Giving thanks...

I was not going to blog this weekend. But this moment is far too overwhelming and joyful that write I must and give thanks many times over; for I have been overwhelmed by the incredible generosity and kindness of two of the most beautiful souls I am fortunate to count among my dear friends; for reminding me, again, of the many many kindly souls who have shown their tremendous support, each in their own inimitable way, for what I shall endeavour to do in the holidays this year; for yet others for having been my inspiration to take this step forward, and still more for giving me the opportunity to serve...
This is the month of being thankful, and indeed there is so very much to be thankful for. And so I share with you my dears, this simple and heart-warming hymn.

--

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"
And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"
--

And I must add that God sends to us in every creation of His, the very Holy One, as a tiny aspect of His myriad forms, so we may joyfully love and serve one another. And so, I must thank every one of you, my dear friends, for giving me reason to believe, for giving me strength when I was weak, for giving me hope when I was crestfallen, for lending me your shoulders when I needed to lean, for sharing your wisdom when I was lost, and for being who you are.

Amen.

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

The lord will see us through, the lord will see us through,
The lord will see us through someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

We're on to victory, we're on to victory,
We're on to victory someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We're on to victory someday.

We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We'll walk hand in hand someday.

We are not afraid, we are not afraid,
We are not afraid today;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We are not afraid today.

The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free,
The truth shall make us free someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
The truth shall make us free someday.

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall live in peace someday.

And the notations for this inspirational gospel song.

Amen.

An elegant design...

A conversation last weekend with AJ was thought-provoking, as ever. We pondered, briefly (and I will attempt to summarize my questions and some preliminary conclusions about them soon on another post) about a broad difference in attitude and approach to life: one of withholding belief, active questioning, reasoning, testing and finally accepting, versus, one of accepting first, suspending disbelief, cultivating patience, then retroactively understanding, iteratively tweaking the basis for that acceptance and then building further paradigms for questioning, reasoning and so forth. (Acceptance can be thought of as a tolerance of the various superficial differences we see in individuals as well as the tiny leaps of faith we make in following a certain path). As you can see the two roads cross the same broad milestones, and start off on an imaginary circle but at different points. But those starting points can be very crucial on our perspective in life on the whole; our willingness to question dogma, accept change, propel that change as well when required, and sometimes accept what cannot be changed, cultivating compassion, tolerance and a desire to seek truth all at once.
All this talk made me wonder...
Let us suppose we were to build a spiritual being from first principles; is there any specific order in which we would fill at being up with virtues? For example, would developing acceptance and patience better position an individual for learning and thereby acquiring other qualities? (By making them grateful for that which is given and loving it wholeheartedly first, being tolerant of the limitations of oneself and others, and thereby being better able to appreciate increments and improvements made in knowledge and spiritual growth...you get the drift.)
Or would one take an equimolar ratio of all virtues and allow the individual to harness it to its potential over time, and hope they will all reach the maximum capacity at some stage?...
At any rate, I suppose, the current model the good Lord has chosen is some combination of the above, wherein each individual possesses the ability to develop all virtues to the fullest extent, but only has some in a mature form. This possibly positions them to learn actively from those around them when they encounter a limitation in their own selves/stage of maturity, while also being able to lend a hand to others lacking for what they may have realized in their own lives...
More musings to come! Happy Diwali!

'Light signifies the presence of God. And in His light, we see light.'

Dear God,

Please illumine our minds
With truth and knowledge,
Enliven our spirits
With strength and courage.
Set our hearts aglow
With love and compassion,
Be our leading light
In thought, word and every action.
Instill in us that purpose,
By which we may align,
Every fiber of our beings,
With your purpose, divine.

-- Amen.

Thought for the day

"Im ein ani li, mi li? U'ch'she'ani l'atzmi moh ani? V'im lo achshav eimatai?"- Rabbi Hillel.

It roughly translates to:
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am [only] for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" (Avoth 1:14).

हम को मन की शक्ति देना, मन विजय करें
दूसरों की जय से पहले ख़ुद को जय करें

भेद भाव अपने दिल से साफ़ कर सकें
दोस्तों से भूल हो तो माफ़ कर सकें
झूठ से बचे रहें, सच का दम भरें
दूसरों की जय से पहले ख़ुद को जय करें

हम को...

मुश्किलें पड़ें तो हम पे इतना कर्म कर
साथ दें तो धर्म का, चलेंगे धर्म पर
ख़ुद पे हौसला रहे, बदी से न डरें
दूसरों की जय से पहले, ख़ुद को जय करें

हम को मन की शक्ति देना, मन विजय करें
दूसरों की जय से पहले ख़ुद को जय करें

An endearing song, and a beautiful prayer, to help us persevere on the path of truth and righteousness...