AartiK, aditiK, aindrilaRC, Ajay.gang, akhilaN, akshayaN, Alan.fly, ambikaN, anaitaM, andreaF, andreaN, aneriT, anishaA, anuI, alyshaA, anilaV, ankitaG, ankitaT, anuradhaP, anushkaK, aparajitaG, aparnaA, archanaB, arshiyaK, arthurDS, arynK, asheeshT, ashikaM,
biancaP, biniS,Bosco, brindaD,
Candice, carenF, carissaDS, carolineP, carl, chaitali, chandiniJ, chantelleM, chelseaR, chitraN, chong, chloeD, deepikaSh,
edwinaP, evaristN,
firoozaA, francisDm,
geetaC,Gordon,
hima,ishaS,
jagrutiM, janhaveeP, jasmine, jenniferG, jenniferT, joeQ, joey, joseLuis,jueeG, jyotsnaM,
kalindiR, kanchiD, karinD, kathleenF, kimberleyL,
lattaniaSD, lauraM, leahZ, lizanneF,
manaliG, manasviS, mariette, marisaDM, mayuri, meeraR, menakaP, michelleF, mitaleeS, mohiniA,
nandaS, NanditaPal, natashaL, Natasha.nakitaSal, natashaSh, navyaP, neelK, nehaSal,nikitaDC, nikitaDes, nidhiT, nimishaB, nishiD, oleen,
pearlDS,pervinS, poojaG, poonamB, prachiS, preethiP, priyaBaid, priyankaS, pujaG,
raashi, rachelK, radhikaBu, radhikaS, rakheeP, rakhshanda, reship, rasikaS, remap, rheaD, richaS, rituD, rubyP, ruchiPal, rutujaP,
salim, saloniB, sanchiA, sanyaS, saviera, shaktiM, shamsahS, shanisse, sherlaineV, shireenL, shradaB, shrutiB, siddheshwari, siddhiA, simmiH, snehaT, Sohini, sonamM, srishtiJ, sujataS, swethaA,
TanviS, tarangC, tejashree, tessA, thaiza, tomK, trinolda, trishaH,
Urvija, utsha,
Vabriena, Vaishakhee, Valerie, valetta, Vanessa, varshaM, vibhaK, vijayG, vrindaS,vrushaliK,
wendyD, yakuta, Yvette,
zaitoon, zaverS, zeniaA, zomie,
My dear
Just remembered you again… just catching up again…
I was away recently for my annual eight-day retreat.
Just returned last Thursday night… and I am back to usual things here
I went to one of our Jesuit houses in Gaas, Nalla Sopara. Quite a lovely isolated place with trees and plants and flowers and other nature growings all around.
I enjoyed the peace, the quiet and just being-away-from-it-all prayerfully.
Occasionally I wandered through the garden there delighting in the plants and flowers
The nice thing about nature is that it is not self conscious. Neither pride nor humility. Plants and flowers and even little butterflies and birds are there before you just as they are; just as God meant them to be. No complexes and bitterness about bygone hurts. No grudges, no vindictiveness and self-destructive feelings like that.
And they do not sit in judgement on you and behave with you differently depending on whether they judge you to be this or that! They relate to you unconditionally.
They just grow and glow doing their own thing. And they pass away without any regret for what they could have been or could have done.
In just being what they are meant to be they give glory to the God who made them.
And they are an example to us of how we too should be living our lives.
photo collage: terryq
Here’s a collage of some of the flowers and a couple of the butterflies I met during my wandering in the garden there. The little central walkway is symbolic, I guess, of our passing through all of nature witnessing around us and encouraging us to live our lives as fully and as beautifully as we can.
The retreat was prayerful, peaceful and restful. It was something I really needed.
Post retreat I dropped from spiritual heights back to material depths quite literally!!
At about 9 pm I alighted from the cab that brought me from Churchgate to Xavier’s and took a step forward to pay the cabbie when suddenly I disappeared from his view altogether!
I had fallen straight down into an open manhole!!
I was quite dazed and could not quite believe the worm’s-eye view I was getting of the world around me. Fortunately there were students around and the rushed in and gallantly pulled me out of the manhole.
You are not going to believe this but, except for a tiny bruise on my right elbow, a little tap on my right knee and somewhat of a moderate dent in my dignity, I was absolutely unharmed and fine!
I was really lucky and I resolved to be very careful about getting out of cabs as well as into or out of other things generally!
Now it is back to the usual college things here. The rest of the world is in exams so not much rush for counselling. However, I have about eight sessions on creativity at Xavier’s and a session at Sophia’s on Stress and related things lined up for the next two weeks.
Then, of course, is the SSL rural camp (Oct.24th to Nov 2nd) that I am generally crazy-calm about.
I have done about 30 camps already so I guess I will survive yet again!!
All else well and wonderful. Hope it is even more so for you.
Take care. Stay well.
Lots of love,
Terry