Welcome to take!

As I watched  a butterfly, honey bee, and a Beatle come to the Butter cup flower for its nectar, I felt absorbed by this giving nature of the flowers!

The visitors come to take the nectar and pollinate the flower.  

The Butter cups are open between 8 am when the sun is bright and close around 11 am. Each flower does it every day during its life time of a few days. 

The open flower is a symbol of giving to let live! 

The flowers support life of  butterflies, bees and beetles, ants, etc. 

I met a family yesterday, who were regular visitors for five years in the place from where I retired in June, 2023. During the conversation they mentioned, that they kept coming because they felt welcome. I wanted to know what made them feel welcome! They referred to the place, facility, people and services. They came to receive. Their son, who is at school now is making good progress from his hemiparesis and is fully functional, communicative, attentive and school ready. While talking about this experience, they mentioned that what they received during the visits, was an assurance and guidance to make him school ready. In fact, the mother mentioned that she received the message about  making him school ready, when he was just one year. 

Our giving if intended to promote wellness and hope, then people go back touched and challenged!

At the end of the conversation, I returned home with a feeling that as health care workers, we have an opportunity to create a vision for life and living!

I read yesterday about the psychobiology of Substance Abuse Disorder. There is a traction in teenagers or young people  who suffered early childhood deprivation or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, towards experimenting with narcotic substances and getting addicted later. The neurobiology and the epigenetic factors are now being recognised, which help in planning for bringing them out of the addictive practices. There are groups like the Alcohol Anonymous who focus on restoring wellness for those, who suffer from Substance Abuse Disorder. 

The recent tension between Canada and India which led to both countries denying visas for travel, is on account of how both countries view extremists! Canada seems to have a soft approach towards those migrants resident in Canada, who dream of seeing Punjab  become 'Khalistan'. India is accused with the recent murder of two extremists, resident in Canada,  who are wanted in India for their earlier terrorist activities. 

We  live in a divided and polarised world. Men and women live hurt and angry and they become aggressive and harmful. Hurting and wound people need nurturing and accompaniment for finding a vision for wellness and living!

The story of the Butter cup flowers bring this into focus. The flowers become a means for others to live! The flowers feed the hungry and send them away to live well. 

I wish that more people would become mindful of those, who live wounded and hurting lives amidst us. 

I remember several occasions in life when a letter, message,  telephone call, or a visit was timely to revive me to look beyond the difficulty and find the passage to a renewal experience. 

It is important to live with an attitude of welcoming others to take from us, an inspiration for them, to continue living in hope and with a sense of purpose!

When we live open, others feel welcome to take from us, what  they need at a critical time in their life to restore hope and faith!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)