This weekly column captures the essence of living by touching some small yet very special moments life, which are expressed in simple yet touching words. The latest posts would be added but you can have a look at the older ones too by visiting the home page and surfing the older entries.

THE JOURNEY OF TRICOLOUR

The Sip of Life extends Independence Day wishes to all its readers today. There is a special Sunday Sip for you this time and it’s all that you need to know about the Indian flag, which we are sure most of us are not aware of.

Today our national flag is a blend of three colours. Saffron colour indicates the strength and courage of the country, white middle band indicating peace and truth with Dharma Chakra and the last band is green in colour shows the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land. But the Indian flag passed through several stages before it attained the final shape we have today. The first national flag of India was hoisted on August 7, 1906 in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta which is now Kolkata. The flag was composed of three horizontal strips of red, yellow and green.

The second was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in 1907. This was very similar to the first flag except that the top strip had only one lotus but seven stars denoting the Saptarishi. This flag was also exhibited at a socialist conference in Berlin.

The third flag went up in 1917 when our political struggle had taken a definite turn. Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak hoisted it during the Home rule movement. This flag had five red and four green horizontal strips arranged alternately, with seven stars in the saptarishi configuration super-imposed on them. In the left-hand top corner (the pole end) was the Union Jack. There was also a white crescent and star in one corner.

Be a true Indian and live each colour of our tricolour in whatever way you can and keep alive the spirit of our country!

DOING GOOD. BUT HOW?

I have never been able to figure out what exactly doing good means. Let me ask you this question. Is it sparing some time for the needy? Is it contributing some money for the needy? Is it just being good to fellow beings, especially those close you?

I feel it’s just nothing out of these or much beyond it, to be really precise. It’s about being good to your heart and soul that matters the most. I never intend to go on a spiritual journey, though I tend to deviate from my sporadic flow of thoughts quite often, ending up writing what I never wanted to, but that’s when my heart rules over my head.

If you are sincere to yourself and don’t just think about what will benefit you but what will not harm others, that’s what goodness is. I often see people striving hard for their personal gains, monetary or otherwise, but in the process harm others in some way or the other.

I believe if you can’t do good others then atleast don’t be bad to them. It’s not that you can break any heart and later try mending it, because anything once broken can never be the same again.

I was meeting some people recently when one of them started a conversation about an orphanage. It started and ended with how his son every year celebrates his birthday with the orphans. This is another aspect I wanted to talk about – if you are doing good don’t talk about it as if you are doing so to tell people about how generous you are.

There is another instance of a good deed indeed. Some years back I got a call from a renowned Bollywood star saying he had read some story in a paper and wanted to offer some financial assistance, but he made it clear that it was not for printing in the paper and that his name should nowhere be publicized.

Coming back to three questions I asked you when I started today’s sip. I have all praises for those who are doing their bit for the society. At least they are better than those who are doing nothing, but do good and keep it to yourself. It’s not something to be shared with the world. And be good to your loved ones by being with them whether they need you or not.

Goodness lies in your heart and not in your mind.

I DO CARE…I DON’T CARE!

This Sunday, it’s a sip that’s going to leave you with a lingering taste! It’s about how in your busy life you often forget how to care. It’s about you who doesn’t care even when you say that you do…

It’s life’s simple yet so important part, to care and be cared for. We all want it, yet most of us fail doing it ourselves. Our expectations are often more than what we ourselves do when others expect the same from us – a little bit of care and concern.

Let’s start from a simple gesture when it comes to your unwell friend whom you haven’t seen for days. He or she is recovering in a hospital after a major surgery. You make phone calls to your so special friend, you send get well soon messages on his phone the whole day and you send a bouquet of flowers too, and you say you are doing all that because you care. But actually you don’t!

I am sure this with shock you. Just think if it were you and not your friend. Just a simple daily visit of your friend even if there were no calls, SMSes or flowers, would have made a difference. Half an hour of your friend out of his or her busy schedule spent with you would have made the difference. That’s what you call care!

In a sincere effort not to stretch this Sunday Sip too far, I just wish to add one more perspective to it. In your lives when you are with our families, your heart at times stop feeling for each other…a wife for her husband or husband for his wife, a son or daughter for his or her parents or a brother or sister for each other.

With time you start taking each other for granted as you know they are there to stay for a lifetime. You callously let go several occasions when they need our care, but you leave them neglected. At times they need a simple pat, a tight hug, a soft kiss or just a loving smile, but you forget giving them these and instead load them with gifts and surprises.

But believe me, there is nothing as caring as your simple gestures. They do not come with a price tag, yet they are priceless. If you care, just take out a little time to show that you do, because care is not what your wallet can buy, but it’s your heart which can give, and that too in abundance…

RELIEF IN GRIEF

Recently there was a death in the family and it came all of a sudden. Her kidneys had failed over the time and even repeated dialysis was of no use. She passed away peacefully leaving behind her family in grief yet relief as they had seen her suffering so much all these years.

I have often seen and felt too, there is always a relief many a time in times of grief. It can’t be said, but felt a lot. When God is pulling away your dear one from you, it’s time to say goodbye not just from us but from pain too.

I personally feel many terminally ill patients about to breathe their last must be given a choice to have their say, to live or to opt for death (euthanasia) at times I feel when I pass through the corridors of hospitals where I see misery in abundance.

In death we often grieve but we must also thank God at times for having saved our dear one from living a dying life which gives so much pain and nothing else. For those who have been suffering from a serious disease or survived a serious accident with grievous injuries, no doubt need to be alive, but till when.

Someone who has been left crippled by an accident or someone who has lost his health to a killing disease is better relieved of the pain than living with it. It’s hard to accept when I say there’s relief in grief, but that’s what life is at times – accepting the unexpected!

So, if you lose your dear one who had been suffering from pain when alive, thank God for having spared him or her from suffering more. Feel the relief in grief…though easy to say but hard to accept, but when accepted it will ease your pain and give you strength in accepting reality with courage.

BRIBING OUR SOULS

In our lives the desire to have more never ends and we spend our entire lives in an effort to have more and more money and happiness. We end up looking for materialistic desires at every step of our lives, never satisfied with what we have.

Today’s post is all about our aspirations which often take up nowhere. It’s about our dream to get richer and it’s also about losing a lot in the process. It’s the story of losing a lot more in our efforts to gain. It’s about losing the peace in our lives and the love of our dear ones and above all losing our integrity.

Being in a not-so-paying profession like journalism, I often come across many in my fraternity who have already fallen victim to it. Misuse of power and dishonest earnings among them has become a routine, and ironically they are supposed to expose such people who are extracting money from us.

I often see how things just work in government offices till you have greased someone’s palm and it is we who encourage the practice and then complain about it as well. And the ones who are earning from our pockets are leading a lavish lifestyle. But often see them having a luxury car, and a palatial house, but a life full of ailments, personal problems and frustrations.

Our desires are endless and will remain so but by bribing ourselves we can never bribe our souls. Monetary happiness is momentary happiness which takes away a lot more than what we have gained. Set your priorities right whether you want money to make you happy or a satisfying life to bring happiness? Try it once and you will find the simple way to happiness!

ANGER – ONE LETTER SHORT OF DANGER!

It’s nothing but a matter of time and anger can bring out the worst in you at times. How many times do you think you have experienced anger – how many times your own and how many times someone else’s? It’s all a state of mind that comes like a storm and leaves you or someone else with bruises, just as the real storm at times leaves damaging trees and their branches around us.

It comes and knocks your door and after it has left the damage has already been done. Today, The Sunday Sip tries to make an effort to let you have a think hard and remember if your anger hurt someone. It might have been a routine for you but not for the other person who was left battered just because of some unkind words you said to him or her not realising, a heart is just like a glass, once broken it’s hard to be mended and I have found it so true.

Though I am no authority to write something on this outbreak of emotional turmoil, but have got the privilege of having felt it myself not once but many a time. I have seen it coming like waves hitting my mind and then leaving me, but by that time someone has been a victim to it or even me at times.

Anger at times means nothing for you because it’s just like tears once shed they ease your pain, but leaves an imprint in the heart of someone you so fondly love but hit hard with your angry words. Situations do keep coming in our lives to trouble us, but that’s when God tests us and wants to see how we react – whether we get angry cursing everyone around or pass it on with a smile, holding the hand of someone who was the reason behind.

Not very often you will find yourself going for second option, but would go for the first one, blaming your fate or blaming someone who has always been your support after having shared so much closeness. Strangely, you keep your anger first and someone dearest second!

I am not suggesting that we should not to get angry, as we all have to and we must too, but not at the cost of harming someone, who just wanted to be forgiven without asking for it. Be patient when things irk you, bury your anger and deal with God’s trials to turn them into triumphs. By shouting at the top of your voice or saying ill words you will only end up succumbing to anger and that too when someone close was not asking for much – just two kind words of love, forgiveness and a tight hug to say, you care for him or her more than your anger!

THE LAST WISH TODAY ON FATHER’S DAY

A very Happy Father’s Day to all those taking this sip today! The Sip of Life brings to you a touching poem which will leave your heart brimming with emotions for your loving dad.

Alone sitting in a wheelchair old man’s face had a smile,

He so much wanted to see his son just for a little while,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

He had been in the old age home for many years now,

Why he had been left there, he just did not know how,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

With tears filled up in eyes he missed his son so much,

He yearned to have a look and wished his son’s touch,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

Those days when his son had held his hands so tight,

When learning to walk was as special as his first flight,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

There were times his son came running to hold his dad,

Still he left his dear father, after all he was not that bad,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

Little sonny would hug him just for a wrapped sweet,

His every loving kiss would mean as his father’s treat,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

There were times when his father’s lap meant a lot,

Wonder why after so much care the son just forgot,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

As tears rolled down the cheeks of this father so frail,

His heart started sinking and body started turning pale,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

In a few minutes the old father was losing his breadth,

Wishing his son to come, what he saw coming was death,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had one thing to say,

God, please bring back my son today on Father’s Day!

In moments came running a young son from the lawn,

By the time he held father’s hand, the man was gone,

Lifting up his hands in prayer he had nothing to say,

As the wailing son lost his father on a Father’s Day!

The poem composed by me today is a soft reminder of how indifferent we at times get to our close relationships, like the father. Today I will gift my father with not just a Father’s Day card, but a promise that he will never be left alone in the old age home, as the son in this poem did. And for anyone taking a sip with me, who is far away from his or her father, reach out to him today, before it’s too late and you find him lifting up his hands in prayer….Nothing to say!

Happy Father’s Day

TEARS OF PAIN WASHED AWAY IN RAIN

It’s a great fun being in the rain and we so eagerly wait for, especially during the summers. The feel is awesome when you have someone to share these special moments drenched in the rainwater, romancing with the little droplets as they touch your body.
But today’s Sunday Sip is not just about rain. It’s a short emotional story about an old shelter-less woman expressed in poetry. The story is simple, yet captivating on how her own son crosses her by, not realizing the woman in pain was her own mother, and finally something happens which blends rain with tears.

For days together there had been not a single drop of rain,
The villagers prayed God to pour and take away their pain,
Their fields had been lying barren for many years now,
No water to drink, even the well dried they wonder how.

There were hundreds of them just waiting for a single drop,
When the clouds will soon burst and their wait will stop,
While humans were seen ailing the little birds were dying,
There wasn’t a drop of water and the rivers were drying.

The rain Gods finally seemed to have heard the prayer,
With loud thunder of clouds heavy rain was finally there,
In the village only one old woman was left under the sky,
Her son had left her many years back, no one knows why.

She had been homeless ever since it had rained before,
The day when her son abandoned her during the last pour,
The lonely frail wrinkled face was alone in the open today,
How could she forget when her son had left her one day?

No one cared for her, as it was a moment to celebrate,
After all rain had finally poured after years of long wait,
She had no one in her home as her son had left her alone,
Suddenly she saw someone running as if someone known.

It seemed like her little sunny who had left her years back,
When he came close, he saw her but left turning his back,
As the rains were too heavy he just ran for a safe shelter,
Along with other villagers who ran around helter and skelter.

And suddenly he slipped while he was trying to run away,
He fell so badly in the rain and injured himself that day,
And then there was a shriek of his mother and her pain,
She ran falling again and again to save her son in the rain.

And till the time he was writhing in pain, she was there,
The abandoned mother had reached with love and care,
Her son had nothing but tears that were washed in rain,
With his mother there, pain had gone, he was fine again

He held the frail hand tight and they both cried so much,
The son cried for having left alone the only healing touch,
He learnt he was wrong to leave his old mother alone,
Cursing himself he wished her love’s value he had known.

They both got up to start another journey of deep love again,
And they hugged and kissed each other, tears washing in rain,
The son lifted the woman, who had the heart so full of care,
Never to leave her again and with love he was always there!

CARE FOR THE EARTH

It was World Environment Day on Saturday and this time as always, there was a lot of media hype about it. Even the firms dealing in consumer durables made it a point to have an edge by bringing out advertisement supporting their cause for the environment. Like any other year, the day was just to be seen green in print or on television, and now a day later everything has come to an end.

As before our concern will revive again next year on June 5 with green brigades trying to be crusaders of this earth. But how much are we stretching our efforts to care for our environment every day of our lives? I don’t say we need to move around holding banners supporting the green cause to spread the awareness, but we are least bothered to even take care of keeping our environments clean.

We still have our snacks and throw the wrappers in open or come across our neighbours throwing their garbage near our house as they cannot afford to pay a paltry sum for house to house garbage collection man or are to too lazy to walk a small distance to their closest garbage bin.

There are still many of us who urinate in the open not willing to have a little patience and use the nearest public toilet. We still get to see many spitting in open or our office approach stair walls stained with tobacco marks.

When will educated people like us who advocate the need to save environment wake up? Or will we ever? World environment day is not a day to be just celebrated, but a commitment to keep our environs cleans for the entire year. Our banners need to be held firmly in our minds if we care for the world we live in. Let’s start by planting a tree in our backyard and making sure we keep our country clean and green!

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

We often complain about our near and dear ones for what they are not rather than appreciating them for what they are. Today’s sip is all about loving someone for what he or she is and not for hating someone for what he or she is not.

I want me to hold your hand, and hug you tonight,

For the person you are and not for wrong or right,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love you for just the way you are.

I want to remember the times you have been there,

For your special ways which show that you care,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love you for just the way you are.

I want to thank you for helping me in so many ways,

For even when far being there close to me always,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love you for just the way you are.

I want to thank God for the blessing me with you,

For all the little yet thoughtful things that you do,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love you for just the way you are.

I want to cherish all the memories we had together,

For all the special moments spent with each other,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love for you just the way you are.

I don’t want to frown for what you could not do for me,

For the times you are not there when I want you to be,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love you for just the way you are.

I don’t want to think of times if you ever made me sad,

For all the times when even I would have been too bad,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love you for just the way you are.

Love is unconditional and goodness is all that you see,

For no one can ever be perfect, neither you nor me,

As you are my sunshine and my life’s brightest star,

I want to say that I love you for just the way you are.

LET YOUR HANDS

I am sure you are taking your Sunday Sip with your hands, scrolling this post with your hands. Spare a minute, and have a look at them before you take more sips with me today.

Your hands are what you make them do for yourself and others. Have you ever wondered how important are your hands, as they help you caress and love, they help you fight, to build, to shape, to lift them in prayer, to speak and to even grasp things you love, to grasp the best moments in life?

God has blessed us with hands and we seldom think about them that how simple they make our lives by helping us live each moment. When you feel like expressing something, the fingers take charge of pen and you can write anything on a piece of paper. And when you have someone dear besides you and want to show how much you care, your hands hold his or her hands with love and emotions running high and you can even run them on the face you love, giving a reassurance that you are there for someone.

It’s the hands which save so many lives when there is an emergency situation, when we call them helping hands. It’s when doctors make use of their hands that you get a new life and it’s when your hands work that you can make a blind cross the road, an elderly get down from the bus, a child to hold your fingers, and your loved one to walk hand in hand.

It’s a God gift to make you do good, so make use of your hands not just for yourselves but for others too and make a difference in the world we live in. When you eat your food, make someone special too eat with your hands. When you cross a road, do look around if you can help cross someone else too. When you see a person lying on the road writhing in pain, let your hands lift him for help. When you have your loved one with you, let your hands feel his or her hands too, because a simple touch can touch a heart too. When your parents are old and need your care, let your hands do that with gentleness.

Hope you enjoyed scrolling down today’s sip, just as much as I did writing it with my hands.

Have a blessed Sunday and a fulfilling week ahead!

EMPTY NEST SYNDROME

With the changing times, empty nest syndrome has become the order of the day. Today, there is no escaping from the fact that children, once independent, have to leave homes. Earlier that used to be a rarity only if the son is going out for work, or a daughter getting married. Nowadays, children leave homes too early in their lives, either during school time for studying in a hostel or for professional degrees later and then for jobs. Once settled in jobs, they get married and then too busy in lives to have time for anything, leave alone their parents.

Poor parents, after having invested all their lives in children’s upbringing with a hope to have a better future for their kids, are themselves left staring at a blank future. It’s not children’s fault that they go to explore life on their own, for they too have every right to have their own ways. It’s just that changes in the society are such that no one can escape it. Children, too, are under tremendous pressure to survive in the competitive world.

But what an irony of live that those who give up all to give us all are left to face the old age alone, those who were there to hold us every time we fell have no one to lift them when they need it the most. Parents can be well off financially to lead a life without children, but who will provide for their emotional poverty?

HAPPY TO BE HAPPY

What it takes to be happy? A question that all of us frequently ponder, don’t we? Have you ever asked yourself what makes you happy? And after discovering that, how much have you tried to incorporate that thing in your life? Or did you think, then discovered and then let the life be as it is, the daily maddening hop, as you didn’t have the time to even give yourself the chance to be happy.

To be honest, I myself never thought this much before I started writing my blog. Now, when I sit down to write, I realize there’s so much inside me that was lying dormant for all these years, waiting for me to nurture it with my little care and concern. When I started writing this, I wondered how over these years, I kept wondering what it takes to be happy, still never squeezed in even a few moments to give myself the happiness I deserved.

That too when life blessed me generously, with good life, a health body and a mind, good job, all the luxuries a person needs to be happy, and above all the ability to be grateful for all this. Still I never paused to be thankful enough. I mean though I knew in my heart that I am blessed enough, yet what I did myself to add to the God’s grace. All he must have wanted me to was to wake up with a smile every morning, thanking him for another day, for the people in my life who make it worthwhile. For living my day with sincerity and adding to the shine in others’ lives as well. For living my precious gift called life beautifully, knowing it’s no less than a miracle that I am alive.

It takes nothing to be happy, for it’s a state of mind. He who knows how to be happy is happy anyways.

On a happy note, HAPPY SIPPING AND A HAPPY SUNDAY.

(I am quite happy that I wrote this piece to find my happiness again.)

CHANGE – HOW INEVITABLE IN RELATIONSHIP?

This question has always been at the top of my mind ever since I began to understand relationships a bit, if I can ever say so. When we are in a relationship, is it must to change for the person you love? Or should you expect the other person to change for you? Or both should not change or both should change for each other, which seems the ideal solution.

Then I think, is it necessary to change at all?

Whatever we may think of about these questions, one thing is sure, no relationship comes too easy nor too tough. No matter how compatible or incompatible you are, every relationship has its highs and lows. What makes a relationship works is LOVE, yes the four-lettered word LOVE.

However dreamy it may sound, love is still the centre of happiness in any relation. The ways to love may change with every passing year, but not the love itself. If you love the person, change in you will automatically be seen. Not because you are changing for the person you love, but because you are loving the person unconditionally, which automatically brings about a change in you and the person you love. When love flows, both try to make each other happy, caring for each other, keeping their likes and dislikes in mind, and walking along the way hand-in-hand. Sometimes falling too, but to get up again, just because if love. Rather than seeing what our loved one doesn’t have or should have, we should focus on what he or she has. We should not try to make him or her what they are not, but should accept them for what they are. That happens only when we LOVE.

Don’t think me talking like a madly-in-love teenager, for whom love makes the world go round. I am saying it only from the everyday experience of feeling this beautiful love in the relationship that our parents share. Don’t they still seem to be so much in love by still being there for the person they married, amidst all the conundrum of long years of married life.

SO, YOU DON’T CHANGE AND LOVE. YOU LOVE AND CHANGE HAPPENS ON ITS OWN, EVEN BEFORE U KNOW.

PERFECTION IN AFFECTION

In every relation you need affection, not perfection – The Sunday Sip this time comes from this line, which I saw as a tagline of one of my friends on Google Talk today. It somehow touched my heart and without taking a single minute, I decided it had to be a perfect Sunday reading today.

If we just take this one line seriously in our lives, there would be love all around, especially in the relations we live. It only means what is required is love between two individuals and not perfection to live a relation.

Let’s take four close relations to make your sip more lasting one – that of a parent with son or daughter, that of two siblings, of two friends and the one of husband and wife or two lovers.

All that is needed from a son or a daughter is respect and care and if that is not there it means nothing. An adorable child is all that every parent wishes for whole life and it’s a beautiful thing that parents always accept you as you are, but its strange when you are big enough, you tend to find imperfection in them.

Love between a two brothers or two sisters, or a brother and sister, is of a different kind. With age you go far away from each other, get busy with your families, but you know there is someone who cares for you. It may be so that you don’t meet them too often, but that bonding exists in your heart.

Two friends also need a lot of affection even if they are not blood relations, but at times they are as strong as relations. There is a need for an understanding here and that’s what builds affection too. I am sure many of you must have shed tears while parting with your best friend.

The relation between a husband and a wife or two lovers is the most fragile and I am sure most of those reading this today must have lived it or are living it now. It’s special too as it’s a bonding of two hearts, which later becomes so strong because it’s a lifetime of togetherness. But sadly, here we often look for perfection which at times hits you so hard that affection takes a backseat.

As you take your Sunday Sip today, take it with a deep thought. Think when and how you looked for perfection in your loved one, be it your mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife or lover? If you did it, which I am sure you must have, then take a look at yourself. Ask yourself a question and give an honest answer – Am I as perfect as I want my dear one to be?

Walk hand in hand your precious relations God has given you, because it takes years to build them and a few days to break them, if not valued. All that is required is perfection in nothing else but in affection.

Have a lovable Sunday and a bright week ahead.

A HOPE FOR A NEW LIFE

It’s Easter Sunday today, an occasion to celebrate beginning of a new life. Christians celebrate this day as the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Chris. Christians believe that on this day Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross.

Here’s a very special post to mark this day, after reading which you will feel, it’s a silent reminder to all of us that life is precious. I feel all of us come to this world not just to live but also with a purpose to give life to others.

We can do so by extending a helping hand to the needy, pledging our eyes or body for donation so that someone who needs can live a purposeful life. We can surely make a difference in simple ways.

The Sunday Sip today brings a touching story of a little child born with a rare heart condition on May 29, 2009. A website dedicated to this little child says, Remy was born with Congenital Junctional Ectopic Tachycardia, a type of arrhythmia that is extremely rare, and treatment of this abnormal heart rate remains a challenge for doctors. Within his first week of life, Remy underwent two ablation surgeries, of which the initial surgery caused permanent atrioventricular block (AV Node). Due to this complete heart block, Remy now has a permanent pacemaker.

An extract from the post ‘Remy’s Story’ written by his parents says, “We call him our superhero, hence the name Remy, aka Gambit, from the X-Men. His chance of survival was questionable at best, but he has come this far and continues to fight every day. Our lives have changed in so many ways because of this. Yes, we’ve been faced with a great deal of challenges, both physically and emotionally. And yes, we have unimagined medical bills, but we continue to fight along with Remy, and are doing the best we can to survive. We are also so thankful for Remy and what he has taught us. We are reminded everyday when we look at all the scars on his neck, chest and tummy, there was a reason for all of it, and that reason is live life fully with patience, respect, and kindness. Someone once said, “God doesn’t give you something you can’t handle.” I truly believe this.”

To read more about this touching story and if you want to extend a helping hand, do visit a website dedicated to this precious bundle of joy at http://www.hopeforremy.org/

The Sip of Life is also launching a special campaign on the Facebook to support this cause. Do share this post with as many friends as you can. It will help.

ALWAYS THERE TO BLOOM

Always There To Bloom…

Today I share a short poem on what flowers have to say about themselves. In our lives they mean a lot so as you take your Sunday Sip, just know what flowers have to say about themselves…in these simple yet sweet words …

When thing s don’t seem right and you are feeling too low,

We are there to come and touch and see you sad face glow,

The colourful flowers in your garden always there to bloom,

To bring back the lost smile and take away all your gloom.

When you are to get married and make life’s new beginning,

We join your party and always be a part of dance and singing,

The colourful flowers in your garden always there to bloom,

To bring back the lost smile and take away all your gloom.

When you are sick and can do nothing but lying on the bed,

We are there to cheer you up in colours pink, yellow and red ,

The colourful flowers in your garden always there to bloom,

To bring back the lost smile and take away all your gloom.

When you love someone a lot and want to just say ‘I love you’,

We can touch your loved ones heart so much you never knew,

The colourful flowers in your garden always there to bloom,

To bring back the lost smile and take away all your gloom.

When someone leaves this world, you can see us there too,

We are there for any reason, we are always there for you,

The colourful flowers in your garden always there to bloom,

To bring back the lost smile and take away all your gloom.

THE FALLING LEAVES…

Ever seen falling leaves as you walk down a long road with green trees on the sides? I am sure every one of you must have and it’s like heaven showering its blessings. And it’s romantic too if you and your loved one, just two of you are there sharing some closest moments…here’s a touching story of a boy and girl in my own words, a sip that leave you savouring its long-lasting taste…

The day was sublime with a feeling of love enveloping the two lost in the wilderness,

As the cool breeze blew, her loving smile also swayed with the green trees all around,

And her man was right there to be with her beloved, clad in the brand new gifted dress,

It was the place where they had met first time, the place their first love they had found.

Today they were there after years of togetherness and were there to be together again,

From one side he was coming with arms open wide and she too was there with all she had,

Behind the smiles they carried, there was lots of love and care blended with so much pain,

But why so when being in love is so enchanting and why loving life of theirs was today sad.

It was the place from where their love had grown, and passionately they hugged each other,

But as the two got closer, the emotions ran high and a flood of tears like rain was falling down,

The strong bond of love had lost the game, as it was time to part and go far from one another,

As they both kissed lost in deep love, the falling leaves shed like their tears all over the town.

Yes that day they felt the falling leaves, and saw how their tears were also being shed like rain,

How could they leave now each other when they had loved each other so much all these days?

They had loved with their body and soul and were now going so far away never to meet again,

But how could they live without each other when they had lived just caring in many special ways.

With their faces wet with tears, they held each other again for that last hug of their life so tight,

As their lips joined for the last kiss, some falling leaves fell like blessings on faces that were wet,

Their caring hands too held each other and got more closer so that their hearts could feel light,

The falling leaves wiped their teary eyes, and it was time to leave from where they had met.

As the time came both could not take any more, and hysterically both of them cried so much,

With love piercing so hard like a sharp knife, the two caring hearts were meant to go far away,

In wilderness of their loving world, two loving lives had to leave after their last painful touch,

Heartbroken forever, the two souls in one had to go, with tears falling like leaves that day.

MEAN IT WHEN YOU SAY IT

I have a confession to make today. I am sorry!

These three words seem to have become just another expression in our lives, losing their significance and seriousness.

At times I question myself why I can’t be sorry for something once and not let it happen again. I often say sorry for being late when I make someone wait, or sorry for saying something harsh which I didn’t mean to say or for anything wrong which I did intentionally or unintentionally. I realise when I said it before, it meant a lot to others, but now after repeatedly saying so, these words are expected from me, but what is not expected is that if I am saying so I mean it too.

Why do we have to repeat the same old mistakes? Why do have to hurt someone again? And why do we have to say “I am sorry” again? If you have any answers do let me know because I have none.

These three words have become so common like ‘I love you’ that you don’t mean all the time you say it or even if you do, the person to whom you are saying may not believe that you mean it. That’s for a simple reason that you say it so often, making the other person wonder if that day would ever come when you won’t have the need to say it.

If you are sorry for anything, it should be said with a promise that you will not repeat it so that your words are believed by that person. Feel it deep inside your heart and let each sorry make you a better person, or else the other person will be left with no other option but to say, “I am sorry I don’t trust you anymore!”

THE WOMAN IN YOU

I so much wanted a woman to write The Sunday Sip this time for me as it’s International Womens Day on Monday. But then I found myself coming out with a few lines straight from my heart.

When I finished there was contentment for a simple reason that these lines come from a man – a tribute to all the women reading this special post which says all that a woman means to a man. Read On…

It’s the woman in you which can brighten up a life,

You can be the woman of substance as a caring wife,

Whether a loving mother or just a sister of someone,

Or doting daughter shining bright like the rays of sun,

It’s your caring touch for someone too special to you,

And how you can add magic to moments even if few,

Just by giving a soft kiss or holding a hand very tight,

The woman in you can make a heavy heart feel light,

As a woman you can add smiles in all our sad days,

We cherish your presence in so many special ways,

Words fall short to thank for many things you can do,

What makes you stand out dear is the woman in you!

THE COLOUR YOU WEAR

Goodnight I said to my little son
So tired out when the day was done
Then he said as I tucked him in
Tell me Mummy what colour’s God’s skin

What colour is God’s skin
What colour is God’s skin
I said it’s black, brown, it’s yellow, it is red, it is white
Everyone’s the same in the good Lord’s sight

He looked at me with his shining eyes
I knew I could tell no lies
Then he said, why do different races fight
If we are the same in the good Lord’s sight

These are the lines from a wonderful song which talks about colour of the skin. It’s a touching song and a reminder of the fact that colour of the skin should hardly matter, but sadly it still does for all of us.

This Sunday Sip which you take with me on the brand new website comes at a time when it’s the Festival of Colours – Holi tomorrow, a festival which is celebrated in some parts of India by people throwing colored powder and colored water at each other – a festival which drapes everyone in vibrant colours.

I feel if fairness creams can to whatever extent help us in getting fairer, can anyone tell me if there is anything which can clean our hearts as well? The answer is No. So if you are fair, there is no reason to feel glad about it until you have a clear and an honest heart.

What matters is the invisible colour of your real self and not that of your skin. If you don’t know the colour of your Gods’ skin, and then too He is worshipped, then why is any person with a dark skin ignored or even treated shabbily at times.

God has given us a heart, buried deep inside us. But what is its colour? It’s the same for all of us so pause and think before you comment on someone’s skin colour the next time. And if you are still not convinced, don’t just see yourself in mirror, and try peeping inside your own heart and see how kind, loving and caring is it, because what finally matters is not your appearance but you as a person.

In my words…

It is not about being just pretty and fair,

What matters really is your love and care,

It’s not about how you fair or dark you are,

It’s all about how wonderful person you are!

THE REAL WORSHIP

We all hail from different religions, but we all worship one God. It’s a fact of life that fear from God governs our lives to a great extent and it’s nice too, but we often forget that worshipping God is not just offering prayers at a religious place, but it lies in the goodness in your heart for people around.

No I have no intentions of taking you on a spiritual tangent, but as you take your Sunday Sip, I am just making an effort to bring myself and you a little away from it and closer to the reality of what worship means to most of us today.

It’s confined more to just being to a temple, a gurudwara, a church or a mosque, once a week, but is it enough? Is worship just folding hands infront of your God for that time when you are inside a holy place? No, it isn’t, because for me worship is much beyond that.

I have seen people who are regular worshippers, or I would say are deep-rooted into their religion, but sadly it’s a sharp contrast to the lives they lead. They worship so religiously and yet they forget the simple principles of life.

When they come out of their religious places, they seem to leave their goodness behind. They conveniently forget the teachings of God even when they so emphatically claim they follow them.

We tend to forget the need for a little goodness in our lives, betraying even those closest to us. I don’t say we should forget our religion, but what I mean to say is that we must also religiously endure our special relationships, or in other words, worship our dear ones, because its another word for love, respect and devotion.

Also be good to people around you, and you will realize, worship is when you practice it in your ways and in every moment of your life. You will feel much closer to God and ofcourse much closer to those who mean a world to you, because God lies in us – in you and me, and not just in places of worship.

Have A Blessed Sunday!