Play time !

Dulce and Daffney have a good time each morning in the grass. They chase each other, roll over , embrace each other...as we watch this day after day, we realise the spontaneity of relationships. 

I am at a time when some relationships have been strained and stay so! I have had stressful situations lasting for months now and have just moved out from a responsibility which bound me to a situation that I was not comfortable with! It was a decision that others did not concur with me.

After this intense play both the dogs lie quiet panting! Daffy would be ready to her kennel and Dulce indoor.

There are times of respite when we can recover! 

I am in such a journey now considering the intensity of engagement I have had in a responsibility I have had to carry.

I have a lot to explore of the additional domains of relationships that I had not discovered earlier !

A child helped me on this journey, 'Uncle, when I had a bad day, I take time to think about it rather than blame anybody else...'

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Two colours in a rose plant!

Two rose flowers in two colours in a rose plant in our garden!  Even the colours of the flowers changed over a few days! This was a sight that surprised us.

Is it not true that in a family two children would have two different temperament, attitudes, values or choices!

That is what makes a family rich in its heritage!

I have to encounter this often in my work, when parents compare children and find it difficult to accept the heterogeneity between children in abilities, interests, attitudes and initiatives. 

It has been learning journey to be reconciled to this reality even in work place. Each person is different from the other and yet, it is important to give each person the space to express and grow. The ethos of work place becomes comfortable for each person when the differences between people get accepted and use them to be complementary!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Celebration times!

These were different occasions in the department where I work and in Anna's department. Each of them was a happy occasion.

Anna has had to do a lot with students helping them in their research projects and supporting them to make presentations in conferences. We are amazed at the way the students responded to each opportunity by their sense of purpose and choices.

The last picture of of a foster get-together is a memorable occasion. This was a farewell occasion for five interns who were to move on to find a place for their post-graduate admission. They (seated) provided much cheer and encouragement to us in different ways.

One of the special experiences of our five years at this college where we work is the net work of relationships that blossomed in a natural way!

To be present to others in the way they are comfortable with is a leaning journey!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Beginning!

About a month back I had two visitors who came for an overnight stay. Anna was away at Ludhiana. One of them borough two mango saplings. They planted them in our garden.

Two weeks later the shoots adorned the stem!

All beginnings have immense meaning! The beginning is  symbol of hope and prospects in future!

One day this mango tree would bear fruits! These shoots would become branches for the fruit!

It is this which inspires me to stay on engaging with children who have special needs even after thirty five years! Every time a family visits me with their child who has special needs, I am reminded of the call to raise  hope in their lives.. hope transforms despair or resignation.

A couple came to visit us to thank us for being in the life of their son for about fifteen years, whom they lost recently following status epileptics.  They narrated the contact with us which gave them hope. I wish all of us can carry this mission of giving hope through our conversation and communication!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo) 

Wayside sights!

When we travel, we see sights on roadsides. But they stay in our sights and thoughts transiently .

What if we were to stop and take a closer look and feel the ambience!

These flowers were at the edge of a stream! The made it romantic!

As I stayed watching these flowers sway in the gentle breeze against the backdrop of the running water, I felt that those flowers were greeting me with their dance in the wind! 

We are surrounded by beauty and meaning...it calls for alertness and attention to internalise them! 

Most of us have attenuated attention because we live with preoccupations! 

So take short breaks and walks to feel connected with our inner self, where so much happens because God is at work in our lives silently! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The colourful design !

This flower has a rich design in its petals! The petals are fragile and gets crushed even with gentle handling!

The design gets destroyed if you were to feel it!

Some things are given to us only to behold!

Beholding is a visual exercise where from just seeing, we move on to the meaning and mystery of what we see!

Our eyes lead us through our memory lane into the domains of emotion, pleasure and satiety!

Such moments are refreshing times for the soul! In the hurry of events and experiences, we live in the material realm! There is another realm of the should where our inner experiences co-exist. 

Seeing this flower made me feel connected with the inner fabric of my life where memories are assembled to form a mosaic! I felt moved to realise that I too am creating a design for my life through the daily experiences!

M..C.Mathew( text and photo)

A CMC visit!

I watched these friends captivated in conversation when they came together at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Developmental Paediatrics Unit, which has a memorandum of understanding with ASHIRVAD Christian Concern for Child Care. Premila started her service with ASHIRVAD thirty or so years  ago, and continues in the developmental Paediatrics Unit. It was a special occasion for Anna and myself because we felt included emotionally in the story of the story of twenty years.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)