Moon and Cloud !

I get up usually early enough to watch the moon in the horizon from the steps of our sit out. 

The middle photo is of 19 th February, 2019, when the Super Snow Moon or Hunger Moon was expected to be sighted globally. This was supposed to be the biggest super moon of the year. Yes, when compared to the first photo the moon is whiter and mildly larger on 19th February, 2019.

As I kept watching this awe inspiring sight, dark cloud gradually covered the moon and stayed like that for the next several minutes. 

For sky watchers, the Super Snow White moon was a historical event of 2019. However even that significant event can get covered or subdued by the clouds. 

The cloud is  symbol of hiding something beneath. 

In the recent months, there are regular references of child abuse, indulgent behaviour of religious leadership, mismanagement of property and finance, abuse of power and ill treatment of women reported among the church leadership in India. The cloud that covered these most unfortunate and regrettable vice in the church is now getting uncovered. It is now in the public dominion.

The silence of the church leadership except for feeble defence that has no merit or credibility, is evident and shameful. 

The church historically is a light to a searching world for reality, purpose and calling to live. But if that flight is covered by cloud of misdeeds and acts of commission of exploitation and indulgence or authoritarian control, it is like the 'salt that has lost its saltiness'!

When I watched the Super Snow Moon today, I was disturbed to dwell on this crisis in the church. The church is currently an organisation of activities in education, health care, social service, worship services, etc.

Is not the Church called to be the 'bride' of its Lord Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth, in which case, its role is to be set apart as a holy and righteous community of pilgrims in a voyage to be a witness to the  virtue of our calling!

All believers in Jesus of Nazareth ought to consider this: how can we let the cloud of misdeeds move away for the followers of Jesus of Nazareth to be an offering of love and healing to the broken hearted and the wounded!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Sights from the first outing after flooding!

This sight of the main street in the town, (first photo) hit me with all shops closed and the street accessible with boat only!

The other pictures are of places close by to our home, along the main roadside!

The next photo is of the fish market, without any activity for three days! Think of about five hundred people working in this market without their income for several days now! 

What caused the devastation is the swollen river, which changed direction and was flowing through the town inundating many townships! The extra water that came into the river was due to rain and release fo water from two dams!

When I returned home after this first outing after the flooding was the Rembutan tree with fruits ready for harvesting! Yes, symbols are hope generating signs, when one is overcome with sorrow and helplessness. Every house submerged is a personal story of loss for a family ! Now it is a call for rest of us to bring an olive branch of hope, while thousands gather to return to their regular rhythm!

Live with hope, no matter what is the circumstance is easily said than internalised! And yet, that is the only slender silver lining in situation like this, which is described by many as the disaster of the century!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Sunday morning sightings!

This was what I gathered after a walk in our garden today! It was after two weeks, the sun was shining in the morning for about four hours. 

The dragon fly had a greenish tinge in its body. it was the seventh species of dragon fly I photographed during this season, although I sighed more than that! The three butterflies were multicoloured and were different from the ones usually noticed in the garden. The spider was dark brown  with an orange tinge in colour, which too was different!

What a world of surprises and pleasant sights we live in !

May be I have a fancy for such small creatures! The truth is that these experiences enhance our understanding of the ecological richness that surround us!

On a Sunday morning this consciousness moved me to feel grateful...to receive all these gifts of life soberly, responsibly and reverently..!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Over weight is an issue for children!

I welcomed two children with overweight today for consultation. I felt disturbed by what I discovered   as the reasons for it.

On my way back home I kept looking out for children to check if my impression is reasonable. Yes it is an issue. From the data of some research done on school going children in our place, one out of six children carries a risk of overweight! 

I feel that there is a need to increase parental awareness about it !

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Birthday gifts !

Three surprises on my birthday!

Both children with their families came to spend a few days to make the occasion special and inspiring. Anna and they were preparing for this for a while. Anna requested some friends to send thier greetings. The memories shared by them covered recent forty years of my life. It was a rewarding  initiative from Anna. 

The grandchildren gave me a card made by themselves.

Then the seven volumes of reproduction of all my blog posts  from the time I started blogging in 2012 till the middle of 2018!

I am overwhelmed by these mementoes which symbolise warmth and affection from the family and friends.

Memories are treasures and resources for personal wellness and pursuit of meaning !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Resting and flight modes!

I have been interested to capture the honey suckers in their different modes of behaviour. It is one bird that I filled to photograph to observe their different 'stacato' positions. They move in  a hurry and in a jumpy manner. Their briskness is exceptional. 

These little birds are not ordinarily visible, but for their movements in a thick foliage. It is their brisk movements along with some flutter of the leaves which alert of its presence.  

I watch tenor flight mode with some interest. The whole body is in a forward posture!

They are ever ready to fly. Flying is its second nature!

The occasional photographs that I was able to take when they are resting is equally fascinating. In the first photo it looks like it is in  a resting mode with the body weight on one leg. It is a posture of relaxing! Letting go!

In letting go, there is freedom!

At the end of almost eight months of intense emotional entrapment during a difficult involvement, I am beginning to sense within me the freedom that comes by 'letting go'! 

When we let go, we return to our true self! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

In 24 hours!

In less than 24 hours after pruning the stalk of two rose flowers which were drooping, I noticed this morning a tender shoot sprouting from the stalk of a former flower!

I had a first  hand experience of pruning with this! 

Growth is resident within us!

Our emotional growth is volitional! We can nurture our soul to move on to new levels of experience. Growth is both widening and deepening!

It is the deepening in perception, observation, and comprehension which add richness to life!

Most of this happen at the emotional level! It is the winners wellness which makes us desire and  choose to grow into the depth of our being!

It is not what we think, feel or do alone is the whole, but why and how we do this is more seminal for one's personal depth perception.   

This journey from the superficial to the depth of our being is facilitated by meditation and practice of silence to grow Godward! That is the way of welcoming deepening of ourselves by anchoring in God!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

During a morning walk !

There is something special for each person in the garden... for me yesterday morning it was am awareness of the resilience of the fragile flowers. During the day the temperature shoots upto 36 degrees C and it drops to 15 at night! Some of these flowers last for ten days!

It is something within the plant which sustains the flowers and preserves the freshness!

It was an invitation to pay even more attention to inner wellness... Pope Francis said in his new year address, 'live from within'! Let not the outer word invade and reside within us! We are the keepers  of our inner world where God abides!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)  

Floral Greetings

Let me send this white Orchid flowers to all those who have read my posts on the blog. Let me say, Thank you, to those who sent me mails with your comments.

When I started, I thought of writing 100 posts and take time at the end of it, to consider whether I should continue writing.

The most important gain from writing on this blog has been the opportunity to clarify my thoughts and share something of my learning experiences with others.

I have decided to continue writing and open this forum for dialogue. I will love to share my observations on topics that you suggest. Just as a  student can draw out from a teacher, what he or she may want to learn, a reader can draw out from a blogger what you would like to read. So this can become your forum as much as it  has been mine so far.   

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

For everyone who visits this blog

Thank you, for visiting this blog. If the stories and narrations have given you something to think about, please share your experiences.  M.C.Mathew. (text and photo)