Mary's Mamma Mia!

So, yesterday was Mother's day.
My way of making her feel special- giving all respect that's due to her ( which means I ran to shop thrice between twelve in the noon to six in the evening. Without murmuring- that's the big deal here!)

Although my mom was aware of the day being celebrated as Mother's day, still she didn't even ask us to wish her or do something for her. She continued with her Sunday chores- which means spending more time in the kitchen cooking special dishes for my sis who spends her entire weekdays away from home. That's mom. Irrespective of the day, season, time, mood- she continues to give her best to her kids- Selflessly.

Few things about my mom-

Little did she know that the kids of her elder sister that she playfully used to toy around with will one day be entrusted to her with the priced emotional crown of foster motherhood. Earlier, she must have blown thousand kisses to us playfully laughingly, but all of a sudden after being called as "mommy" by us, her kisses changed- they became hard pressed and very close and intimate.

My sister and I were quiet involved in most of the co-curricular activities in school and were always among those getting prizes. During those days I used to observe how other students parents' were more worried and pushy to get their kids on top and how they failed miserably. I specifically remember how a guy named Amit Telang's mom used to even do all her son's project on her own so that he could score more, but unfortunately he never did. My sister and I were skilled in doing our projects on our own and also had a sense of presenting them nicely. All of this with a mom at my home who was quiet simple- who was educated in her regional linguistic which was not applicable in the state that we were living in. Well, I mentioned her weakness first. Her strength - "Encouragement". If we came back from school worried about something new; a skill that we were not equipped with, she would simply quip by saying- "You can do it! No excuses! It's in your genes!". She used to tell how my mom was very talented as a kid in telling stories, painting, sketching, drawing etc. And when it came to studies, she would tell stories of how she had heard (from my biological mom) about my dad being good in sports and  excellent in studies and esp. mathematics as a kid. These stories will make my sis and I go - "Oooooohh............." with our mouth wide open as if some magic spell was cast on us. To top it, she would open Bible and ready out how God's children were born to be the head and not the tail. We would all of a sudden feel like some special kids meant to do something great!  Since primary school we were more of DIY kids! I am proud of my mom making us these kind of kids.


She easily morphed into a father effortlessly. As we were growing up, we never saw her a damsel-in-distress kinds single mother. We saw how for her our protection was of utmost importance and for that she single handedly changed our residence in fortnight's time co-ordinating with our lawyers and the real estate brokers and negotiating a decent deal all by herself. I learned Negotiation.

Growing up, we would keep asking her to tell us more about the love story b/w my mom and dad as we get to hear bits and pieces of the passionate story from our other relatives. She would tell how my dad chased my mom for four long years and how he begged my grand dad to approve. When my maternal grand-dad gave a green signal to my dad but asked him to wait till my mom became 21, from that day on bang till the date my parents wedded, my dad and mom wrote letters to each other.  Interestingly, my dad used to write more letters to my mom. My mom was not able to match my dad in reciprocation as she had an obstacle of handing over the letter in the hands of her younger brother to go and post. My younger maternal uncle was a naughty young chap and would ask for something in return for doing the favour and all this process would consume time and meanwhile, my mom would have already received the second letter of the week from my dad. By telling such stories time and again to us, she instilled the hope that there exists some good interesting men in the world...

As much as she reinforced the hope of true love to us, she also told this awakening truth to me when i got this small crush in my second year of college. She told how in eternity, even the husband and wife won't be husband and wife. Marriage which is an amazing relationship also considered as honorable by God and that which prunes and brings the best in us- When even the best relationship as marriage does not hold its stance in eternity, then a trivial thing as crush is just a futile happenstance which definitely should not be consuming my time and energy and emotions. It's better to be prepared and conscious and not allow one's emotions and feelings to be controlled by another person in whom you have got a simple crush. Result- I never got entangled in any relationships that would have gone that far to have made me cry or depressed.

I would like to go on and on and on about her...but I better pause!

It's such a blessed feeling to know that God has more than compensated in His mysterious ways in the form of one kindness or the other... I've got mom! I feel blessed!

That's her, her and her!!!

With younger bro- her favourite!

With her brood-threes shades of Kids

  

Doing what she is best at- preparing delicious food loaded with 'love' ingredient.

The BEAUTY Bubble

So here’s my take on the topic “BEAUTY”- a very tricky subject to discuss! A few days back I was reading an article in the tabloid where the infamous Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway commented that how she dealt with the issue of being comfortable in her own skin. She candidly said that throughout her 20s she had been struggling and trying to make peace with herself about the way she looked and she still felt nervous in Hollywood inspite of having a svelte figure and a gorgeous face . This reminded me of the article when in my teens as I looked upon Britney Spears for a while was shocked to read in newspaper where she had commented how she wished she could change her nose. (Well, that’s possible with the technology! But my questions are directed to the subject of viewing oneself as beautiful!) A few days back I also went through the ELLE magazine in which Katy Perry was in the front cover page posing with oomph and inside the magazine in her interview she didn’t shy away from mentioning her struggles with accepting her body type in the so-called ‘zero sized’ crazy industry. She indeed would get disturbed by the gnawing feeling quiet often. But hey! Little did she know that I always considered her a really curvy and sexy woman. Surprisingly enough, the result of a general poll showcased how nearly 75% of the human race view themselves as ‘not’ beautiful! It seems that the human race which happens to be an interesting species has found it so very difficult to be able to recognize their own beauty. The reason behind it so-

I think that the topic Beauty and the self esteem issue are intertwined and both are tricky topics! Every person has a personalized set of theory with specifications for considering a person as beautiful. If we ask whether a random walking person is beautiful or not to anyone, then that anyone will scan the random walking person and see how many specs does he match with the mould set that he has in his mind. If the random person fails to score not so many marks as per their specification- then that person becomes ugly for us. If the person of talk scores all the points as per ones specifications then, that person becomes beautiful! Correct me if I am wrong!

Here’s my opinion on why a person finds it difficult to consider oneself beautiful: Being able to recognize our own personal beauty becomes difficult because it has very little to do with our actual physical appearance/ face value but everything to do with self-value! Valuing ourselves is a decision we need to make daily! I had also heard it once from the pulpit about how valuing your life as being perfect and gorgeous is an act of worship! (it was connected to love-your-neighbors-as-yourself which means simply that LOVE ONESELF first!) Why did God say that He formed us out of His own image? I believe He said that to remind us...it's not possible for us to not be beautiful!! It's a sham and actually rude on our part to think and constantly think horrible thoughts about yourself, and then worship the Lord and tell Him how perfect He is! Everything He created was perfect...therefore you = perfect! Basic mathematical equation with all Constants no Variable.

It's also a scientifically proven fact that people who viewed themselves as good-looking had something more about them- something like more of a glow to their skin and brightness in their eyes. Those who viewed themselves as ugly and hopeless had duller skin and darker circles rimming their eyes. I also believe that the more beautiful you think you are, the more beautiful you actually will look! The feeling just doesn’t stop to yourself. It transcends on how you view other things as well. Things I never considered beautiful, are suddenly stunning in my eyes. Places I thought I could never find hope, are now overflowing with restoration and promise!

Some people view as accepting GOD into their life as so seriously to an extent that they set some self-imposed rules about the way they look. They say that why do we want to feel beautiful? Well, it’s a natural and holy emotion! No, not conceited or haughty. The Bible clearly states that acknowledging your own beauty is a rejuvenating process! 

Psalm 34:5 says, "Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." How could you be ashamed of your appearance if you're acknowledging the fact that God made you?!

Psalm 139:14, "I praise You, I know that I am fearfully and beautifully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Hello??? It means that your SOUL should know how perfectly He created everything, therefore how perfectly He created you!

Here’s my picture- 

I got that scar as a reminder from an accident that took place when I was five-ish. My visit to one of the excellent cosmetologists in the city proved to be an interesting visit. The surgeon told me how a super model called “Padma Lakshmi” too has a scar on her forearm from an accident that she met with during her childhood and she still has the scar on her forearm without undergoing any operation. My scar condition was the same as hers. I anyways am not that disturbed by my scar and to top it the testimonial of a high-profile supermodel just backed my thought about how I viewed myself with the scar.

So, I challenge you, beautiful friends, to take the time to tell yourself the things that make you beautiful! It sounds ridiculous, cheesy and goofy, but am sure it’s worth it. And while doing so, don’t you forget to give some hope to someone else in a day about how good they look. You might make someone’s day!

Have a wonderful time feeling beautiful!