First Visitors in the tenth year!

Dr K Diwakar, the Dean of MOSC Medical College  was the first visitor to the department on 16th Sept, the second day into the tenth year of the department. He brought greetings and appreciation for publishing Bud to Blossom and Into the Tenth year. 

The other two visitors to bring greetings were, Dr Vinitha Varghese, consultant in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Bangalore Baptist Hospital and Dr Anna Mathew former professor of Pharmacology at MOSC Medical College. Vinitha is the co-ordinator of the weekly joint clinical meeting in Child Development and Rehabilitation on Tuesdays. Anna helped in editing the the recent publications and fostered research initiatives in the department. 

We also received greetings from friends form India and overseas on the happy occasion of entering the tenth year. 

So we are into the tenth year! 

We hope we can follow our call to Build to Belong, which is our logo!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Arriving at the Tenth year!

The first day in the Tenth year of the Developmental Paediatrics department on 14th September began with a time of greetings, singing and prayer time. At Lunch time we gathered again for cutting the cake and singing to share in the joy of arriving into the tenth year. 

It was a regular day with children coming for consultation and developmental support. However we took time to visit different departments to greet them with thank you cards and cake. We felt received and encouraged by the cordial response to our gestures of gratefulness for all what we receive from various departments.  We heavily depend on the services the Medical Records, EEG laboratory, front office, Main laboratory, and maintenance section provide. We feel supported by the good will of many others who reach out to us generously when we need their assistance. 

The nine years have been well spent in our search to find the path for Developmental Paediatrics services in MOSC Medical College. 

Now, we look forward to the tenth year. With the Paediatrics department developing child neurology services under leadership of Dr Verghese, who returned after his fellowship training in Paediatric Neurology, we feel freed to explore more possibilities in Developmental Paediatrics.

The publication, 'Into the Tenth Year' a reflection on our path finding journey thus far, which was published yesterday, the summarises the memories of experiences we have had thus far. We recall gratefully, the support of the MOSC Medical Mission, Synthite Industries and ASHIRVAD Christian Concern for Child Care. We remember all the former professionals fondly, who contributed to make our services to be what they are now. 

We remind ourselves us of an opportunity to move on into a responsible year of innovating and adapting to the new opportunities that await us. The COVID season is still with us. We continue to look for opportunities to fill a void parents and children feel in not having the usual support! The play group remains suspended. All group interactions in the Early Learning Centre and Learning Support Centre too are suspended.  

We feel inspired by this call to move on! We look forward to the coming year!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Finding the nectar!

  A Loten's Sunbird, I hope I am right, finds its nectar after searching!

As I enter the tenth year of work today at the place where I am located, I felt encouraged by this bird finding its daily provision of nectar on a rainy day!

Amidst some changes taking place and opportunities still beckoning at my work place, I received this sight as a message that I shall take for being steadfast at my work place!

The way forward is by waiting to find the path ahead in difficult situations!

The Sunbird received enough in the morning hour to move on! 

What I recall of the first day at work ten years ago, is a place and people I felt called to! I feel even more now about the value and purpose of what I am engaged in! My colleagues at work express a similar sentiment and resolve. It is a day to recall many grateful experiences of the last nine years. 

I turn my thoughts to families who come searching every day to find their nectar and return home after a visit to us! They come after a long journey of searching for help and direction! Some of them are weary and many are grief stricken over the developmental challenges of their children. 

To be available to welcome those who meander in the wilderness is an opportunity! The burdens of families are too many to be sorted out instantly. But, one step at a time, if they can discover the path ahead, there is a direction for them!

I look forward to the time that is still left for me to continue in this mission!

I remember the nine years with gladness and delight and enter in to the tenth year with hope and trust for finding direction!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

The spectators at a bird bath!

I watched the other day, how a Bulbul and Barbet remained engaged while the Magpie Robin was having its bath in the pool of water in our courtyard!

I waited to see if they too would join in splashing the water! That did not happen!

I have noticed Magpie Robins on other times too, playing in water pools. They feel drawn towards water! It seems to be their instinct!

Birds are instinct driven. Humans are also similar. A visitor who came yesterday told us about the screen time instinct that is occupying the attention of school going children!

An instinct is not at the cognitive level, but at the sensual level! So most instincts can be overcome by a cognitive behaviour change!

That is why the Alcoholics Anonymous has had profound impact on people who are willing to be freed from their habitual drinking!

An instinct can become a desire and an addiction...a thief who was questioned by a police officer confessed that he is overcome by his instinct to steal! But he was helped by the police to get rehabilitated and is currently running a wayside tea shop near the police station. He has a grateful response to the police who instead of incarcerating him rescued him from his instinct!

One instinct I feel humans can overcome is gossip! We as humans design gossip stories against people in order to malign them. Instead saying good things about others is less common! 

I have a friend who sends messages to encourage and enquire! That is one way of bringing cheer to others! There are people whom we like and whom we do not like! People who fall in both categories are our neighbours, whom we are called to 'love as ourselves'. 

I find this journey the greatest of all challenges I have faced! How can I grow out of the habit  of referring to others thoughtlessly!

I felt fascinated by a Bulbul and Barbet delighting in the water play of a Magpie Robin!  

Taking delight in others and their experiences in life is an opportunity to build relationships!

I wondered if this habit is on the decline!

I know for myself that it has not received the attention in the recent years as much as I was used to earlier!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Movements!

 

This sight of a wood pecker moving up to find its favourite pecking place held my attention!

All movements were crafted and executed well!

The creeping movement was the most impressive move to watch!

With the pulp of the tree trunk between its beaks in the last photo, the Woodpecker attained what it had desired!

Something to learn from! 

Giving up is not an option or an answer!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

Sunday sights in our garden!

I got annoyed seeing the rose flower eaten by insects! But there were other rose buds in the garden which would bloom soon! Then the Parakeets arrived with their birdsongs. A Kingfisher and a Wood pecker after a while!

That gave me an overview on what a garden is all bout! We create a garden for others and for ourselves. 

I find this thought little puzzling! The domestic worker who works for us keeps reminding me about using insecticides. I have often refrained from it. 

Living by providing for others is a demanding exercise. But why should birds visit the garden unless they find feed and water in the garden! Why should honey bees come unless there are flowers with nectar! Why should butter flies come to nest in the garden unless they find their favourite foliage in the larvae stage! This is the biological cycle of life!

I have recently thought about this way of living at my work context. During my nine years of work in the place where I am now, I have refreshing recollections of people in the hospital who have been amazing in their availability and courteousy. 

After taking money from the ATM I usually go to the hospital cash counter to get change for the large denomination bills. There are two of them at the counter who have impressed me with their unusual friendly disposition, although they have a queue of people waiting at the counter. In a conversation with who know them, I found out that they are by nature thoughtful and helpful. They serve others and it is their mission. 

I felt challenged by a remark by parents who wait in the arrival hall with children before they are called in for consultation, that the place is devoid of toys or child friendly pictures in the hall. It is following the COVID season the toys were removed from there to maintain the protocol of keeping the place sanitised. A colleague responding to this challenge turned the hall into an inviting place with pictures, posters, bulletin boards, etc. in a week. It was a response to welcome others. The toys arrived soon thereafter in the children's corner. 

A garden is for insects, birds, butterflies, honey bees, and scores of others! 

It is also for us!

What is ours is also for others!

I wish, I can grow in this consciousness to choose this way of living!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo) 

Two symbols!

I watched this Woodpecker outside the gate of our cottage while I was driving out to go to work a few days ago.  There are a few Woodpeckers who frequent our garden and this is one of them. I noticed this bird to be alone on most days, while the others were often in pairs.  

Most of the interior roads I take for my travel to the hospital can be long stretch without spotting any pedestrian or motorist.

There are many times we feel alone in our places of work, or in places we get involved. The pattern is of movement and stretching out into the future. Those of us who do not get in to that pace of living can feel outdated and not trendy in the sights of others. 

A student who wants to stay trendy in his attire told me the other day, that he gave up on the idea as the trends change almost every six months and he was not able to cope with such an approach financially. 

How are we to be when we pursue a call in our lives which does not seem to be trendy or a common path that people tread on!

A word that has become more meaningful to me recently is 'vulnerability'. When a person has an opinion or a pursuit which stands apart from what is common, one might loose some friends or not find resources at one's disposal. 

Those vulnerable occasions are formative seasons in our lives. To be alone on a journey is a difficult experience. The pathfinders suffer from the risk of detours and change of directions. 

Late Professor C.K.Job, a former Principal of Christian Medical College, Vellore who pioneered research into the pathology of nerve inflammation and damage, in patents suffering from Leprosy, faced several discouragements in the initial years of his research, almost compelling him to give up till he found an experimental model to culture Lepra bacilli. Those fifteen years or so were years of discouragements. He referred to that period as gestational time in pathfinding. 

As I look back almost forty years in my involvement in child development work with children who are neuro-developmentally challenged, I have a similar sense about a pathfinding journey that took longer years than I anticipated. 

At the end of this forty years, what brings some fulfilment is a perspective that developed in my understanding about the concept of 'causal pathway' that lead to developmental challenges in children. The causal pathway has different components or risk factors behind each of the developmental dysfunction in children. As more factors that contribute to the causal pathway emerged during my search, I found more clarity as to why some children do well and others not so well even though they have a similar primary developmental dysfunction. The primary developmental dysfunction is not the deciding factor in the evolution of the developmental outcome but other factors- nutritional, metabolic, sleep, intercurrent infections, home environment, early learning opportunities, etc. Now that there are some definitive association with some of these factors in child development of developmentally challenged children, I feel comforted for having tarried for a long period in this journey of enquiry! Yes it was a lonely and vulnerable path, more disturbing than I anticipated! 

There are times, when we are left alone! 

When we feel that we are alone, I remind myself that the coconut tree provides shelter for the wood pecker for developing its skills in climbing and pecking. The road, although lonely at times, provides a path to travel to a destination. 

A tree and a road, both are symbols of a good God who carries us in the path finding journey!

I recall the journey of forty years as fulfilling as Anna patiently and confidently provided the companionship. Her contribution through a double blind study to prove the benefit of single  dose of Diazepam at night for muscle relaxation in children with hypertonia in Central Motor Disorders became internationally accepted with several citations. 

The path finding journey is difficult; but that is the only option left to those who feel the call to beyond the edge!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)