Echoes in Joy and in Ashes

I woke up to the news of a loss, a life taken, shot and silenced. A shocker but this is not a first of its kind, and it will most likely not be the last as human history moves on. This incident has happened many miles away from my home. But, even in my own homeland the barrel has spoken on many occasions and has silenced voices that dared to rise above their own interest and seek the good of others, voices that did not intersect with the standard opinions; not listened to, but silenced as the barrel spoke This incident has set in motion various responses. From grief and horror, to celebration, ridicule and mockery. The latter responses are the ones that have left me shaken and angry How infuriatingly quick we are to celebrate death in our prejudice! How foolishly bold we are to bid good riddance rather than see the crime? Why? Just because our thoughts did not meet? Free expression, they say, and yet those who differ do not seem to enjoy that freedom. Two people may not see eye to eye...

What does hope look like? In a conference, we were each given play clay and asked to shape an object that symbolized hope for us as individuals. Everyone set to work with much excitement. Most of us a little unsure about the task, looking around at what the early starters were making, some small discussions and giggling as we each set to decide on an object to shape. Eventually, we all finished and with much delight looked at what each of us crafted.  Hope may appear different from person to person but having hope is a shared phenomenon. Losing hope is also a sad reality, but that is for another time. Our symbols of hope may also change as we grow and gain richer and deeper experience in life. One of the poems that I now resonate with a little more is William Butler Yeats' A Prayer For My Daughter . I look at this as a prayer of hope that Yeats expresses for his daughter as a storm, symbolising a chaotic world she would grow up in, rages on. Like Yeats, I have the joy of being a fa...

So while the rest of the state went to polls today, I went to the hospital with my wife for the delivery of our first child and there she came, a sweet little baby girl weighing 3.2 kgs. A delight to us and the family. So here is the story in brief that with much joy I write. Nine months ago my wife showed me the positive pregnancy kit and I said, "check again tomorrow." Well, she did and it was confirmed. So we went to the doctor armed with the kit. The doctor double confirmed it and it signaled the beginning of a new chapter in life. And so began the mental preparation, even as we noticed the baby grow slowly but surely. As I look back I am filled with nothing but gratitude to God for his protective hand on the mother and the child.  What appeared like a long wait is now done. It has been a wonderful journey of anticipation. And what more can I ask for even as we went through occasional pains but mostly just enjoying the process. There is this wonderful hymn Ble...

Well here is the deal, the year is about to end and in a few hours a new one is about to begin. Remember those moments when time seemed to crawl, now it flies. Lately I have been thinking about time and how it is a precious resource that we cannot waste, and yet how we willingly and happily sell it off. Perhaps, the most influential factor in this squandering of time is the singular thought "tomorrow" or the notion "there is time." In themselves, these are not untrue, but when there is a pressing task that needs to be dealt with, they are enemies disguised as good-willed friends. They offer us the false assurance that it is alright to postpone it just a little more. After all, what is tomorrow but just the next day; and yet we know this to be true, in most times, tomorrow never came.  So how many hours in a day? Let us go with the normal 24 without getting into the technicalities of the calculation of time. The question is do we really have 24 hours in o...

Charles Dickens in his novel A Christmas Carol introduces a Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge as the protagonist. He is an old, mean-spirited and miserly man who has nothing but disdain for Christmas. However, this mean-spirited curmudgeon is transformed as he is visited by three spirits, the spirit of Christmas Past, the spirit of Christmas Present and the spirit of Christmas Yet to Come.  The first spirit, time travels Mr. Scrooge back to his own younger days which had made him to be who he is presently. The second, shows him Christmas as it will be celebrated in the present time and the sights fills his heart with a warmth and a longing for more. The final spirit comes and shows him what will happen in future as Mr. Scrooge is shown his funeral. Upon awaking Mr. Scrooge is delighted to be informed that it is Christmas day, he is still very much alive, not yet dead. As the story comes to an end, we see a new person, joy filled, full of zest and partaking to the fullest in the spir...

And the campus got decked in merry colours and glowing lights; Yes! Christmas is here. One question that is generally included in most of the services this season is "What does Christmas mean to you?" I have had my own share of narrating what Christmas means to me and how that meaning has actually changed or grown over the years as I too grew older. For those of us who are now older, we might be a tad tired of the question but for the sake of those who are still getting to understand Christmas better each year, it is a question worth asking.   Incidentally, the other day my wife and I were having a small conversation on the same and one of the word that came up was "obedience." Yes, Christmas is termed as the season of peace, of hope, of love, of goodwill and among the many other themes, I think obedience is also one to think of. So where do we see obedience in the Christmas story? Think of Mary who in obedience submitted herself to the message of God, think of Jose...