From my Diary: பசுமரத்தாணி போல் ...

 

Through the years,  certain words from wise people have penetrated deep into my soul.  Like images and videos, they still live in my mind and keep cautioning me from time to time. They are my guiding stars, and I leave a few here:

1. நீர் என்னைக் காண்கிற தேவன்
God watches over us.
As a 9th Std. girl. in a boarding school, I heard the warden say: wherever we are and whatever we are doing or thinking, God is watching.  This still  controls my thoughts and actions, even when I am all alone.

2. "There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it behooves us all not to talk about the rest of us."
This quote from R.L.Stevenson was the all time favourite of my mentor and role model Rev. Sr. Casilda. My love and regard for Sr. Casilda inspired me to take the spirit behind this quote. This helped me in any company, when the conversation turned against a person.  If I had some good to say about that person,  fine. If not, I would just swallow it.

3. Own responsibility.  Don't be quick to pass the blame.
This practical advice came from Rev. Sr. Scholastica,  in one of her talks from the wooden stage in the old auditorium. Though a little tough,  I was conscious of this advice always.

4. Beware,  words are powerful. They will boomerang.  So, be wise in using words.

This was in that church on a hill in Munnar.  It was in an evening service during VBS.  one Jayaseelan anna, a VBS trainer, explained the following facts about Rachael in the Book of Genesis.

[Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.
[And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.

Now see the manner of her end:
[At first childless, Rachel eventually gave birth to Joseph and died giving birth to Benjamin.
This was when I was just 20. Ever after, I dreaded wrong words, even when I happened to hear them used by others.  Immediately,  I would run to Jesus, and plead for forgiveness.

(In the epic Mahabharatham,   Duryodhana exposes his left thigh in the royal assembly, and asks Draupathi to sit on his left thigh. Think of the manner of his death.  Bhima, directed by Kannan, attacked Duryodhana with his mace and struck his thigh, mortally wounding him, though it was illegal to attack below the waist in a mace fight.)

5. If you want blessings 100 per cent for your family and if your partner is able to earn only 30 per cent,  it is you who must make it 100.
This was by a Resource person in one of the many seminars we had in the College.  I am highly doubtful about my success in this, yet I tried.

6. X = a + b + c + d & it adds on and on.
A teacher in my UG class wrote this on the blackboard and explained. X is our personality. Every a, b, c, d and so on are the opportunities we come across. The more we utilize the chances,  stronger will be our  personality.
Following this, I would attend all the functions,  celebrations and even meetings, without missing any, for I believed that every opportunity is God-given, to enrich our personality.

7. Listening, learning and also winning relationships are like collecting pebbles; it may seem worthless at the time but who knows when they will turn into precious gems, rubies and diamonds.
This I got from the parable of the man collecting some pebbles and regretting later that he had not collected a lot more.

Such and many more, I gathered from books like "Tonic for the Soul" and "Daily Bread", and made small attempts to put them into practice.

8. Jump at every opportunity.
This maxim I found as a young girl in a booklet,  helped as a lever to push me in my functioning in the workplace.  Ever since I took charge of the Department,  this idea helped to see the Department grow with MPhil, PhD, satellite & self financing courses, certificate course to advanced diploma course in JMC, an e-journal and so on.  In addition,  there were many extra curricular and cocurricular activities that enriched everyone. I would never allow opportunities slip by.

9. Begin With the End in Mind: Define clear measures of success and a plan to achieve them.
Rev. Sr. Mesmine,  in one of her attempts to involve us in learning big things,  very early in my career,  assigned this Habit No. 2, to share to the whole College.  Ever since I did it,  the 7 habits of Stephen Covey, beginning with being proactive, became a big inspiration.

10. Everything happens for a reason.
This, I have heard repeatedly from Rev. Sr. Felicia, and this has helped to resign to many life situations.

10. "Let’s open our taps. And we will unlock the floodgates to happiness."
This, I got from "The Tale of the Two Seas".
Unlike the dead sea, the sea of Galilee is resplendent with rich, colourful marine life. Coming from the same source of water I.e., the river Jordan,  sea of Galilee is full of life, whereas the other is dead.  The reason is that water flows in and then out and that keeps the sea of Galilee healthy and vibrant. This taught me to let out what comes in - be it wealth, love or knowledge. I learnt that love or knowledge differs from gold or clay, that to divide is not to take away.

11. Everything should come to an end. All good things also must come to an end.
This quote struck my mind deeply when a neighbor-friend used it to me, at a time when I was struggling to swallow the sudden reversal in my active life.  Ever after, it helped me accept the changes with gratitude.