We have few rose bushes in our garden, planted by my parents and they are old by twenty years or more .
In the evening, after a hot and humid day, those flowers looked fresh and were fragrant. They have a fragile look and yet, the flowers last about three days.
I remember two things about these rose bushes. If you break a stem and plant it in the ground it would sprout. It does not need any of the special soil readiness, which some rose bushes would need to sprout. The other interesting thing about these rose bushes is that they give flowers all through the year.
I like the weather resistance of these flowers. They feel insulated from the changing wear conditions. There is a strength which is not vulnerable to weather hazards.
What a message of hope!
Our strength is in our inner composure and orientation. It is this, which protects us from the varying and worrying situations and circumstances.
I met a man who sells lottery tickets standing outside a restaurant. He earns just enough to keep him going. He told me that since he lost his job during the COVID season and still has a lung disease from which he did not recover, he had to earn his livelihood by selling lottery tickets, which is not physically demanding. What caught my attention was the delightful welcome he offers to those who come to buy the tickets. When I saw this, I was even more curious about his inner orientation. He told me that he lost his wife during the COVID season and his children are being taken care of by the grandparents. He said: 'I am their support'! The inner resolve to carry such a high spirit of composure and confidence! Where does he find this strength from! He avoided talking about it! Amidst the travails of life, he had a hidden strength that enabled him to live above the turbulence of life!
It was in the evening there was another news of a neighbour, who is in a predicament of loosing his house, which he had mortgaged to marry his daughter, for having failed to refund the loan. Following the COVID season he defaulted in paying the monthly instalment. He has only the income of daily wages he and his wife earn. I was wondered if he was staggering in hope and faith about finding a way forward. But he feels that the local bank might give him a respite. He seems to think that there is a way forward!
The burdensome circumstances in which we live, can almost consume our inner energy and comfort.
A local church is having its annual festival, which is also associated with marks of celebration. A church member told me that if only the donations the church receives during the festival time can be directed towards supporting people who face overwhelming demands of life! We have another neighbour who is in advanced stage of cancer and is home bound! She in her mid fifties was an entrepreneur, who earned an extra income to support the family. There is a gloom in our neighbourhood over this.
The rose flowers and the middle aged lottery ticket seller have one thing in common- the inner strength!
As I ponder over this, I realise that this inner strength is both personal and corporate. This to me is the role of the neighbourhood- to offer support to make the personal resilience to be rooted in the collective support from the community!
I feel challenged and spoken to!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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