Around 4 pm yesterday, the sky turned dark and the wind ceased. In about twenty minutes, there was a downpour of rain that our court yard which has a good drainage, got covered with water. The visibility dropped to seeing the garden faintly. During that one hour of rain, thunder and lightning, Dulcie and Daffney barked in unison indicating their anxiety.
After the rain ceased, I went to the stream below our property, which received a large flow of water. It was overflowing in some places.
I took a stroll in the garden. The sights, such as the one below with water drops decorating the leaves on the edge and leaf surface were a delight to watch. It was different from the pattern of the dew on the leaves that I normally notice early in the marooning. There were different sizes of water drops on the surface of the leaves. The flowers had a refreshed look after the rain.
A dragon fly was on a leaf, almost oblivious of the fury of the nature we witnessed little while ago !
The evening is the time for the cacophony of birds, who close the day after revisiting its morning flight stations. Those flight movements are swifter than what I find in the morning, because of which I do not carry the camera, while on a walk in the garden at dusk. Because I was returning from the stream where I went to see the water flow, I had the camera with me. I was glad that it gave me an opportunity to catch the fleeting halt of this Oriole, who while perched in the coconut palm leaves, gave away a few bird calls in a hushed tone. It was unlike its usual bird calls of the morning.
Birds and Dogs have a foreknowledge of the impending rain and lightning. The birds with their loud and repetitive chatter fly in all directions to find a shelter where they sense an impending rain. Our dogs, Dulcie and Daffney come close to us and want to be comforted. Dulcie might have liked if we let her stay in our lap during such times. The birds and dogs have a premonition of the weather changes and get ready to be in safe places.
The rain and thundering outside have an inside effect on the avians and the canines. The words and comments, which we hear from others can have a disturbing inner movement !
Today, I had my share of how what others say, can create a disturbing ambience within. A person, whom I know for at least fifty years, but have only occasional contacts now, told me that 'my father behaved differently from me'! His comment was on account of Anna and I not taking active role in the local congregation. The tone and tenor of his words unsettled me. I preferred to be quiet and pondered over this later.
Our words are for communication and for cordial social exchanges. We use words sometimes for different purposes. In this case, his words sounded as impolite comments and impositions of an expectation. I felt shaken by a forceful opinion.
It helped me to be near to the inner movements which increased my consciousness about the power of words. I wish my words can bring comfort and cheer in the listener's ears! This becomes possible, when what is spoken can edify and upbuild and are spoken to make the other person feet regarded and valued!
I realise that the outer events and inner events monitor the mood of the interior space.
The inner quietude, if it is a habit, can help to tilt the bowl of hurts and turbulence to the 'receiving mother earth'. This metaphor of the Mother Earth, which Alan Jones used in his book, Journey into Christ is an invitation to be forgiving because 'God turns disappointments into appointments'!
To grow in life is to increase in the inner orientation of forgiveness and acceptance!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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