13 Hours of Rain

“If you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.”  ―  C.S. Lewis ,  The Horse and His Boy Our refugee family as arrived. And they are immensely grateful. I do not know about the atrocities they witnessed or the terror they fled. All I know is the visible signs of thankfulness on their faces as they have left their old home to come to their new home. We are reading "The Horse and His Boy" as a family. It is the story of Shasta, a young boy who is running away from his cruel life in the country of Calormen to the hope in beautiful Narnia. Our family calls this land "Beautiful Canada". :) There are days I get frustrated over my day-to-day life. There are so many things I wish to accomplish. Like learning how to write Hindi, which I never seem to find time for. Or being that amazingly creative Mom with you kids, who has planned all these fantastic summer activities. Or writing Chapter Two of my so-not-pub...

Dear Graduate of 2016, Just because you graduated with a North American high school diploma doesn't mean the world will be presented to you on a silver platter. I know you have heard the motivational speeches out there. "Just believe" or "You are special" or "Failure is not an option". I hate to break it to you kid, the oh-so-young adult that you are. No ounce of believing will make you what you were destined NOT to be. While you have God-given worth, you are no more special that the other 7 billion on this planet. And -- guess what! -- you will fail. Your world tends to revolve around the latest smart phone technology. I don't blame you, as the adults in your life are no better in so many ways. But please remember, you don't have the right to technology. No matter what popular culture will tell you, it is NOT a NEED in your life. It's a WANT. It is true that it is becoming more and more difficult to live without one, as it is even an a...

I'm now a every weekday working Mom. I've taken on a part-time temporary position as a Senior Mathematics Teacher at the local high school. I teach Gr. 11 & 12 students, some mathematically gifted, others not so much. For the most part, I am enjoying the experience.  I think. This whole experience of teaching has taught me, once again, how I struggle with contentment. As a substitute teacher, I ached for the opportunity to teach while I grit my teeth over supervising another exam or "babysitting" another work period. Now that I teach a new mathematical concept almost every day, I long for the periods when I can rest my voice and brain and just proctor an exam. Contentment. A very difficult concept to grasp. One I still have not mastered. Earlier, I had the opportunity to sit down with a Mom of one your KG friends, as you two boys played with great enthusiasm. This lady was quite wise, as she reflected on the state of society. Even though she hesitat...

Son, you build creations with little interlocking blocks, Usually intricate ships for your super heroes to fly. You zoom around the house, fighting battles Between good and evil. Good wins. Daughter, you create music on black & white keys, Persevering through difficult pieces with tears. You appear to quit as you run off to your room. Yet, you return and play Beautifully. There are days I am afraid of the future. Our population as a species continues to rise exponentially. However, our Earth's size remains the same. It is becoming more and more challenging to produce food for our world. And the more people we jam pack together, the more we live in disunity. Crazy diseases emerge, threatening to be the next pandemic. Human-produced garbage continues to rise while the rest of the biotic elements of our ecosystem suffer. I feel sick thinking about all of this. Yet your examples, as you battle the next villain or try to master "Singing Donkey" with ...

You've become pet owners. Well, stuffy pet owners. Son, yours is Brown Bear, a small bear whom you treat as a dog. You've had Brown Bear every since you were an infant. Daughter, yours is Bob, a big cream coloured dog who is apparently Uncle Toot's son (Uncle Toot, the very large stuffed dog, lives in Grandma & Grandpa's apartment). You both take care of your pets as if they are real. Brown Bear is especially real. He peed in his bed last night and the blanket just HAD to be changed! As a mother, I am delighted to witness a more compassionate side to both of you. I know you'd LOVE a real dog to enter our family, but alas, our regular trips to visit our extended family make pet ownership difficult. We won't get a cat, so don't get your hopes up about that alternative. Both your Daddy and I are not fans of cats. We have met "friendly" cats in other people's home, and enjoyed them. But we've never been compelled to own one for ourselve...

"Please pray for me," your Nana asked mid-afternoon. "I have a terrible flu." "I will Daddy," I responded while saying a quick prayer in my head. It's the flu. It will pass. How serious could it be? Then I received word late evening. Your Nani was in panic. Your Nana's condition had gone critical. He was struggling to breathe. His lungs were filling up with fluid. He was literally drowning. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.  I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. (Psalm 69: 1 - 3) The ambulance was called. A faithful friend accompanied Nani to the emergency. Another friend stayed with your frightened Mausi as we live three hours way. An hour past. I sent out frantic e-mails for prayer. Good news arrived. Nana's condition was stabilizing. All seemed well? 24 hou...

"Laggard: In the diffusion of innovation theory, the minority group (roughly 16 percent) of population, which is the last group to try or adopt a new project. It consists largely of seniors, and those with low socioeconomic status. Laggards use friends and neighbors as information sources, dislike change, and accept new things only when forced to." (Source: BusinessDictionary.com) "As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved... Learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology... Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not..." (Source: Is technology producing a decline in critical thinking and analysis? ) "The real world of technology seems to involve an inherent trust in machines and devi...