When life pulls you down again and again, get back up, put on your shoes and go outside. Keep your eyes open and observe. It is where the nature teaches you how to be strong and positive againstall the adversities; not just to survive but to thrive.
-JMJ
Flowers grow out of dark moments.
Corita Kent
I want to stay a while, wrapped in silence, the way the trees and rocks and the ground beneath my feet are wrapped in moss and ivy and soft, green lichen.
Cathy Cassidy
Deep sleeps the winter, cold, wet, and grey; surely all the world is dead; spring is far away. Wait! the world shall waken; it is not dead, for lo, the Fair Maids of February stand in the snow!
Cicely Mary Barker
Does the robin sing because the cold of winter is leaving or the warmth of spring is coming? Or might he be singing because each without the other would lessen both?
Craig D. Lounsbrough
Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.
I'm swinging up and down, Not knowing what is coming along, As I go up, I see the most beautiful sight, And when I'm down I watch the lava flowing inside. At one point I have the heaven, An angel standing beside me, Telling the truth, separating the right from the wrong, Guiding the way, showing the perfect path for my journey. Then, suddenly I'm in hell, Fighting with my demons, Burning myself in the fire, Where temptations are crawling around me, And every inch of my body and mind is tired of struggling with the strongest evil that I have ever known.
I'm swinging up and down, Not knowing where I belong, The harder I push myself to be in a place where I can hear melodious song, To make peace with my past, Longing for the serendipity that other people have known, The deeper I plunge into an ocean of darkness, Into the void where I was left alone, Trying to get a grasp on my life, for one breath. I'm swinging up and down, Not knowing if I should carry on. -JMJ
Shattered into pieces by her unkind fate, She was in a complete disastrous state, Called by the society as a misfit, She was about to surrender in defeat. Then a voice came from inside, "There's a lot in you that you have not tried, Take your time to make it right, Believe in yourself and give a good fight." So she picked herself up from the ground, Every little broken pieces of her and glued, To make it whole and beautiful again, And made sure to put some flowers too this time which was a gain. -JMJ
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Walking on the beach and letting the sunlight touch my skin, I allowed sand and water to be my kin, While listening to the waves and watching the birds sing, Tears rolled down as it made my heart swing. Thinking only about all the disappointments and downs in my life, I wasn't being grateful to the God who gave me the life.
Then I saw a young girl selling roasted peanuts, With dirty hands, torn clothes but she was no nuts, Even after a dreadful long day she had her hopes high, With love in her eyes, she walked gracefully without giving a sigh. When she offered me her peanuts seeing me cry, I could only stare at her and couldn't ask why, The beach was a place where I could find my final peace, Instead I found God in her face and I walked back in grace in one piece. -JMJ
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Dowry, a menace which is considered as an insurance for a happy married life of a woman. Sometimes, her life can be at stake if her husband or in-laws think that the dowry that they have got is not enough or not upto their status. So, why am I writing on this today?
Case 1
A final year BAMS student died in her in-laws’ house. Her parents claimed that they had given a Toyota Yaris car, 100 sovereigns of gold and more than an acre of land, as ‘gifts’ at the time of her wedding last year. But it was not enough for her husband, an Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector as he felt that the car was not upto his status. So he used to abuse her both physically and mentally which made her to kill herself.
Case 2
A 24-year-old died after she was set ablaze, by her husband, an year after their marriage and repeated demands and torture for more dowry. He came to his wife’s parents house to take her back. He had a bottle of diesel with him which he said was to control termites. When they reached his house that poor woman was set on fire with the same bottle of diesel.
Case 3
A 25-year-old died last year after she was bitten by a snake in her bedroom which was on the first floor of the house. This was the second time she was bitten by a poisonous snake in two months, inside the house. At the time of their wedding her husband was given a huge amount of money, lots of gold and even a car. But, it wasn’t enough for him. After her family started talking about divorce, he was afraid that he would have to give all the dowry back. So he bought two poisonous snakes and left them on his wife while she was asleep. A well – planned murder, isn’t it?
The above said are three recent cases happened one after another in a state which claims to have a 100% of literacy rate in India. So, what’s happening? Where is this all education going? Where are we going as human beings? Does a woman’s life depends on how much money or financial assets she brings to her husband? Do we still have to keep doing this crime in the name of culture and traditions?Why can’t a girl and her parents say no to the marriage itself when the question of dowry comes in first place?
Only answer to this question is to stop thinking a girl child as a burden and to stop preparing her for a married life from the day she is born. For example, I was cooking one day a few years back when an old lady comes to the house and says very lovingly to my daughter to start learning how to cook. When I asked why, her answer was that she has to make her husband and his family happy. Seriously! She was only two years old at that time.
It is also really significant to give proper education to our daughters and to make them financially independent. We will have to make her brave enough to stand up for herself and to make important decisions about her life. A good education and a job will help her not to rely on others in terms of finance and thus making her self sufficient.
I have always been against dowry and I will be fighting against it till the end of my life. It’s not only because I have a daughter and I would like to give her a better place to live, but also, because it’s the right thing to do.
Please leave your comments on the topic as I would really love to read them.
Once there was a beautiful place with lots of trees, plants, animals and birds. A place like heaven where the day started with the blooming flowers and chirping of birds and ended with an amazing view of sunset and the nights were so serene. A volcano too lived among them. She loved to see lives around her and was proud of the placewhere she was situated.
One day, the volcano was tagged as an extinct one as she had not erupted for a long time and scientists could not find any activity within her. So, people started to come to this beautiful place to seethe volcano as well as to make some business out of it. Many of them who came, were not that gentle towards her or to the place which she loved. They exploited it so much that place started to ruin it’s beauty. As people thought that the volcano was extinct, they used to go nearer to her and threw stones at her. People love to tease and attack something which they think that can’t react, don’t they? It continued for a long time and what happened was unexplainable. The volcano erupted with a maximum intensity and she started to spit fire balls along with the lava and poisonous gas. The whole place was turned to ash and the lava engulfed everything, people, animals, birds, trees and plants. Nothing survived.
Now, the volcano was tagged as active. People were afraid not even to go nearer to volcano but to the place. She waited patiently because she knew that the place will be beautiful and she will be happy. After a few years, she was proud of the place again where she was situated and she lied dormant once again watching the beautiful sight around her hoping that she won’t be tagged as extinct again.
I have tried to make my point using a parable here. I hope that you will like it. Please leave your comments on the topic as I would really love to read them.
A treasure is lost somewhere in deep. Something so valuable that one needs to keep. A treasure is stolen by a wicked witch. How hard have I tried to keep it safe from the breech? A treasure I had to give up because of the sinister disease. Can it be a reason for me to cease? A treasure was taken from me by the people around. Shall I hide myself when they surround? A treasure was vanished behind my wrinkled face. As old I get, should I be in the loneliest place?
At last, I found out how silly I was, To think even that the treasure was, Taken by someone or something from outside, As I found that the treasure was all along inside. I started to give a smile to the mirror, First thing in the morning when no one was nearer, And when I stepped out of the house, I gave a smile to a crying child, Then it occurred to me that this treasure can be shared to someone in need. It made my day as it felt like a bliss, The lost treasure was found on my lips. -JMJ
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What takes a heart to be at rest, To not to think of all the days which were the worst. What takes a mind not to wander to, All the way back which were never meant to. However I try, I can't call them back, It's like they have been taken from someone in the past. Haunting memories of an innocent smile, Blue eyes with an ocean inside, The days were so wonderful with you on my side, All those pictures are talking to me and tearing me from inside. When all mothers are celebrating the day with their children by their side, All I can hope is you are at rest with no pain to cry, Oh my baby! I hope you are having a good time with God by your side. -JMJ
Dedicated to all the mothers who lost their children.
Please leave your comments on the topic as I would really love to read them.What takes a heart to be at rest,
So how's this, this mask? Do I look pretty? Do I look smart? Tell me, what is my role today? Should I just keep my eyes dry or should I also wear a smile? All those bruises can be made unseen, With a make up and no one will ever be keen, To question how fake is the smile, Or am I living a lie?
An abuser lives in all of us, Some find happiness in other's tears, Beating up, mocking up and blocking everything what is dear, Others like to turn a blind eye making me to wish that the death is near, Never reach out but love to give a long sigh, All I want is someone to sit beside, No need to talk, just hold my hands tight, It's another day as I can see the light, I should be ready for the people outside, So tell me, how's this, this mask? Do I look pretty? Do I look smart? -JMJ
Dedicated to the victims ofall kinds of abuse who manage to wear a mask everyday and pretend to be okay.
Please leave your comments on the topic as I would really love to read them.
A Life's Journey 