How long do you worry about your kids???

Is there an imaginary cutoff period when
offspring become accountable
for their own actions?

Is there some wonderful moment when
parents can become
detached spectators in
the lives of their children and shrug,
'It's Their life,' and feel nothing?


When I was in my twenties,
I stood in a hospital corridor
waiting for doctors to put a few stitches
in my daughter's head and I asked,
'When do you stop worrying?'
The nurse said,
'When they get out of the accident stage..'
My Parents just smiled faintly
and said nothing.


When I was in my thirties,
I sat on a little chair in a classroom
and heard how one of my children
talked incessantly, disrupted the class,
and was headed for a career making license plates.
As if to read my mind, a teacher said,
'Don't worry, they all go through this stage
and then you can sit back,
relax and enjoy them.'
My Parents just smiled
faintly
and said nothing.


When I was in my forties,
I spent a lifetime waiting
for the phone to ring,
the cars to come home,
the front door to open.
A friend said,
'They're trying to find themselves.
'Don't worry!
In a few years, they'll be adults.
'They'll be off on their own
they'll be out of
your hair'
My Parents just smiled faintly
And said nothing.



By the time I was 50,
I was sick & tired of being vulnerable.
I was still worrying over my children,
but there was a new wrinkle..
Even though they were on their own
I continued to anguish over their failures,
be tormented by their frustrations and
absorbed in their disappointments..
and there was nothing I could do about it.
My Parents just smiled faintly
and said nothing.



My friends said that
when my kids got married
I could stop worrying
and lead my own life.
I wanted to believe that,
but I was haunted by my parent's warm smiles
and their occasional,
'You look pale. Are you all right' ?
'Call me the minute you get home'.
Are you depressed about something?'


My friends said that
when I became a grandparent
that I would get to enjoy
the happy little voices yelling
Grandma! Papa!
But now I find that I worry
just as much about the little kids
as the big ones.
How can anyone cope
with all this
Worry?



Can it be that parents are sentenced
to a lifetime of worry?
Is concern for one another
handed down like a torch
to blaze the trail of human frailties
and the fears of the unknown?
Is concern a curse or is it
a virtue that elevates us
to the highest form of earthly creation?


Recently, one of my own children
became quite irritable,
saying to me,
'Where were you?
I've been calling for 3 days,
and no one answered
I was worried.'
I smiled a warm smile.
The torch has been passed.

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Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other - it doesn't matter who it is - and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other. ~ Mother Teresa

A New Year and more of prosperity and peace

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Each New Year, we wish others happiness and prosperity. What really is the sign of prosperity? There are several - a smile, contentment, freedom, the willingness to share, fearlessness and the trust and confidence that you will get what you need in life.

Welcome the New Year with a genuine smile. As you flip the calendar, keep flipping your mind as well. Don’t fill your future dates with past events. Learn and unlearn from the past, and move on.

You want to be free of greed, hatred, jealousy and all such imperfections. Understand that negative emotions are due to the past. Do not let the past affect your life in the present. If you cannot forgive the past, then your future will be miserable. This New Year make up with someone with whom you are not on good terms. Start life afresh.

In the New Year, wish peace and prosperity for all. Do selfless service. Live your life well. Realise that your priority is to check violence in the world, free of domestic and societal violence. Make a resolution to do more good, help people in need and bring solace to those suffering.

Whenever you are useful to people, merit will never be lost. Any good gesture or action of yours will always come back to you. Today you have the whole world for a family. That’s what you need to feel, that everybody is part of your own family. Take responsibility. Then there is no suffering.

The spiritual dimension of life brings a great sense of belongingness, responsibility, compassion and caring for the whole world, for all life. In its truest form spirituality helps us overcome narrow boundaries of caste, creed, religion and nationality and give you a broader awareness of life everywhere.

• Open your eyes and see how much you have been given. 
• Focus on what you have rather than what you don’t have. 
• The more grateful you are, the more will be given to you. 

Conversely, the more you complain, the more will be taken away from you. This is what Jesus Christ meant when he said, “Those who have will be given more; those who don’t give, and even what they have will be taken away from them.”
With gratitude, reach out and help those who are less endowed. You will get much contentment when you serve selflessly. Then you realise that your problems aren’t so big after all. The biggest reason for mental depression is the constant refrain of the mind that says, “What about me?” This is a sign of lack of prosperity.

Become free like a bird. Open your wings and learn to fly. This is something you have to experience within yourself. If you think you are in bondage, you will remain bound here. Be free. When will you experience freedom? After you die? Become free right now. Sit down and become contented. Spend some time in meditation and satsang. This not only calms your mind, your inner self becomes strong enough to deal with challenges.

When the mind relaxes, the intellect becomes sharp. When the mind is loaded with ambitions and feverish desires, then the intellect loses its keenness. When intellect and observation are not sharp, life does not express itself fully. Ideas don’t flow properly and abilities diminish day by day. With this understanding, you step out of your narrow confines and that will solve many of the problems in your life. When you are centred, there is happiness always. With this calmness, talents arise naturally. Intuition comes, beauty comes, peace comes; Love springs up. Prosperity comes.

by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar                                                                                                               source here

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• the Precious Gift

THE PRECIOUS GIFT

Once upon a time, when God had finished making the world, he wanted
to leave behind a piece of His own divinity, a spark of His essence, a promise
to man of what he could become, with effort. He looked for a place to hide this

precious gift because, He explained, what man could find too easily would

never be valued by him.

"Then you must hide this gift on the highest mountain peak on earth," said

one of his counselors.

God shook His head, "No, for man is an adventuresome creature and he will

soon enough learn to climb the highest mountain peaks."

"Hide it then, O Great One, in the depths of the earth."

"I think not," said God. "for man will one day discover that he can dig into

the deepest parts of the earth."

"In the middle of the ocean then, Master?"

God shook His head. "I've given man a brain, you see, and one day he'll

learn to build ships and cross the mightiest oceans."

"Where then, Master?" cried His counselors.

God smiled, "I'll hide it where every man and woman will be able to find it

if they look sincerely and deeply enough.

 

I'll hide it in their heart."

 

~ Author Unknown

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• A Touching Story

Poila Baisakh: Global Tag to Bengali Festival

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Poila Baisakh is a major celebration and the first day of Baisakh remains a holiday in Kolkata.

The first month of the Bengali calendar, Baishakh, marks the beginning of the crop cycle in Bengal. The first day of this month is called Poila Baisakh is celebrated as the Bengali new year. Chances are, if you step into a shop in Calcutta on this day, you'll be offered sweets and maybe the odd gift or two. Traders start the new year by inaugurating new accounting books.

It is considered the most auspicious month for marriage, the most auspicious month for undertaking any business venture and it is also the month when all agricultural production process begins. Bengali’s think that any child born in this month would acquire all the qualities of being a prodigy. No wonder, the great Rabindranath Tagore, was born in this month. Rabindranath was born on the 25th of Baisakh.

Celebration
On that day, people wear new dress and go about socialising. The houses are thoroughly cleaned and freshly painted. People decorate their houses to welcome the New Year and the season of flowers. Women make elaborate rangolis on the ground near the entrance to their house. Beautiful designs are drawn with the help of a paste made of rice flour and rows and rows of houses with intricate patterns in front of them make a pretty picture. Cultural programms are held, sweets are distributed and greeting are exchanged.

Special prayers are held for the welfare of the family. Procession called ‘Prabhat Pheri’ is held early in the morning to welcome the New Year. Women dress in white saris with red borders while men wear ‘dhoti’ (loincloth) and ‘kurta’ (shirt) to take part in the procession. Cultural programs are held.
In global terms its a Bengali New Year and just like Valentines Day, Mothers Day

, Friendship Day and ofcourse X Mas and New Year. Every other retail outlet seem to be making the most of it.
While some have made a mix and match of tradition and change, others have caught the mood of the times with band music, CD launch etc. And not to be missed are the lavish food fares at star hotels with a mad rush for bookings.

Celebrities add to the fun, say for instance Manthan invited Chiranjeet and Papiya Adhikari, to flag off their specail Poila Baisakh spread. Tanushree Shankar, who participated in one such event at a city mega store, believes there's nothing wrong in the new trend.

"Its one way to keep the spirit alive. In an age where the youth identify with glamour and glitz we must cater to their tastes. Its one way to ensure their involvement in Bengali festivals just like Valentines Day

or X Mas."

Miracle ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

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People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child ~ our own two eyes. All is a miracle. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Gujrati Valentines Day (History)

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It is a well known fact that Gujarati men, specially the Patels, continually mistreat and disrespect their wives (Patelianis). One fine day, it happened to be the 14th day of February, one brave Patelani, having had enough "torture" by her husband, finally chose to rebel by beating him up with a Velan (rolling pin to make chapattis).
Yes, same Velan with which she used daily, to make chapattis for him, only this time, instead of the dough, it was the husband who was flattened.

This was a momentous occasion for all Gujarati women and a revolt soon spread, like wild fire, with thousands of housewives beating up their husbands with the Velan. There was an outburst of moaning "chapatti-ed" husbands all over Anand and Amdavad.

The Patel men-folk quickly learnt their lesson and started to behave more respectfully with their Patelanis.

Thereafter, on 14th February every year, the womenfolk of Gujarat would beat up their husbands, to commemorate that eventful day - the wives having the satisfaction of beating up their husbands with the Velan and the men having the supreme joy of submitting to the will of the women they loved.

Soon The Gujju men realized that in order to avoid this ordeal they need to present gifts to their wives., brought flowers and sweets. This is how the tradition - Velan time - began.

As Gujarat fell under the influence of Western culture, the ritual soon spread to Britain and many other Western countries, specifically,the catch words 'Velan time' !!! In course of time, their foreign tongues, this got anglicized to 'Velantime' and then to 'Valentine'. And thereafter, 14th of February, came to be known as Valentine's Day and now you know the true story of Valentine's day.

I can be a winner

I can be assertive

I can be honest with my feelings

I can be positive

I can be strong

I can change

I can control my temper

I can gain self-confidence

I can grow

I can handle my own problems

I can heal

I can laugh and have fun

I can let go of being compulsive

I can let go of fear

I can let go of guilt

I can lose weight

I can love my children

I can stop smoking

I can succeed

I can take risks

Maa ~ Mother

• Whose presence gives meaning to every creation
• All mothers are rich when they love their children
• Mothers are sweetness love, forgiveness, a secure place in the world
• A Mother is she who can take the place of all other but whose place no one else can take
• Children and Mothers never truly part. Bound in the feeling of each others Heart.
  
• Mother is the heartbeat in the Home and without her, there seems to be no heart throb.
• MAA, the word that spells supreme power
• She lives our joys, cares our cares, and all out hopes and dreams she shares.
• God created Mother because he cannot be present everywhere.
• There is no substitute for her.
• Youth is kept pure and honourable by its sweet dominance.
• Mother's love kept you alive, only love can keep any one alive.
• Thank you for making us feel that nothing that you have achieved is worth more than our love.
• True mother have to be made of steel to withstand the difficulties that are some to beset their children.
• Thank you for giving on living me when I was most unlovable, for believing in me when I no longer believed in my self, for forgiving me when I had done was just unforgivable.
• Melting eyes that speak of love, a warm smile, a reassuring hug, a gentle heart and tenderness inside and out that's what Mother's love is all about.
• Mother! you have always been true, that is essence in my thought.
• She is the most important influence in my life, all that I am and all that I have become is in some way a tribute to her.
• Maa, for the gifts of friendship, laughter and creativity.
• The mother lover her child most divinely.
• A mother laughs our laughter, sheds our tears, returns our love, fear our fears.
• A mother is worth a hundred teachers.
• Mothers are also undying support, constant guidance and the reason behind every little success.
• A mother is a loving angel. Between her arms you find warmth and love which you can never find anywhere else.
• A man loves his sweetness the most, his wife best, but his / her mother the longest.
• Mother, in search of light in the world of darkness.
• A mother is a helper; a fider of lost things; a pocket money giver; an angel without wings.
• "Maa" is the only word that makes everybody all over the world happy, the symbol of devotion.
• Mother leads you from untruth to truth, frm darkness to light and from death to immortality...

• Who ran to help me when I fell, And would some pretty story tell, Or kiss the place to make it well? My Mother.

• For a mother is the only person on earth, Who can divide her love among ten children, And each child still have all her love.

• "Heaven is at the feet of Mothers." -Arabic Proverb

• "The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." Honore de Balzac

• "My Mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my Mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." -George Washington

• Love your mother always, and keep her Smiling.
  

Thank you for giving me life.