Footprints

Many people have various passions. I too have many passions in my life. But today my utmost passion has become to “learn”. Yes to become a student of life. I have taken a full circle and come back to the same place. We may call it a zero or a circle. Sometimes we go around looking for things everywhere when it lies so close to us.

Life is a beautiful school. It is how we look at it. All these years I struggled trying to catch the elusive. But when I recognize Grace and when I am able to trust, I find that I am carried in the arms of this compassionate power.

This reminds me of the story of a person walking along a beach. He saw two pairs of footprints embedded on the sands of the beach and after a while there was only one pair of footprints along the beach. He looked at God and said, “Look, when I was fine and happy, you walked alongside me but when I needed you the most, you abandoned me and I had to walk all alone”.

God looked at him and said, “You have misunderstood the truth”. “When you were doing well and were fine, I walked with you”. “There can you see those two pairs of footprints? And when you needed me the most, I carried you in my arms and those footprints are not yours but mine”.

Sometimes we have the tendency to forget the reality and everything becomes a struggle. Somehow when I can learn how to flow with the river and not against the current, I enjoy the journey. This journey of mine has been long and windy. I have had good times and bad times. But when the good times come, it overshadows all the pain and suffering and fills the heart that one can feel the heart dancing. Yes dancing because such joy is possible in this life.

I have to thank my teacher for helping me to see this joy and to feel the dance of life.

“The Beauty of Life is Life itself”. - Prem Rawat

Following Your Passion

Last Night my daughter had the opportunity to perform her first solo number in front of an audience.She has never been on stage and it was quite nerve-wrecking and exciting at the same time. Music and singing has been her passion since childhood and she used to practice singing at home, whenever she was free.

But as mothers are, or as I am too domineering as she says, I kept telling her not to focus on singing so much since her studies were more important. I remember her telling me once, “Ma – you have killed my dreams.” Yes. I was always telling her to concentrate on her studies and not to get distracted. Now that she is in College, an opportunity came to her to take part in a cultural night event.

Being selected to sing was as exciting for me as for her. I wanted to set the feeling right this time since she was crestfallen with my discouragement regarding her passion.

This was the first time my baby, my little princess, was going to go on stage and do her maiden performance! The feeling was exhilarating and I was as nervous as her. The only sad thing was that I was not able to be there to watch her live, singing her first number to an audience on stage!

Waiting for her to call me to tell me how she performed was restless for me too. I could not sleep the whole night imagining how she would have performed. After a number of calls she told me that she was not nervous and did pretty well. I am waiting anxiously to see the recording which she has promised to send me today.

So much for dreams and the possibilities of attaining them. It may be a small start but I know that this is the stepping stone for her. It has given her the confidence and elation that anything you love to do would give. I wish her all the best for bright future following her passion.

An inspiring quote by Sharon Cook & Graciela Sholander, I found which I feel that if any one of us follows, we will be able to feel total joy and satisfation.

"If you have ever felt such tremendous enthusiasm and desire for something that you would gladly spend all your waking hours working on it, that you would happily do without pay, then you have found your passion".