Christmas
Submitted by Daril B. Atkins on December 23, 2008 - 9:01pm.
December for us in the boarding was a month to look forward to, and in my case (including a few of our gang) volunteering to assist Master Gregory and his son with the crib was at the top of our agenda. After it was all set up and ready to be admired we felt a sense of pride in our role. And more than that, Master Gregory rewarded us. What I loved were the statues which I guess were made in Spain. All this was to inspire me later in my choices about what my future would be like. Like all the statues that St. Peters Church had in its possession they inspired awe.
Of course my other agenda included the short Christmas break with our families. My mother's favorite was using old clean socks which she filled with all sorts of things that she could afford, but it never failed to excite my sister and myself. Then there was the making of sweets like cul culs, puffs, and my mothers hard toffee which required really strong teeth (she called the toffee, jawbreakers). In addition to that was the midnight mass and the inevitable visits to family and friends. Don't forget the Christmas Tree organised by our parish in Ahmedabad.
As time passed and passed it gradually dawned on me (a bit late though) that in all the excitement, we forgot the birthday boy. Sure like most of us, it was a merry X'mas rather than a happy Christmas. Merriment played a big part during this season and am guilty as charged. I also realized that as India and its Christians imitated the British colonizers in their culture and customs we tend to forget whose birthday we are celebrating and what Christmas is really all about. Now I know and its not too late either. So let me wish all the christian alumni, a very joyful Christmas and may this Christmas bring new hope in your lives.
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the Carrot, the Egg & the Coffee beans
the
Carrot, the Egg & the Coffee beans
A young woman went to her mother and told her
about her life and how things were so hard for her.
She did not know how she was going to make it and
wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one
problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled
three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to
boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed
eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and
boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out
and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me
what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to
feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked
the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she
observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the
coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects
had faced the same adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being
subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell
had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water,
its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling
water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her
daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you
a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and
adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable
heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a
breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff?
Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a
stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very
circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the
fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst,
you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate
yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an
egg or a coffee bean?
with best
wishes for a happy 2009 ...
denzil
Blessed
is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. - Hamilton Wright Mabi