The rain which started at mid day got prolonged for almost three hours today. I went to our village market on foot, fortunately carrying an umbrella. On my way back, it started raining. The road leading to our house for about half a kilometre was like a flowing stream with no dry ground to walk on. Our neighbour took me home on his three wheeler taxi.
When it stopped raining, I went out in to the courtyard to spot the first bird movement after the rain. Two birds and a butterfly were already in our garden.
What surprised me was an ant underneath the rose flower well protected from rain !
A spider on the jasmine flowers, which appeared from beneath the flower petals to the centre of the flower surprised me even more!
An ant and a spider, both too small and are likely to escape notice, unless one intently looks for them, remained safe in the heavy down pour!
The birds, butterfly, an ant, and a spider are survivors of a three hour long heavy rain, which flooded the road to our house!
It is this fascination of the safety that I notice all around me, which makes me believe that life has an origin, journey and destination.
The words of the Psalmist resonates within me: 'For thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made'(Psalm 139.13-14).
A the break of the day today, I had a sorrowful and disturbing news which unsettled me.
The heavy rain drenching me and blocking my path home was personalisation of that sad news, helping me to remember the pain and sorrow with which the sad news was shared with me.
God is the companion of those who face valley experiences in life!
This came home in a reassuring way, when I was studying in the ninth standard at our local school in the village. The headmaster of the school who also taught us English felt sorry for my low level of comprehension of English and expressive skills. Rev, P.C.Cheriyan the head master called me one day, and said, 'Take this English paper home and read a report on the inter school sports festival and write a page about it in my own words'. The next day, I returned to him apologising for my difficulty to compose a write-up in spite of my efforts. That led him to suggest that I meet him twice a week to learn some basic skills in comprehension and Communication in English. He made understanding a passage English easy to comprehend. When I finished the tenth standard I moved up a little in expressive skills. During the next four years, with the encouragement he gave me and subsequently Prof. R.D Lele at the Nagpur Medical College, who was the teacher in charge of literary club, I was able to pick up more skills in writing and speaking in English. Prof Lele was determined that I progressed in developing proficiency that he invited me to participate in the English elocution and debates which was held at the college level and intercollegiate skills. I remember him present in my first staff-student debate and giving me feed back about at the end about developing oratorical skills and speaking with a structure to the presentation.
About fifty five years later, as I recall this experience of learning to speak and write English from an elementary level, I feel overwhelmed by gratitude. I remember how terrible and low I felt when I was not able to converse with others in English or present details about a patient at the bed side clinics during the medical rounds. I felt excluded and not well received because of this limitation.
Those initial years at the Medical School were valley experiences of disappointments and feeling humiliated. The interest of Rev Cheriyan and Prof Lele showed towards me to help me to develop communication skills in English, made a huge difference in the subsequent years in my life.
An ant and a spider felt protected in wind and rain!
The creator God accompanies us with His caring grace in our lives!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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