Salome's Scribblin' book

The other day, my husband joked that I had spent a third of my life with him. Whoa! For better or worse 😀. The other place where I had spent a third of my life was my boarding school. Interesting. Over the years, from childhood to teens to adulthood... the journey has been far from perfect. If not for those failures and painful and dark moments, I would not be the person who I am. We each have our own stories. Life's experiences have taught me patience, kindness, forgiveness, and love. With time, I find myself becoming someone I had never imagined or hoped to be.                     Road that leads to Pike's Peak Summit In my early adulthood, my roomies always had a say in what I ought to wear and what accessories to pair with each outfit. I no longer care for fashionable clothing. 'Comfy' is all I want. I vividly remember the days when I brooded over, 'Which footwear should I wear on my wedding day? ' Kitty hee...

  This is an account of the trip to Torna Fort, 1408 meters high on 2nd September 2012. The difficulty level of trekking is medium.   We, a group of six girls, started out early for the much-awaited trek trip. The previous night had been a busy one for us- preparing food and packing, buying tuck, and choosing the right outfit for the trip. We reached the pick-up point, Fergusson College, where the rest of the trek group would join us. A bus had been arranged to a village, Velha, at the foot of the hill we had to climb. For the first time, I was away from the busy roads of the city of Pune and enjoyed the view of the beauty that surrounded us. We dropped by a small eatery where good chai and poha were served. The agency that organized the trek was TrekDi, which had a group of folks who were all for an adventure of all kinds. During ice breaking, I realized, of all the group members, we were the ones trekking for the first time ☺ . The climb began. The first half an hour I ...

  It was a usual day at work when a young lady inquired at our registration desk if she could meet the Obs/Gyn Consultant. It was well past the OPD timings (2:30 pm) and the staff explained that she could go to the Emergency Room if it was an emergency or meet the doctor the following day. As she insisted she wanted to consult the doctor, the staff inquired further, and she was quite reluctant. I was in the same room as the staff and the only woman in the room at that time when she called out to me and said, "Can I talk to you in private?" I went out to meet her. With a smile, she said, "I want to abort." She pointed out to her one-year-old son, held in his father's arms, and said, "Uski wajhe se hi mujhe karna hai (he is the reason I want to abort). While a sea of thoughts flooded my mind, I politely asked if she had bleeding, etc.—any complications that might need immediate intervention just to ensure whether her case was urgent (I am not a medico). ...

  Who doth the soul satisfy? Raging tempest in the heart still, The restless, troubled, broken ease. Nothing of this world does pacify The longings yet to fulfill The thirst that ne'er does cease. Only You, O Lord can satisfy, With Your peace our hearts still Our souls from their burdens release.

I have carried this baggage for too long. It's time I let go of it and walk free.  A Caring Aunty from church accompanied me and my hubby to a hospital to have me examined. The reason - It was two years past our marriage and the expected bundle of joy had not arrived. I am so grateful for the love she had for us. Like a mom, she took me to the doctor's office.I've heard stories from colleagues who went for treatment month after month.But what followed next was least expected. The lights went off as I lay on the table for the TVS.The doc began the exam with her magic wand and, I yelled in pain,"It's painful, it's painful."  Everyone in the room gave me a weird look. It was not supposed to be that way. The next time I complained of pain, I was told 'could be psychological'.By this time, I began having nightmares the day before my exam. It was like every time the doctor gets to work with the wand, I would shout rather yell in pain like someone abused....

Very often, after a Sunday service or a prayer fellowship we say / hear others say,"What an encouraging Word!", "Surely the Lord is in our midst". We grew up reciting our prayers- 'where two or three are gathered together in my Name, I am there.. '. Are you sure The Lord of hosts is there? I must admit there were times I doubted His presence when I prayed. Do we have the same church-like or fellowship like experience in the privacy of our homes, in our prayer closet? Are we aware of His presence every time we pray? Not everyone can stand before His holy place.There are prerequisites; as King David says,"He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol..." (Psalm 24:4). Wouldn't our homes be heaven on earth if filled with God's presence, for there would be no room for the deeds of darkness when righteousness, peace and the joy of the Lord flows. David, having known the preciousness of God's presence, cr...

Allow me to ask a few questions before I go to my side of the story- What/whom do you believe in? Why do you believe what you believe? Is your God alive? If so, did you have an encounter with Him in this journey of life? If not, how do you say He exists. There is a sea of people out there who say 'God is a joke' or 'He's an invention of mankind'. Have you built a God based on your imagination or the theory which has been passed on to you by your family or some men of God? Our faith can't be based on someone else's.  It was not till I met a Jehovah Witness believer that I asked myself the reason why I believed, what I believed. She told me,"You can't pray to Jesus. He is not God. Jesus Himself asked you to pray to the Father(Jehovah) in the Lord's prayer." With the knowledge I had then, I couldn't convince or prove that Jesus is God. I used the references where Jesus tells 'I and the Father are one'. It made no sense to her. Late...

I hardly give a second thought as I reply, "I am fine. I am good." when someone asks,"How are you doing?" Wait a second. Pause. 'Have I always been doing good?' Hm mm. Not really. Then why do I say so? Have I just told a lie? I don't really know.Still thinking about it. Knowingly or unknowingly we carry in our hearts the roots of bitterness. When I tried to list out those in mine, barely one or two came to my mind. I'm thankful I came across a magazine recently which had an article on ' bitterness '. As I honestly and sincerely answered the questions put forth by the author, I suddenly became aware of the many 'bitter roots' seated in the database of my memory. It's time I flushed them lest they flourish. I let bitterness creep into my heart by means such as words and deeds. Like a chain reaction, words or deeds cause hurt or pain and these when unattended result in bitterness. When a word or deed causes hurt and you dwell o...

Its been a little longer than a year since I bid adieu to the IT firm I worked for. I do miss the regular appraisal meetings with the manager and the 'evaluation form' one submitted every year. Back then it was another 'to-do' in my list of to-do's. It did make some sense huh. You would sit a few minutes with your eyes glued to the 'appraisal form' and your mind is like- 'Should I rate myself a 3or 4?', My achievements?? Some client appreciation comes up to your mind. Whoa! My improvement area: I think I already know it. Fine, done. Click Submit. And one fine day your manager 'pings' or 'calls up' and you are damn sure; this is gotta be the appraisal discussion. Thoughts flood your mind. I know what I have done and I deserve this. Well, I know I need to improve in this particular area. I'll work on it. Blah Blah ... you go on. I still remember the moment my Manager informed I was rated 'Commendable', I was on cloud nine ...

Yeh! We are going on a Road Trip- our very first one. Sounds exciting! When do we start? What should we take along- food, water. Check the tyres, fill petrol from the trusted petrol bunk, carry required documents. How long do we drive at a stretch? Take advice from the experienced. A lot was running in the mind. It was the 2nd of May, a Tuesday I remember when the alarm went off at 4:00 am. Wake up, Wake up! Radhika's wedding day it was. She was a colleague of mine and a friend. Radhika was getting married to Stephen in Gulbarga, Karnataka around 200 kms from Hyderabad. I quickly took a shower and began getting ready for the wedding- picked up the easy-to-wear saree from my wardrobe cause I usually take at least half an hour to drape one, the jewellery: ear-ring, bangles those which went along with the saree, footwear. We were going to attend a Pentecostal wedding for the first time and were curious how it would be. Our target was to get going by 5:30 am but somehow it got del...

Your Presence, O Lord  is where I run to... When my heart is with grief overwhelmed And eyes with pool of tears filled It's in Your Presence I pour myself out. When no hope seems to be around And darkness doth me surround It's in Your Presence I find assurance. When on my way I'm lost And where to head to I doubt It's Your Presence that leads me. When I am weak and tired And just want to relinquish It's Your Presence that strengthens me.

Seated on the couch at home one evening, I was reminded of Hannah...the one from the Bible, the mother of Samuel. I made up my mind to read the first few chapters of 1 Samuel which tell her story. The life of this wonderful woman taught me a few lessons which I hope to pen down in the next few lines. Hannah had her share of joys and sorrows. Elkanah had two wives- Hannah and Peninah. Elkanah, bestowed much love for his wife Hannah and that could have brought her happiness. [1 Samuel 1:5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb . On the other hand, Peninah provoked her since she did not have a child. Peninah's provocation and mockery deeply pained Hannah to the point of weeping. 1 Samuel 1:7 tells us ... her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat . Peninah was indeed harsh with Hannah. Little did she know Hannah would bring forth Samuel, a prophet of the Most High God. Elkanah, the loving husband expressed ...

I've loved nature ever since I was a child. Amidst a busy schedule, a walk by those green trees or shrubs just refreshes one's mind. No wonder great poets wrote about trees, rivers, yellow daffodils and the majestic mountains. Having a garden of my own makes me happy. My little garden consists of Croutons, Rose, Chrysanthemum, Holy Basil(..wait it's the English word for tulasi!), Aloe Vera, Mint and Fenugreek . Every morning I go to the balcony to check on how my beauties are doing. When there's bud or a flower ready to bloom, it gladdens my heart. Watching the shoot pop up from the wet earth after having sown the seeds brings so much joy. Be it watering those plants or using the kitchen waste to prepare compost, I put my heart into each of these tasks and do it with a lot of interest. When I recently read about the parable Jesus narrated in which God, the Father, is portrayed as the gardener and we are like trees in a vineyard/garden, I could relate to it :-)...

The path I'm treading on I know not where it leads. It hurts, it pains. Still I go on. My heart and soul go weary. I cry aloud to vent the hurt. Who doth understand a heart? Nor a bosom bud or kin, Who had known you for years. No man do I turn to. In my darkest hour I cry out, to the One who knows a man's heart. Dear Lord, Why should I take this road? I ask with my heart still broken. Like a potter moulding the clay So am I moulding you, my dear You may break, be hurt But you are always in my hands. With this Hope I rise again to walk the miles that lay ahead.

It is a beautiful day here in Pune. The weather just awesome  J  and a walk in the campus is a must to enjoy the beauty around. Wrote these few lines after a walk in this lovely place. A day filled with His goodness Is what I woke up and found. With joy and happiness, Doth my heart abound. Oh what a beautiful day! Though the showers keep pouring Still the sun lights my way. Flowers blooming, trees swaying, The cool breeze so refreshing, That am lost in the Creator's art I just can't withhold from singing Dear Lord,  How Great Thou Art !

What do you do the moment you wake up? This morn I woke up thanking the Creator for another day that He had added to my Life. Tranquillity, cool breeze, chatter of birds added to the wonderful day. I was reminded of the thought with which I slept the previous night- whom do I turn to? Everyone faces different phases in life- a moment to rejoice and you share your happiness with those round, some moments with dear ones are treasured forever in one’s memories and still are moments that one could have worked really hard to get there. On the other hand, one goes through tough times; those that are painful but still have a glorious end as the saying goes, ‘The road to success is not a bed of roses but of thorns’. People don’t mind enduring the thorns with their goals in sight…that keeps them going. Some situations are the results of one’s actions. You do something and endure the consequences that follow. A few admit their faults and learn from them while those that deny miss a lesson that l...

All of us know what joy a reunion brings…meeting people after ages.   My class reunion was scheduled on January 8 Th    this year. It was announced a month ago and the venue decided was Chennai. When I first heard the news, I liked the idea but still thought, ‘Should I go all the way to Chennai (a nine hour journey from coimbatore) just for a get together?’ I had to get my parents’ consent and book a ticket. When I first told my mom about it, she was all advising. I knew not everyone would turn up and my absence would not make any difference. Then Joanna, my classmate, called up and asked if I had plans to go to the reunion. She told she’d join me if I was going. I finally got permission from my mom. Now, it was ours to plan the rest. Joanna and I decided to go together. Luckily, our tickets got confirmed. The only thing I worried about was how I'd get permission if we had our review that day. We had our project review coming up for which the date was not confirmed. By th...