The Soldier and the Deck of Cards

When I was a teenager, a major share of the world of Pop music was taken up singers like Cliff Richard, The Beatles, Jim Reeves,The Everly Brothers, et al. Later came Nancy Sinatra, Englebert Humperdinck, Simon and Garfunkel and several others whose many songs still stir up nostalgia of days gone by. Those were the times when my friends and I listened to our favorite pop music programme every evening on Radio Ceylon, when songs were played by request. The next day at school these became our topic for discussion.
When in school I learnt Indian classical music and my parents found it pretty strange that I had taken to Pop Music, despite my Indian classical music training! I always monopolized the radio each evening at 7.00P.M. Being the youngest, was quite pampered and allowed to listen without any admonishings, despite school homework being relegated to a side activity! Not many in my family joined me then, except when a certain song was played. That was when my father who never had so much of a ear for Pop music, also joined in and we all sat round the radio silently listening to this soul-touching lyric. The song I am referring to was a lesser known song and one of my favorites: The Soldier and the Deck of Cards sung by and American Country singer calledTex Ritter.
It was a touching song about a soldier in World War II who is in a church without a Bible to pray with. He opens a deck of cards. The Chaplain conducting the service is puzzled about his strange behavior and takes him to the Major. The Major asks the soldier for an explanation. He sternly tells the young soldier if it is not convincing enough he would have the bear the consequences of punishment. The soldier explains he has no prayer book or Bible and proceeds to explain why the deck of cards reminds him of the Bible.
This is a very thoughtfully written lyric that corelates the Bible with each card in the deck. Read the song at the following link and enjoy the lyric. You are sure to be touched by the words. Here is the link: http://www.creativeyouthideas.com/blog/music/deck_of_cards.html
The lyric is a reminder how the seeker in each one of us is able to find his divine connection in any situation however hopeless it may seem, with just an open heart to steer us through, so that divine love can flow in and take charge!

Of Koels Peacocks and Home

Of Koels and Peacocks and Home

Have lived in Ahmedabad since my birth! Love this place, its friendly helpful people, its cuisine, its history and even its hot summers! Above all else, love my home, of twenty years now, a first floor apartment with huge windows. Friends and visitors to our home often remark about the peace and quiet surrounding the vicinity that has a slightly cooler atmosphere even in the summers.

Our bedrooms overlook part of a huge campus of an art college, which is something of self-contained miniature, eco-system replete with fauna and trees. In a bid to attract more bird-life, more trees are getting regularly planted by a dedicated group of environment-conscious enthusiasts. One can also witness some wildlife that includes, monkeys, an occasional mongoose, squirrels, koels (cuckoos), peacocks, wood pigeons, mynahs, pigeons, cacophonous, dull gray jungle babblers, with yellow-colored beaks, that move in groups of seven, bulbuls, rose-ringed parakeets, drongos, sunbirds, honey suckers, eagles, owlets and surprisingly even occasionally spot a blue-feathered kingfisher, a hoopoe, a sand grouse, a flycatcher, a woodpecker or a golden oriole. Common sparrows have become 'less common' probably shooed away with the number of mobile phones in use! Early mornings also bring in the whistling sounds of a bird, (have no idea of its name) that lets out a long whistle, almost like a signature tune, quite pleasant to the ears. At nightfall during the winter months it is not unusual to hear the cry of bats that have made their home in the several ashoka trees in the area.

Most of all I love the pleasant summers mornings that bring in the cool summer breeze and the sounds of hundreds of twittering birds, interspersed with the loud cries of peacocks and koels, a reminder that the monsoon is not far away. Most peacocks are early risers and the predawn hours fill the atmosphere with their cries. It is interesting to hear the hollow-sounding, plaintive call of the koel, which suddenly rises to an energetic crescendo, the interval between calls shortening, as other koels register their presence and join the chorus. The blooming flowers of the rain tree sometimes lend a mild scent to the summer mornings. With the monsoons getting closer they can be heard in the evenings too. Early summer mornings and nights, hearing the whit-to-whit cry of a stray waterfowl, (probably a lapwing) is an added reminder that the rains are close at hand.

Sometimes we have even spotted a peacock on a neighboring terrace with its feathers all fanned out in a monsoon dance trying to woo peahens! And there is this particular peacock that has made a regular perch on the branch of the tree just a few feet away from our window giving us the joy of seeing the brilliant colors of his feathers at close quarters!

I love my home and its surroundings, which are a contrast to the thankfully distant sounds of metropolitan life that sometimes disturb the morning peace, that fill me with the hope of the next dawn, when I can expect to wake up to the sounds of nature that make my meditation each morning a joyous, peace-filled want-to-get-back-to kind of activity. I love it even more come each monsoon, when Mother Nature makes her presence felt in more ways than one! Feel grateful to live here amidst nature that makes its abundant presence felt conspicuously each summer and monsoon offering a spectacular sound and sight show, as everything around soon turns green and vibrantly comes alive. Be it ever so humble there's no place like HOME!

Learning: A Life Long Process

My previous job did not see me past an electronic typewriter and what more could you expect in a Government organization where most were using manual ones! Thankfully out of the two electronic typewriters in the entire organization, I had access to one! That was the closest to electronic automation that I could get, way back in 1989. No one around knew how to use this then so-called ‘sophisticated’ machine! In between work tasks each day I tried my hand at learning some new feature from the manual. Whenever I could not comprehend a particular feature, I learnt it by trial and error!

In the nineties, when my daughter was in her fourth year of college, computers had just hit the scene. To simplify working on her thesis, she wanted one at home and even though it cost a pretty chip we soon had a home PC. I was keen to learn how to use it, but unfortunately she was always working at it and so I never got a chance to go beyond starting up the machine! She always chided me for this saying, “Amma, at least learn to send an email. What will you do if I study abroad? How will you stay in touch with me?” Her words bothered me, but were not motivation enough to learn how to use a computer. I had quit my job and was a stay-at-home Mom then and quite happy thinking,” where was the need to learn and what use will I put it to”?

But there was something else Providence had in store, for me. Around this time I took up my second job. It was initially tough getting back to a working routine after a 5-year break! The world had changed much within that span; the office scene having been flooded with computers, of which I knew hardly a thing! Nothing could be tougher than having to learn all over again, especially at an age when people would cast you into the middle-aged slot! I was faced with the prospect of having to pick up a new skill or sink. It seemed quite daunting at first that I had to make a beginning with a gadget that had many features, each of which appeared more mind boggling than the other! Work was aplenty and most of it had to be done with computers. Sending out mails, using a printer, all required use of computers. Thankfully my only plus point was a good typing speed and hence MS word was easy learning. But Excel never seemed my cup of tea. I am not one for working with numbers and statistics. I would be happier with them out of my way! It was then I recalled how my father took up a postal course in Electronics and learnt to be an Amateur Radio enthusiast when he was in his mid sixties! He always said, “Age should never be a deterrent to learning, for it’s never too old to learn a new skill”. His learning enthusiasm was never lost upon me. I decided that I must give things my best shot It was a new organization where unlike myself and a couple of others, most of the staff were young and fresh, and just out of college. I soon realized that I had to get there fast and there was no way I could do it alone, unless I took the help of colleagues. Each time I got stuck sending out a mail or getting a print, I would ask my young colleagues to teach me how and with their ever-eager-to-teach attitude, they were only too willing to oblige. Their young energetic minds and positive attitude charged me and spurred me into action helping me to learn at an age when it was all too easy to give up. They were my teachers, my gurus. I felt blessed and grateful with their presence around me. I soon learnt the ropes and learnt Excel too, bringing in a sense of comfort whilst working with numbers.

Today I am pretty computer and Internet savvy. Being an information freak, not a day goes by when I do not surf the net. There is so much to learn and what a wonderful source the Internet really is. Thanks to my young colleagues whose significant contribution to my growth and learning must never go unacknowledged.

The day you stop to learn, you also stop growing as an individual. Learning is a constant life long process. It is fodder for the essence of your spirit. However simple and small an act of learning may be, it eventually contributes to soul evolution. No experience is wasted just because it failed to fetch any gains in material terms. We create our reality by choosing those experiences that lead us towards soul growth. For the soul no experience, however insignificant, is ever lost! Keep in mind that you are,

As young as your faith,
As old as your doubt,
As young as your self-confidence,
As old as your fear,
As young as your hope,
As old as your despair.

The Smile of an Angel

Many incidents in our lives have the quality to remain deeply etched in our memories and leave an indelible signature of their energy, sometimes positive and sometimes otherwise! It could have been a complete stranger, who came to your rescue on that day when it was pouring cats and dogs, and you were stranded, when a stranger appeared from nowhere taking you to a safe shelter. And then when you wished to express your gratitude, he had vanished as instantly as he had appeared! It could have been a kindly, smiling, little urchin on the street who helped you carry packages to your car and refused to accept any benevolence from you, despite his impoverished state.

In 2003 my husband and I spent some time in London with our daughter who was doing her post-graduation there. We did a lot of sight seeing in London and visited a few places like Windsor, Brookwood and Isle of Wight. But most memorable was that day when we were changing trains at Holborn. In the distance I could hear soft strains of music that had an out-of-this-world quality. Only the tune was earthly and familiar: Scarborough Fair, a very popular Simon and Garfunkel number. I looked around, but there were no speakers or sound system relaying music in sight. Then where did this music come from? I wondered. As we walked along we came to a flight of stairs and there at the landing was this dear looking old person with the most heavenly smile, playing Scarborough Fair on a harp! This was the first time I set eyes on this instrument. One never comes across a harp in India. I waited and heard him play the entire melody, leaving a few coins in his hat. Commuters passing by may have been familiar with the sight of the old man but too busy to lend their ears to his music. But I was touched, touched by the soul-stirring music of his harp and the beatific smile on this cheerful but wizened old face. I could hear myself singing along, as tears of joy filled my eyes. Was he an angel from another realm come to spread joy to earthlings with music from his harp that he rendered with a rapturous smile? I still wonder!

Even today when I recall that incident my heart lights up with an instant surge of comforting energy, as I remember that dear old face and the joy he passed on to me with his smile and the music from his harp. I decided that I must listen to more harp music.

Back home in India I chanced to come across 2 CDs of Mystic Harp composed by J Donald Walters, a k a Swami Kriyanand one of the direct disciples of Shri Paramhansaa Yogananda. There is a great healing quality about this music. It uplifts my energy instantly. I particularly like his rendition of Emerald Isle, and its soul-stirring lyric, that speaks of the blessings of nature and holds a promise of hope, and reunion with the Maker. I play it when I feel low and instantly experience a change in my moods. There is something heavenly, healing and soothing about harp music or even in a stranger’s smile that can give you a fleeting experience of bliss, however ephemeral it may be! My fascination for the harp remains unchanged.

Look for angels. You are sure to find them. Many come to you in human garbs. Be sure to thank them silently in your heart. It makes them feel happy to know they count too!

Gratitude and the Laws of Attraction

When I was reading Neale Donald Walsch's book Conversations With God, I was impressed with what he said about being grateful. He says when we express our gratitude for something, we imply that we already have what we are expressing gratitude for and the very act of feeling grateful is powerful enough to attract more of the same to ourselves. It set me thinking about the poem I learnt as a child that went something like this:

Thank you God for the food we eat,
Thank you God for the world so sweet,
Thank you God for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.

There is more to the poem than this, but this is just about how much I can recall! I can still recall my school days when we said this prayer. Later when I was just out of college I taught tiny tots for a brief spell. Chanting this short prayer with them was a daily routine. But what I enjoyed most about the exercise was watching them as they closed their eyes and joined their hands in prayer, with innocence and faith written all over their cherubic faces! It brought me immense joy and I always felt uplifted with the energy of their pure hearts. Many times during my life I have consciously or unconsciously repeated this poem to myself and thanked God, filling my heart with joy and peace, each time I did so, not realizing its immense power over my life. Now when I look back, I realize what I had unknowingly done: I had set the Laws of Attraction in motion through the act of thanking and augmented its power further with the feeling of very powerful positive emotions like joy and peace! Having now consciously understood how the laws of attraction actually work, it is easy to realize how they shaped my life, reaffirming the fact that we create our own reality.

The first principle of Reiki states: Just for today, I will live from the attitude of gratitude.
Living from gratitude suggests living from abundance, and that was what nature intended for us: abundance in all spheres of our lives. Just focusing on feeling good and thankful is magnetically powerful enough to attract greater abundance in life. Abundance not just in material terms but in other terms as well. Focusing on lack has the opposite effect. It takes you away from abundance to insufficiency and creates disharmony with universal laws. When you feel grateful, you act from a level deep within your core that speaks volumes of your self-esteem and worthiness to receive all that you have come to this physical plane to experience. You are firmly rooted in the belief that there is enough for everyone and that the Universe is well balanced and has innumerable gifts to offer to each one of us.

Even as I write this, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that I have received in my life, from my parents, siblings, my partner and family, friends, relatives, my teachers, job, creature comforts, good health and what-have-you. The list is very long indeed! I also feel deeply grateful for the people who have come into my life and guided me in several ways consciously or subtly through their powerful positive vibrations, but surely playing a role in uplifting me towards something higher, towards something better and in some way helping me to fulfill my soul agenda in this life.

Another song I learnt in school went like this.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Counting your blessings is another way to bring in that feeling of gratitude and setting the laws of attraction in motion. It is impossible to feel anything but joy in your heart whilst counting your blessings. Positive feelings are positive energy that attract situations replete with abundance!

Feeling gratitude is a small act, but immensely powerful and spiritually empowering. Gratitude is a very powerful positive energy that can bring into your life other like-minded souls and this again can be very uplifting.

Let gratitude be the first thought you think each the morning and the last one before you retire each night. Soon you will begin to feel its immense power in your life.