Farewell 2019

There are five thoughts that capture my attention on the last day of 2019. They are both lessons learned and stories that continue to engage me!

The first reflection is the story of a colleague in the hospital where I work who set out to learn percussion and now ready to perform publicly. He was a late starter, but practised long hours to come to a level of transforming his skills to a performance level. His long hours pf practice and sense of mission caught my attention. Life is an opportunity and those who use it well are those who can touch the live sof others. 

The second is about birds in our garden around our cottage. Of late even migrant birds arrive and stay on. It is the eight year since Anna and I have been living in this property. We allowed the shrubs and trees to grow without trimming them or de-weeding unless it was necessary. When the environment is  left without too much interference, the birds have a homely feel about the place. It has helped butterflies, dragon flies, beetles, honey bees, spiders, etc too.  What contributes to the life of other living creatures is a stable and settled environment. It is a lesson in mindfulness. Yesterday, some of my colleagues dropped in for a conversation and we drifted in to the realm of spirituality. It was a time to become aware of the spiritual consciousness of each other. Knowing others can happen when there is conversation time and conversation intent!

The third reflection is on the larger space the mobile phones occupy in our lives. My phone gives me a message each evening of the time I spend using it. It is about two hours on an average. It has increased three times during 2019. I looked at my book reading habit. Although it has not decreased significantly, the newspaper reading has dropped considerably. I subscribed to five news papers till early in the year. Now it is only three. Even that appears too much. The internet news that I depend on dwells on the sensational items, where as the news papers have articles on a wide range of societal issues and humanity across the globe. The mobile is a good add on but cannot be a substitute if one wants to stay alert to larger realities of human journey and formation. I close the year regretting the loss of balance in reading time that crept in because of larger time the mobile phone occupied my attention.   

A fourth reflection is about a father and son becoming a musical team performing at a Christmas get -together. Both are accomplished musicians and instrumentalists who perform regularly on public functions. The father is the tutor to his son. The family times are spent in practices. I heard from the father that it was the love for music which makes them practice and not just the compulsion of practice for performance. That intrigued me. Both of them have a musical bent of mind and an intuitive inclination for music. I found that inspiring. They are musicians because music enlarges, uplifts and forms their lives. They make music an ingredient in their lives and has become integral to their daily rhythm. I pause to reflect on the rhythm of my life. I still have a fragmented and cluttered feel about my life. A few experiences hold our lives together and bring coherence and connectedness. The walks, meditation, reading times, quiet times, in between recollections are some of the bridging events in my daily rhythm. When these get replaced by crowding events, it is like being drawn away from being centred.  Life is for living and for being fully alive! I am now on a recovery struggle!  

The fifth reflection is about the year ahead! 

The peach coloured rose flower in our garden is different from the many others. This flower lasts in all its freshness for at least a week. It withstands the heat of the day and the dew of the night. It in its nature to convey its richness of resources to be fresh and fragrant, although fragile. This is its vocation. I have felt subdued during the current year by illnesses, sudden changes in work settings,  demanding adjustments to circumstances, etc. It is as if I was held back and overcome by them! This flower announces the overcoming spirit!

The desire is to begin the year 'looking unto God', who is ever present in making our steps steady! 

I draw the year to a close gratefully and joyfully. For Anna and myself it has been a year of finding strength and encouragement from each other!

So we Greet the new year expectantly and hopefully!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)