Thankful Thursday

Isn't this true?

Pic of the day

Winner of National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012
Photo credit: Lucia Griggi

Of Leeks and Chicken Soup

My first brush with leeks was in the book of Exodus (Bible) where the people of Israel craved for it from the land of Egypt. Ah there! I kept wondering what kind of vegetation it was that made them miss it so much.

Couple of days back, I had the privilege of setting my eyes on leeks. I needed it for a soup I was preparing for my family. Spicy chicken mushroom soup that needed a dash of leeks as a part of the recipe. It resembles the spring onions we know of.

The dish came out really well and I must confess the leeks did a good job in improving the flavors of the chicken soup on the whole.

Thank you Mr. Leeks!

Song of Hope

This is a beautiful song about the birth of Christ.

The lyrics. What can I say?

"The Word made flesh, Emmanuel
 The Everlasting Light
 Let the warmth of Heaven reach the coldest heart
 With the gospel of His grace"

Rejoice

Friday it is!

Virtual Detox

I never thought I would need one. The amount of time spent on social media literally drained me of precious time.

C’mon what was I getting in reading people’s status updates on how bored they are or their evaluation about a movie that they just saw. Do I really need to know about the recent photo update or their likes?

Finally, for the first time I am off that social networking site for good and I pray and hope forever. I am thankful for the friends I connected with and for the wonderful quotes that encouraged my soul in times of discouragement. But I don’t need to spend endless hours browsing and scrolling on the news feed to feel happy.

It’s been almost a week that I am off it and I feel liberated. More time at hand, no more frustration. No pressure about removing friends and all that jazz!

Sanity is back and life goes on without a trace. I hope.

Tomato Coriander Soup

What more to ask in this weather? Warm, flavorful, and delicious and not to mention a bowlful. A bit of tweaking with the ingredients to suit to your style and there you are...tomato coriander soup!...without the bread of course ;)

Rains are here!

Weakness

Lack of strength? That I cannot manage things on my own?

How would you define weakness? Or let me put in a better way for you. What are the many ways you try to conceal your weakness?

I don't like to show people that I am weak. I don't want to take help when I am struggling. I don't want any advice. Thank you very much! The world crowns the one who is strong; the one who is an undertaker. But everyday, it is a humble reminder of how weak I really am.

We are so wired to be self-reliant, self-dependent, and self-sufficient that seeking any kind of help seems demeaning. But the fact of the matter is that if I am human then I am really weak.

The bible says that we are of the dust. (Genesis 3:19b).  God knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103) Hah, if I only recalled that DAILY!!

Everyday when I wake up in the morning, I need strength to carry on doing what I must. Grace to see myself as God sees and humbly acknowledges my true frailty and weakness. Then and only then, I will cry out to Him for help! Help to fight my sin on a minute by minute basis, help to be cheerful in the midst of impending uncertainty, help to always to look at Christ.

So, is weakness good? For me it is, as it draws me to Christ who is reliable, dependable and all sufficient!

 ^“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

Friends

A good friend is rare to find. A best friend is for keeps. This is one thing I have learned in this God-given life of mine that friends are God's best gifts to us.

No wonder it says in the Bible," Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17) God's gifts are good and perfect and it does not lack in anything. Wow. 

Friends bring joy into our lives, hold you up when you stumble or fall. They are patient with your weaknesses and compassionate in our failings. A true friend will stay with you through every change of season. In the recent years, I have come to appreciate friends in a better light. 

No wonder, Jesus said, " My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:12-15)

Thank God for friends! :)

Simply Garfield

Summer is here

Make the most of it!

Reflections

Time brings new things to savor. Friends, music, and conversations, these things I love best.

Friends, what is life without them? The candor with which we can have conversations and laugh at silly things continues to amaze me. Music, what can I say? It adds color to the entire experience.

One of the sweetest memories I cherish are great times with friends over dinner with beautiful music playing at the background. Good food, soul lifting music, and easy conversations!

I think it’s time to get together with my folks for this blessed experience. J

Absence

Just as the presence of someone in our lives can bring great change and significance, so also their absence can cause a unique transformation in us.

Let’s think of the people who’ve played an important role in our lives. Their friendships, their advice and the laughter shared are difficult to erase.But in their very absence, those memories shine brighter and seem to be etched in our hearts forever.

So, this is the question I pose. What is better, their presence or their absence? I have noticed that people and friends are better appreciated in their absence than in their presence. In their presence, we are unable to fathom their influence, how their lives intertwine with ours.

When distance makes its way in between those blessed friendships and relationships, realization dawns on the truth of how compelling their presence really was!