And Thats a wrap to 2019 !

My year end post is all about gratitude for all the grace i was recipient of through the year .

A momentous year , a few milestones , abject helplessness but hanging in there with hope and presence, lots to cheer about and cherish ...

A year that reminded me that my presence in the present is a force to reckon with ..

A year that taught me that ever fear can be transmuted to prayer and  a year that showed me Miracles do Happen !

Day Trip

A Day trip the hill abodes of the Lord to celebrate a friend's birthday .

Crossing into Tamil Nadu in the wee hours we are at Palani to  witness the Raja Alankaram of  the Lord.  A blessed moment to be in the sanctum when the beautiful form of the Lord was revealed to the singing of Thriruppugazh ...

Winch down the hill and off to Coimbatore for one of my favorite shrines in Maruthamalai..
Since the first time i was here 20 years back , have felt a deep connection to this lord on top of the maruthamalai hills... Have re-visited since a few times over the years and each time its a special experience.. The Hills send out such healing vibes , must be the medicinal plants which abound here and the penance of many sidhars who made the hills their home ...

A trip that will remain etched in my memory . Thank you Dr S for making it happen ....

We turn 20 !

S and I celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary :)
20 years of getting to know each other , understanding what works and mostly being best friends to each other ...
 I wrote this for us :)

While I root for you
And you are my anchor
While I go great lengths for you ..
And you meet me half way ..
While I bristle and boil sometimes
You are the cooling balm
While I am rock steady
You are anxious sometimes
While I am driving sometimes
You are happy navigating
While you are leading
I am content following your lead

But Most Importantly ..
I Love You for You
And
You Love Me for  Me 💗💗

Turning 80!

He is recovering slowly and turned 80 !

It is with deep gratitude that I taken in this moment ...
With an understanding that there is no prognosis above God ...


Wish you many happy , healthy years ahead !Happy Birthday Appa .. You totally Rock !!

Onam is here !

Ever since we moved to Kerala, I look forward to Onam ..

A festival that welcomes a banished king back to the land in the best way it could.....

"Onakkalam" or time of the Onam marks a season when the entire land  is  washed clean by the rains , nature abloom with the most pretty flowers .

What better way to welcome , than a beautiful carpet of  flowers at your doorstep. What better way to treat someone than a traditional feast of the best local produce ..

The land awaits their lost king with anticipation

 and revelry ...

In the town I live a massive Pookkalam ( floral design carpet ) comes alive on the day 1 of the  10  day festival on the southern gate of the Vadakkunathan temple,

The grounds of the temple also host a massive flower , fruit and vegetable market during the season .

An absolute treat for the eyes... 

A season to cherish , revel and say thanks to all the riches of the land ....

Waiting for Light

A brief moment of sunshine in the morning after a  spate of rainy days seems such a sign of hope .
Its been a bleak time with Appa's sickness and he getting worse by the day ... dealing with test results that doesn't make sense.. but I know if we kept going , doing what we need to .. there will be light soon ....
One day at a time ...
Waiting for light ......

She goes to college

A big day in our lives 

Dropping off P at the University ..

Phew , it feels unreal ... 

As we go through the admission process and on-boarding  formalities , it feels surreal that she will be so far from us .

We do a quick tour of the verdant  campus , academic blocks and finally reach the student accommodation.

It will be time for bye soon .. whether am ready or not .... 

As she embarks on a new adventure , all by herself , feel so much pride and gratitude for her responsible ways . I know she will settle in .. find her feet and space under the sun ..

she will also learn new ways of being , accountability and choosing wisely ... She will figure what works and what does not .. She will know its all about the choices we make for ourselves ...

Go on my love .. new skies await you ...

Picnic to the Dam

And the rains arrived ! and soon we were in the sway of  the monsoons

The season of dark brooding skies that erupt at will bringing all the lush to the land :)

Girls , I and visiting S went off on a picnic to the Poomala Dam. The Reservoir brimming, abloom with white lotuses.The skies threatening to open up  any time . A deep shade of grey. cool breeze rustling up everything around...

A short trek to find the ideal rocks to perch  ... soaking in the beauty all around ...then our picnic lunch ..and more walking around the reservoir as the rains arrived ..

quick dash to the warmth of the car ...

I live for these moments :)

Happy Results !

Time for some Happy results !!

P Aces her class XII Board exams , Topping her school and A1 in all subjects .
Happy Mom here :)

And she is done with school. Feels like just the other day i got her admitted to the nursery and she went in holding her bag , in a new uniform , all business like :)

Wish you all that's  wonderful , my love, for all love that lies ahead !

Poetry Month Again !

The happily crowded April arrives with the new year , summer showers, mangoes , holidays and poetry for me !

The Terribly Tiny Tales (TTT) , National Poetry
Writing month ( NaPoWriMo) is back and am writing again for the prompts !
The prompt for Day 6 , I  found heart warming ...
It said :
What if your memories can write back to you ?
And I wrote :
They would call out to me to come visit ...
Re-live the sounds, sights , smells and textures..
The  springs of crushes, summers of growing up,heartaches of autumn ,dreary chills of winter ..
The thrill of rains and drenches in childhood ..
The joys of achieving , hopelessness of failure ..crushing losses..
The roads traveled, trains chugged ,skies lit with stars,clouds on flight, loves loved, friends lost..
Sometimes sepia and sad,
Sometimes dappled in colour,
Sometimes framed in pictures '
Sometimes only in creases of my mind ...
They would call out to me to come visit ....

Jigsaw Puzzle Queen

As the annual exams concluded , D got into her favorite mode . solving a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle .
With infinite patience , spanning over a few days  she set it up.
Absorbed , engaged and all her focus on the task at hand.

I am a huge fan of the jigsaw puzzle .. the way the tiny bits come together , fitting perfectly with one another creating a story ...
 It was a pleasure to see it unfold .. bit by bit .. one piece at a time ..

I find the puzzle to be a metaphor to life...
every moment playing a part to the whole... woven by the unseen hands of time .. each important in its own way ...each connecting to the next uniquely as only it can..

Effort, Focus and Patience to string it all and voila it all comes together as our own unique story!

International Women's Day

March 8 gets me cynical sometimes what with the social media flooding us with sappy paeans when all that is needed to celebrate women is respect , consideration and support .
Objectifying women gets my goat and patriarchal ways that tend to patronize, subdue and discriminate make me sad .The inability of women to move about safely in many of our our towns/ cities is a bummer indeed.

This year , saw me in action mode on March 8 !

Heading a city chapter of an international women's organisation , i went after a project to create a safe seating space for women in the city's railway station. Women travelers  transiting  through the station will have a space to safely rest and charge their phones . The spot was selected by the station authorities at such a vantage that the police check-post could keep a  watch ...

One of the high points of my year :)

First Run !

And I scored a "first time in life" experience when i signed up for the Run Thrissur Run Annual Marathon  and completed a 5K

.
One joke i have not tired cracking at my expense is  I can't run to save my life :)

So this was a big step , taken after a year of small steps getting fitter and finding the stamina .

Guess what ?! I had found my running feet !

My first 5K and am certain there are many more coming !

2019!

A brand new year is here and I have my new slate for the year !

I spent the last days of the last year in contemplation . Reflecting on what 2018 meant to me and the context i need to set for myself as i deepen my awareness .

Time for more promises too ! To myself ...

I intend to go deeper ,work harder, love tougher , play wilder and Be more of myself.  More than anything i resolve to bring more of myself into each day. My Love, my passion, my zest, my  curiosity, my thirst for learning and my quest to be more empathetic .

A year to deepen the connection with myself ..

Here's to 2019 and all that it holds !