Psalms 4:6-7
There are many who pray:
"Give us more blessings O Lord!,
Look on us with kindness!"
But the joy that you have given me,
is more than they will ever have,
with all their corn and wine.

Joy was our director's driver, where I have this temporary lectureship. He drove only the top executive's at work. So naturally our ways never crossed except, perhaps at the college cafeteria or at the library where I sometimes found him reading where we exchanged pleasantries, briefly.
During the last semester exams there came a situation, some answer sheets of a particular exam need to be hand delivered at the university the same day itself. So it happened the authorities assigned me to take them along with Joy.
It was a pretty long drive, so on our way we got talking. I found Joy to be happy, hardworking, honest man who has evolved well and matured on his spirituality well in tune with his fifty something age. I kind of admired him and thought, what in life might have given him such deep insights.

It didn't took long on our way, before Joy with a sad expression told me, inspite of everything he has a fire of anguish burning in him. I was surprised, 'cos if there was any fire inside, it was not showing at all.

Joy had married early, his wife was a simple Malayalee woman who was happy with his love and what he earned. They had only one child, a daughter, whom Joy and his wife brought up very well. He had expected she would do well in studies, but somehow she couldn't go further than her plus two where she failed.

So when a marriage proposal of a boy from reasonable back ground who was working in "Gulf" came through a friend Joy thought it was Gods will. He married his daughter of in the best possible way he can afford. For Joy and his wife, it was a time of thanks giving, 'cos he has completed one of the most critical responsibility of a father who has a daughter, to settle her in a family way with reasonable means.

But unfortunately Joys happiness was very short lived. In less than a month, the boy who married Joy's daughter sent her back telling, she did not know how to cook. The boy's parents did not have any problem, his relatives and friends did not have any problem, but the boy said, she did not know how to "cook".

Obviously Joy's daughter did not had any physical defects, so the problem was some thing in the way the boy thought. It seemed, his life in the strictly controlled society of Saudi has made him addicted to "some" TV channels which they get there through satellite and he had some kind of high expectations which this simple girl from a local village with zero world view could fulfill.

The boy had returned to his place of work and its been over six months since the girl has come back to Joy. What surprised me most was, Joy was not bitter at all. He did not talk bad about the boy, he did not found fault with his daughter, instead he told me, as long as he live he will look after his daughter as best as he can.

Even though I could not say much, infact I did not had much to say since his own spirituality has helped him to deal with his troubles the best way. We spent around four hours that day, driving and all the while after hearing his anguish, I felt, that boy who married Joy's daughter is seriously mistaken and there "will" be a change of heart soon. That is when he comes home on next vacation. We all know, living in Saudi as an employee is a "Monkish" life.

I told him so. He said, "if he understand what life is, good for him.

PS: Joy is not the real name.

Your perfume

Sometime humans are like a bottle of the best perfume. Only this perfume is very reluctant to come out of the bottle neck. Then the purpose , unfortunately, of the perfume for being itself is lost.

Isn't it amazing, in such circumstances, life itself break the bottle neck, making the perfume flow out for the world around to smell its sweetness.

Some call it the "lows" of life.

Condolence

Yesterday, in one of the lake side resorts a bit far away from my town, the wife of a German couple who was staying there along with their two foster children was taken ill and the resort called a taxi to take them to the nearest hospital, sending along an young trainee girl with the couple, who spoke better English.
On the way there was a rail cross which was closed expecting a train to pass in the next ten minutes, so the driver drove up another way to cross the rail at an unmanned level cross, Perhaps to save time.
Unfortunately as soon as he drove over the rail, train arrived and smashed into the car killing the German couple, the driver and the young trainee girl, right on the spot.

Thats life, the unexpected at the unexpected time.

K.M. Mathew (Malayala Manorama)

"Peace is what I leave with you; it's my own peace that I give you." John 14:27


Mathew Kutty chayan, thats how everybody called him. Even though I have never met him or seen him, he was so much part of our lives. A man I admired and respected, first for his faith and second for his commitment to his cause.

Thank you Mathew Kutty Chayan, you had our lords peace in you and your life showed it.

One of the last of that golden generation from during the independence struggle, we will miss you and fondly remember you, always.

Day

No matter rain or sun they are at "work".
The courtyard of Lady of Ransom awashed in rains.

This year too, the "No Trolling" days are over. Big boats are back into the sea, what is alarming is the lack of interest among the young for fishing job. Lady of Ransom is traditionally a sea-faring folks worship center. Hope the authorities will do something to make this trade attractive once again. Infact the earning potential is much more in this type of trade. Now they are bringing fisher folks from a place called "Kulachal" at Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) to fish and operate fishing boats.

Monsoon at lady of ransom

For them, it was business as usual. Selling candles, flowers and lime Juice. But during monsoon business is dull and life a drag.
"Karkidakam" the heaviest of our monsoon months was really wet this year too. The first month of the monsoon was a welcome change from the heat of summer, but a month into the monsoon our body has become supple and tender. Very easy to break a bone or sprain an ankle.
At lady of Ransom, they have this new Hall, with facilities for Adoration, Confession and Slave Offerings. Its spacious and really convenient.

The tooth.

I was twelve when one of my teeth decayed and went dormant. For 20 odd years it did not give me any problems. But two years ago, when I had to live in very cold situation, it started giving me problems. Warm weather, cold weather the pain switched on and off. Today, the dentist extracted that for me. A nostalgic good bye.