Category: Family and Society

Posted in Christian, Daily, Family and Society, Stories Around the World

The Omnipresence of God

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Modernization, technology, education and learning have been evolving over the years to the extent that the shades of grey have been frequently increasing, marring the areas of black and white significantly. For the present generation of children, the distinction between right and wrong isn’t easy. Very often they fail to understand what truth, Faith and true values of humanity encompasses. The easiest way to ensure that a child walks on the right path is to make him aware of the ever-loving presence of His Faith and above all, to know that God will guide him to know the difference between the right and the wrong.

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“Mom, how to live in order to constantly feel God’s omnipresence? ..” one boy asked his mother,”I did not quite understand this lesson.”

“I will explain it to you this way,” the mother replied, “as I heard myself as a child. Listen! Live, my child, always as if you always see God before you.
Do not do anything that you would not like to have a witness to the Lord.
Do not say anything that you would not say out loud to God.
Do not write anything that you would be ashamed to show God.
Never go wherever you hope to see the Lord.
Do not read such a book, about which you would not want the Lord to ask: “Show me her.”
Never spend your time so that you can be afraid of the question: “What are you doing?” – or the words: “Shame on you!”

( Source: From the book of Archpriest Arseny Tsarevsky “Lessons on the law of God”)

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Posted in Daily, Family and Society, Quotes, Reflections

Over Time

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With the advent of technology and innovations, the old adage that “old is gold” doesn’t hold true in every scenario. For instance, the Internet Era and the World Wide Web have brought a hoard of information and data to our fingertips with its’ own share of pros and cons. The “gadget era” has revolutionized the art of cooking, communication and even decor.

Yet as we grow older, we discover certain things are like wine and cheese, antiques and fine art. The longer we treasure, maintain and nurture them, the more priceless they become. Human behaviour as well as relationships often fall into this category.

“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.” Maria Edgeworth

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Over time as we grow older, we begin to better understand silence, read between the lines and peek into the souls of people. It comes with experience to those who are open to life and learn from the lessons as well as situations that we encounter. Slowly we learn to appreciate time, memories and moments. We begin to approach life cautiously, slowly and with respect learning to speak soft, touch gently and embrace warmer. We learn to thaw the frozen hearts person with the warmth of our experiences. We would have learnt from the bitterness of loss and the joy of gaining, thereby helping us to understand the inner silence of others has we encounter.

“The greatest gift you can give someone is your time because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.” Anonymous

Over time we learn to treasure and respect relationships. Turning aside flamboyance, superficiality and grandiosity and instead focusing on nurturing the kindness, respect, love and sincerity which become the main measures by which we choose our close circle. Over time as we become wiser, we discover the beauty of life to make our own niche into the world we were born into.

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Posted in Daily, Family and Society, Life, Personal Musings, Quotes, Work

Penning the Gratitude

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” -Brian Tracy

The other day when I had received a “thank you” note, numerous emotions and thoughts had surfaced in my mind. One of the lost arts of modern living is the art of saying “thank you”. To be very honest, the frequency of my gratitude for favours, gifts and time spent with dear ones has been slowly dwindling. To an extent, we are all caught by the crazy melee of the daily hustle that life throws us in. Yet when we scrutinize and retrospect, we realize that time can be actually made when we really want something to be done.

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it all into words is all that is necessary.” -Margaret Cousins

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It doesn’t take much to frequently write, text or forward a few lines to dear people that you love them. When there is time, the power of spoken words can balm the soul when tired, weak, drained or listless. We are all masters of our own time. To refer to the fact that we do not have time shows the misplacement of our priorities. It doesn’t take much time, just a few seconds to pen down a few words to our loved ones. It takes few seconds to jot down a few words of gratitude and hope to those who have brightened our day. Take time and write. It will not only please us but also spread the warmth around us as well within us. In these busy times, there are few dear people in our life that we can comfortably lean on and they need to be cherished. Even though we may start off late, infrequently and small, a few worded thoughts of kindness, love and gratitude a day can do wonders to all and can soon turn into a pleasant habit.

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life and you’ll find that you have more of it.” -Ralph Marston

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Posted in Family and Society, Life, Personal Musings, poetry

Approach of Dawn

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.” Leonora Carrington

One of the perks of being a morning lark or a really late owl is that we can see the marvels of nature, the break of dawn thereby giving the spark to start the day. Dawn as always been one of the points of focus for many ranging from scientists to poets, naturalists, hikers, photographers, artists and even children. The ole adage of “sleeping on our problems over the night and let everything make sense by the light of the morning”, makes sense especially when the light of the dawn chases away the bleakness of the night.

“Through the blackest night, morning gently tiptoes, feeling its way to dawn.” Robert Breault

 

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If one has witnessed the breaking of colours in the sky, it would be a treasured memory to keep in the dark times. Dawn and dusk has been always the times where we can view with wonder as well as contemplate on one’s personal quest in our pages in the journey through life and time. To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn”. Through the early days of spring to the fresh snow of winter, the break of dawn will always be a source to renew one’s purpose and strengthen the resolve to make our existence in this world quite meaningful.

“Have you ever seen the dawn? Not a dawn groggy with lack of sleep or hectic with mindless obligations and you about to rush off on an early adventure or business, but full of deep silence and absolute clarity of perception? A dawning which you truly observe, degree by degree. It is the most amazing moment of birth. And more than anything it can spur you to action. Have a burning day.” Vera Nazarian

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“Dawn comes to those who have seen darkness
In all its murderous majesty …
Who cried from someone else’s indifference,
But was not indifferent to anyone!

Dawn comes to those who were on the road,
Not knowing neither fatigue nor laziness.
Who, exhausted, fell to his knees,
But he rose, continued to walk …

And, clamping his will into fists,
Suddenly he found a chamomile field,
And, choking from aching pain,
Hid his palms in his petals!

To those who, having buried their dreams,
And, having remembered them, rushed on.
Who could among the betrayal and falsehood,
Do not lose spiritual purity!

Accidentally in the blue of the sky,
Suddenly the sunny doors will open.
Dawn comes to those who believe in the light.
Absurd, to the last. But he believed!
– Rus Svytaya

“Let every dawn be to you as the beginning of life, and every setting sun be to you as its close.” John Ruskin

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Posted in Daily, Family and Society, Life, Personal Musings, Quotes, Work

The Hurry of Today

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

God made time, but man made haste. ~Irish Proverb

“Take it slowly.” These are the words often heard by those of us who have used crutches or a walker at some point of time in our lives, may be after a fall, fracture, surgery or the like. One of the after-effects of walking with support either crutches or a walker is that we walk slower with every step being a necessary one. If we try to hurry we tend to fall, have sudden pain due to excessive strain or increase our duration with the supports. The hardest part is when we feel we will left behind because of the supports we use to walk. Yet when we introspect we realize that those who support and love us, would make their steps slow, small and easier so that we can keep up with them. This brings to mind what Bruce Failer quoted, “The simplest consequence of walking on crutches is that you walk slower. Every step must be a necessary one. When you hurry, you get where you’re going, but you get there alone. When you go slow, you get where you’re going, but you get there with a community you’ve built along the way.”

Being always in a hurry to get somewhere or do something, we forget how to enjoy the life that the Lord has given us. In the constant pursuit and wait for something new to happen or do, different from what we have today; the question then arises, “When will we be happy today? When will we enjoy the things of today?”

“Just be patient. Let the game come to you. Don’t rush. Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Earl Monroe

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In the haste of hunting, we neglect the fact that what’s here and now, in our hands can disappear so quickly. Time flies to its’ own tune. The present will elude us with we living in a different time frame; between the past and the future, ignoring the present. This habit stems from the fear that we mayn’t be able to achieve anything if we don’t hasten. Contrary to that thought, the beauty of life and our surroundings don’t believe in haste but using time for their own. As Lao Tzu said, ” Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

Learning to live in this hour, not constantly dwelling on tomorrow or the day after or about what will happen in a month will make us more fruitful and happy in the day. True we need to envision what the future may entail, but if we look forward with constant anxiety and foreboding, we will forget to live for today. Constantly waiting for something and thinking about the future make us sick, lifeless, worried and dull, besides losing the ability to rejoice and cherish moments of the present.

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Posted in Christian, Daily, Family and Society, poetry

Gift of Grace

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“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” (Ephesians 4:7)

As time has again and again proven, one of the greatest fallacies of man is that we take a lot of our blessings, gifts and sacrifices of others for granted. There is a fine distinction in learning to respect others when they do their job out of duty or out of love. Come to think of it, how many of us have actually opened our eyes and thought about the numerous people who do their work so that our day goes smoothly.

“Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.” (John 1:16)

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Being human, its’ natural to think of the greener fields on the other side than the barren land that also exists. Yet to practice the art of “gratia” or “grace” we need to learn to appreciate all. What we term as “luck, fortune or advantages” are all forms of God’s Grace, which the sooner we learn to appreciate them, the longer we can put them to good use.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Despite all the successes or uphills that we enjoy, it takes a mere matter of seconds for things to go haywire and then downhill. Being prepared for all eventualities as well as to enjoy the “lucky breaks” and the grace of God requires us to grow a soul of peace, respect and contentment. For then we learn to value not just His Grace but His Mercy as well.

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6)

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How quickly we get used to the good,
We often make God ours,
And take grace for granted,
And do not value mercy anymore.

We get used to ordinary problems,
We call our sins with mistakes,
and out of habit we pray and repent,
We take forgiveness as it were.

Trying to solve difficult tasks
And with his head bogged down in bustle,
We take the Cross of Christ for granted,
I’l just forget about the Cross.

We skillfully juggle doctrines,
quote the Scripture for an encore,
But daily recognize the impotence,
When we go with a sin to compromise.

It is so difficult to live in the world quite God’s way,
As for the first time tasting the grace …
How quickly you get used to the good,
God forbid, have to wean

Margarita Kolomiytseva

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

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Posted in Daily, Family and Society, Personal Musings, Photography Art, Quotes, Reflections

Finding the Harmony

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.” Rabindranath Tagore

In the chaotic existence of the days, as we come across many people and numerous interactions, there is one set of people that I admire the most. They are open to all ideas, listen to entire narratives with infinite patience, kind to many but rarely allow others to interfere in their lives. They look for the truth by themselves, gathering their world bit by bit and at times with gentle subtleness, not paying attention to the surprised and condemning views of those around them.

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein

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These kind of people are so rare being many-sided and beautiful. They are open to others, but they will never knock on doors where they are not welcome. They live in harmony with themselves, as their heart tells them. Usually they are considered insane, but these people love life, and she reciprocates them, giving them their best gifts. Harmony is the word that centers around these people.

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.” Thomas Merton

The peacefulness and concurrence with each other cannot be born in a day. For harmony to be attained it needs each one of us to be aware of the expectations and requirements that encompass us as we adapt in our own particular approach to life. To be in concordance with others will happen when we are in agreement with ourselves, living consistent with our most profound feelings of what is genuine and what matters most. The joy of life can be seen exemplified through the quiet power of harmony. When the state of harmony is balanced, one often discovers that life blossoms even through the tired, difficult, bleak and lonely days. All we need to do is find and synchronize the rhythm within to the thoughts, desires and dreams in our mind. Though this may seem difficult, it is never impossible to do so.

“The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being that places harmony in one’s life.” Peace Pilgrim

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