The year 2023 !

 

The year 2023 was a year of considerable significance, which brought a closure of another decade of active involvement in child development activities. It was a year of evenly blended experiences of peeks and valleys.  

When I gathered the flowers from our garden, for the vase in our front room, what moved me was the colours of the rose flowers, which when placed in the vase overwhelmed me with the fullness it represented. The recent six months since I left my work place, gave me a good season of summarising the forty years in the child development frontier. 

The flower vase is a symbol of everything that is rich and colourful and yet it is transient. In two to three ays the flowers will fade and the petals would fall away. All the things, which a professional might consider as a gain or contribution would also fade away from the memory of others. Just as the flowers would return to the earth, so would all those we sometimes valued and thought as our laurels, would also fade away. The plant which gave the flowers would still continue its presence in the garden. 

The buds in the last photo of the flowers above, reminded me that the plant still has life left in it and would continue giving flowers. 

So receiving life as a gift to be lived was the message that came upon me as I took time to close the year 2023. 

The full moon in the horizon in the morning yesterday, gave yet another message to this life,  which is to be lived as a treasure. The eternal light during the night and the day, is what offers  fullness to life. It was not the gains and losses in the journey of life that shall be the theme to pursue in life. Jesus of Nazareth told a parable to Hiss followers about a man who had a rich harvest of grains. He intended to build a larger barn to store them. Jesus described this man, as one 'who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God'! (Luke 12:13-34).

The discourse of Jesu of Nazareth in the above passage, was on addressing all the existential questions that we face or feel the pressure to live strivingly to achieve and possess. To such a pursuit, Jesus had something to say: 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also'(v34).

When I gathered the flowers from our garden, I was moved to realise that even the flowers were 'given'. The attitude of Job, who lived in prosperity but lost his  possessions, his children and his health responded by saying: 'The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord' (Job 1:21). Job had an unusual experience following this prolonged season of denial and deprivation in his life. 'And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had two fold' (Job 42:10).

The above passage gave me a call and inspiration about the way we are called to live, remembering others. For Job, he suffered further humiliation and emotional upheaval, as his friends who came to console him, made him feel that 'no one suffered unjustly'! What a burden of guilt they imposed on him! But He remembered his friends not judgementally, but graciously and thoughtfully. The turning point in his life was when he was able to show kindness to them. 

Job lived 140 years after he was restored of his losses and was blessed. His end was described as:' And Job died, an old man and full of days' !

To live, turning away from the gains and losses and finding hope in God and in His purpose, is a redeeming experience. 

I conclude the year 2023 with this consciousness that gains and losses are transient. What sustains hope and brings cheer to live is finding contentment to pray, 'Give us this day our daily bread'!

Farewell 2003, it was a year of journey, beyond the gains and losses, to  find contentment and gladness in what is 'given'!  It leads me to  grow in mindfulness towards those, 'for whom nothing is prepared!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)