partner. The events may shake you, drown you but the experiences will be intense making your life story a timeless classic and an epic masterpiece.

Pain of the past never goes away, you just find a way to deal with it. And in the future....... all the promise it holds.... that's what keeps you moving forward, and out of the darkness.

Remember the last words of dying Jack :"Rose, listen to me. Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you. And I’m thankful, Rose. I’m thankful. You must do me this honor...promise me you will survive....that you will never give up...no matter what happens...no matter how hopeless...promise me now, and never let go of that promise."

Friends, to be born is the best thing that ever happened to each one of us... we should be thankful and make the Creator proud of His creation by leaving this world a little better than we found it.

With all my respect and love,

People of our time are challenged to comprehend the meaning of "celebration". We end up being amused or entertained and call it as "celebration".

Celebration is an active state, it is to feel happiness around and cherish life. When we walk down the memory lane, our childhood was the time when we had celebrated profoundly. I remember buying a pair of red shoes, I was bringing my fairytale beauties Cindrella, Rapunzel and Red Riding Hood to life. I even slept wearing these red shoes and walked proudly like a princess.... a celebration of my fairytales.

The other day, I saw my little champ playing piano with happy moves and trying to make his own composition. The notes didnt sync methodically but the music was a celebration of a toddler's proudest possession ... PIANO.

I have fondest memories of my elder son watching " Lion King" daily at his lunch time when he was in grade 1. He was celebrating his appreciation for "Simba" while learning the lesson of good always winning over evil.

As we leave the wonder years of our childhood, we substitute celebration with amusement & entertainment. We may go for a movie even now but sit there to criticize the director or the actor or give our perspective to the story line making the entire movie experience a business report or a thesis. We forget the days when watching movie was like meeting our favourite stars, laughing , dancing and walking out of the theater with our hearts smiling.

Have you ever thought that why the lessons learned in childhood are hardly forgotten? Its because children take joy in their work and celebrate their wins, celebrate themselves for everything they do. And sometimes as adults we forget that's something we should continue doing.

Give the fullness of your brilliance, play your heart out; life is made up of moments and it is for these moments that we give our lives. And we are not here for that long, we'll all be dust before you know it.

Celebrate God by choosing happiness over suffering; by taking the power to love what you want and love it honestly and by taking the power to make your life happy.

Celebrate yourself with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you, with laughing aloud with friends, cuddling with your kids, with long walks hand in hand with your partner, and with being breathtakingly committed to your goals.

Cheers to an EXTRA ORDINARY YOU. 

don't let your failures define you. It's who you are that matters..

Today I was at a government office to apply for change of my marital status "Married to Divorced" . At the Information Desk, I was welcomed by a decent man who seemed to have all the information that any visitor would need from this office. As I asked him to guide me through my work, I experienced a very different human behavior. There are words we could not say, words that no one might be longing to hear yet we utter them to complete our tasks.

 I said " I am here to change my marital status; back to my father's name". I could see the man struggling to choose what is right over what is best  in selection of his words to continue this conversation. He hesitantly answered " may I know the reason of change, is it divorce or god forbid a young death" . I answered " Divorce". He then continued with the procedure. Around the same time, a lady in her late fifties ( looked more aged beyond her years) approached him with a similar question. I immediately turned to listen as how would he attend this lady. Here he questioned " is it because of death" and the lady replied " No, divorce after 33 yrs of marriage and now im 59". The man replied "do you still want to go through this hassle of name change" and the lady said "yes, I want to live and make my own identity. I gave my youth to this man and his children, now I want to see what I can give to myself".

Friends, we all dream for fuller lives, healthy relationships but when we fail, we start blaming ourselves till we brutally kill our own existence. No matter how hard it is for you to decide whether to leave that person who had played a vital role in your life but has hurt-ed you, you have to do it with conviction- for yourself and for all that wants you to be happy. At some point you need to stop looking out at others and start looking inward, at yourself, at your own accomplishments and your own failures. It's only when you begin to look inward that you can begin to have an effect on those out there.

Many a times you fail over and over and over again in life , only to succeed. You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.'

I leave you today with a thought as why  are you going to choose failure when success is an option? why are you going to choose pain when joy is an option?

Remember always..instead of regretting about the past what's more important now is to change the present for the future.

                                 Cheers ..to a real YOU!

We all die... the goal is not to live forever, the goal is to create something that will...

Each day is an opportunity to make more beautiful memories

There are memories that time does not erase... Forever does not make loss forgettable, only bearable.

Eighteen years ago, I lost my Dad... the man who believed in my strength; I wish I could turn back time to be his little girl again but I know it can never happen to me again. I still remember tears rolling down my cheeks while I sat looking at my Dad lying breathless, helpless as death has embraced him forever. I was unaware of the intensity of my pain and trust me that very moment none who has lost his / her loved one could ever imagine the loss. It is when you wake up the next morning and see the sun rising , you realize that this sunrise and many more to come will still leave your soul dark and your home dull. It is when you sit for your dinner, you realize that the empty chair will never help you heal the loss. The pain gets deeper and deeper till it becomes part of your existence.

Yet most things are forgotten over time. Even the war itself, the life-and-death struggle people went through is now like something from the distant past. We’re so caught up in our everyday lives that events of the past are no longer in orbit around our minds. There are just too many things we have to think about everyday, too many new things we have to learn. But still, no matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away. They remain with us forever, like a touchstone.

Perhaps, I have yet not accepted the death of my father and so make attempts to keep him alive. I can see him smiling when I live through his noble lessons of life... I can see his teary eyes when life treats me hard and hear him demanding me to be strong and be his happy little girl always.

Friends, what I expect from each one of you is to come out of your pains and losses a little more stronger and a little more better. Let your loved ones in heavens beyond stars sparkle a little more brighter when they see you making this world a little better place than what they had left with you. When you are joyful, when you say yes to life and have fun and project positivity all around you, you become a sun in the center of every constellation, and people want to be near you.

Everyone wants to be excited by something magical and wondrous - to be reminded of how they once saw the world ... but most importantly it is all about how you would leave the world better than you found it.

All in all it is what makes life worth living!!

Each day is an opportunity to make more beautiful memories... aim for iconic, go for legendary!!