REFLECTIONS
The Swan
Copyright © 2016 by The Swan.
ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4828-6465-6 eBook 978-1-4828-6466-3
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Contents
A message from the white dove
Memories
The dance of a raindrop
The delicate life
The dance of anger
The dance of hope
The rainbow
The smile
Unison of body, mind and soul
When I Wish Upon A Star!
Who Knows?
Wishes
The Soulful Twilight…..
Dedication
To my parents who taught me about the values of communication, comion and service. This book is dedicated to your lives and the lessons you had both so lovingly shared with us.
Acknowledgement
To the beautiful individuals who had shared their words with grace and dignity and been instrumental in creating this little booklet. Thank you very much for your trust and faith in my writing skills.
A message from the white dove
A s my eyes cast upon the lily blossom, mesmerized by its benevolence and beauty
Thoughts of the Creator, that we seem to call upon in total surrender and prayer
Nuances of perseverance, strength, and will coyly displayed by mankind
While nature unfurls her Blessings for everyone to dwell in
The white dove soars high bringing along good tidings
Tis’ time to reflect and ponder upon the one’s existence beyond!
This Easter brings sweet memories of Divine grace and harmony
Set upon our stages in life, while forming everlasting bonds
Just like a tender vine growing amidst Our Creator’s Garden, we each have a sublime role filled with love and comion!
Memories
S ometimes I wonder where memories hide themselves for numerous years as we mature and grow
Perhaps newborn acquaintances begin to simply fog our vision and thereby blur the true values placed amongst friendships and bondage blossoming as we meet people near and far. Sometimes they may be those we have known from our childhood or even been recently introduced to while events occur
Could it be that our simplistic minds just unassumingly believes, not really caring to acknowledge if it is right or wrong, that people we meet or even perhaps have met many years ago will always be around and FOREVER……
If that is so, how then do such precious linkages become a flurry of confusion during critical times experienced or even whilst facing conflicts within our individual lives? Do we even halt a second, to cherish one point of moment of this very significant relationship, which we have and had begun? It's truly perplexing to even attempt to understand this when we see life gone…….in a split second, a phenomenon often we come across amongst the various relationships nurtured by young and old. Maybe, our priorities become so obscure and meaningless as we move steadfast in our egoistic life journeys, feeling triumphant and such gusto about achievements and accolades received. Well, who is right and wrong? Many times I often wonder, what is amiss in life………whilst this quiet nagging whisper from the deep crevice of our soul begins to be heard! Today, we lost another dear prayer friend to illness and to whatever else we may never honestly know. But one thing has evolved from this very silent prayer with a cry to the Higher Power in plea to attempt saving him one more day………to value our own memories or is it to provide just one little opportunity to bring meaning once again to the relationships we had previously
created. This wisdom realized, after such a long silence now therefore becomes a soulful cry to the Unknown! Oh memory, where are you now………….
The dance of a raindrop
H ave you seen a tiny raindrop partaking in a dance of nature? The rainfall in all its efficiency forming subtle little droplets, while gathering its individual traces of colors, like silken threads running down a new formed hillside secretly opening our eyes to vast visions of nature’s palette filled with boundless beauty decorated by soft traces of color hues – sea blue, coral green and even orange splattered crimson streaks outlining mist-like sunny yellow stars in astounding wide spaces in between. As each tiny raindrop forms and patiently contains various hues of color within its own delicate creases, comes forth another little fragile droplet and dangles in the blowing wind ……swaying graciously side-toside, gently coaxing and nudging a nearby baby droplet to release its tiny hold and fly! It begins to resemble a sweet melody from beyond, not giving any concern to where one began….nor the destiny….just simply relishing each precious living moment of this magnificent rainfall inviting one to dance. I stand mesmerized with each droplet’s beauty and inviting tenderness spreading its wings, like a mystical painter stroking his brush across the canvas of life…… streaks of color and lines to denote events and shades to resemble emotions! We tiny human beings simply stand, spellbound every single time we catch the first
Droplet cast by the arrival of soothing rain, no matter young or old in age.
The delicate life
A s the human embryo develops comes along the paraphernalia of hopes, wishes and dreams
Like the intricate bejeweled ornaments we wear, we try to save, ponder on the steps taken and outcomes of life each moment, each day, almost every single breath we are succinctly believing we own now…..
As age befalls our physical frame, so one succumbs to the fading endurance which we once beheld in glorified anticipations, our soul searching journeys undertaken in spurts, or at times feeling almost like an exquisite spiritual experience of being released from this mundane mortal roles filled with numerous wants and needs
How does a human face the final moments…..not believing the present is not the true self but a mirage of illusions set on a chosen stage of life, therefore a delicate cloud of images pinned on slides. A panoramic view of one’s Past, Present and Future……running with gusto with the same measure of space and time……We breathe, we live and suddenly we cease to be……releasing the very same breath through our nostrils and becoming calm and still!
Life, an intangible phenomenon which we as human beings are truly privileged to be blessed with…..the symbol we make a difference surfaces when mankind around us feel God’s gift has been bestowed upon them by our existence and interactions maneuvered while in this human birth!
The dance of anger
W hat are these footsteps I seem to be following….immersing my whole body, mind and whatever is left of my soul! The intensity with which it engulfs any sense of rationale, or faith or even some trace of being in the present with serenity……..the birth of anger from the depths of my soul erupts.
Body feels so tensed all the time, mind a chatter and heart totally dejected with all that has been going on for so long………the river of life feels depreciated, no life, no sense of purpose and no wanting to go on further
Who am I now? I don’t seem to recognize this being who seems possessed with such a deep cloud of anger within? Where did I come from?
Feeling immensely alone even though surrounded by people known before, no meaning or wanting any value is recognizable from these relationships any longer
Just a sparse existence of the rhythm of life cycle ……commencing with wakefulness and sleep intermittently…. Where does this dance of anger lead to now? A question I have been asking for so painfully wanting to know……but awaiting a reply so long from the Almighty!
The dance of hope
A s the sun rises and welcomes a brand new day, I begin to awaken……..
Bringing the fond memories of yesterday, while attempting to outline a better tomorrow
Not only for myself but others who may be around. Trusting the small inner voice heard humming the gentle tune of what lays beyond my simple comprehension…..I rest my faith in the One
Searching for clarity in meaning while redeeming the previous steps considered in events undergone
One’s true existence becomes like a fine thread waiting to be held firmly and outline…..moments and dreams of hope lingering in the crevices of my mind, then…..comes along the lilting tune of one’s wish for a sweet birth of tomorrow, dancing in graceful pinnacles and footing each phase with precision. Like the expert craftsman manipulating his tool, I rest my thoughts once again blissful in awe, mesmerized with the dance of hope beginning……………
The rainbow
I f I painted a rainbow for you it would entail hues of shades in varied colors……depicting purple, green, pink or gold
To reflect the honor I feel within for having been acquainted with your presence, the green would embellish the cherished moments, pink to brighten the sweet words heard and finally the gold to outline the invaluable events shared
Even if it turned out truly very different from Mother Nature’s window mirage it becomes our own human creation…….basking one’s distinct emotion, tantalizing the mind with rekindled traces of memory……..whereby the cherished thoughts of you, vividly brush through the canvas of my mind
Fondly linking images of hope, beauty and tenderness which you have so benevolently held in dignity …….like visual representations of the sea bed gently touched by each golden ray of the morning sun awakening………swiftly smoothing away the worries of tomorrow and filling the hourglass with delicate sands of cheer, grace and simplicity. This is the heart of the person I have now come to know.
Thank you for sharing this fond memory of the self-painted rainbow which you and I lovingly share between us in friendship.
The smile
W hen was the last time you stopped to share a laughter with an old friend
Perhaps a silly remark or a gesture which simply tickled your funny bone
When did you recollect having played with the shadows of the rising moon
Engulfing your presence with long and short deep blue mirages of pinnacles, prancing like a puppet show in the foreground
I the affable moment when a banana peel slipped my feet and down came the two pig-tailed damsel desperately trying to save her dress being wrecked
Such warmth and fun-filled moments are rarely occurring these days for children……running routines and timelines prepared for their days, day and night
Unison of body, mind and soul
T houghts conjuring up images of success before, roles undertaken and words shared to convey appreciation…….moments such as these seem truly afar these many months
Why? At times it feels honestly robotic a day….running through multiple house chores, meeting datelines and trying to keep up to whatever is being expected from everyone around
How does one even remotely dream of having quiet presence, secluding oneself in much loved spaces and partaking in little hobbies of choice without being enveloped in such a chaotic humdrum of chores repeatedly….wonder how and why? A lull interlude seeping with simple silence of curtailed thoughts, emotions and perceptions…..leaving one in total recluse from any other obstacle of expectations and do’s and unknown destiny!!
How I wish for the very same simplicity of life once again to beckon my heart and soul…..reaching out to the recesses of mind now seemingly lost to time and meaning?
An inspiring and renewed belief in one’s unison of encoming a variety of genuine hopes and dreams, being entwined with defined traces of cherished efforts, reaching and culminating in overflowing spirit of success, good deeds and peace at heart. This is what I hope for in the near future…..for you and for whomsoever I meet. In the name of the Almighty I trust and hand over this human life of mine to you today.
When I Wish Upon A Star!
P erhaps many may have learned this line when very young not knowing the true effervescence in meaning it entailed……who composed this and what event does it relate to? One may never know but having come across some small tribulations recently sort of conjured up this thought to enquire – Who wrote this phrase…. “When I wish upon a star…”
Strangely, as an adult it appears much more significant, the dusty throw rug I may cast aside upon this line before now becomes more intriguing and stirring emotions to reflect and ask why…….why did we even forget this form of enquiry as we grew up? Who deemed each event worthy or otherwise? How does one evaluate one’s personal growth and maturity through events? Hmmm……why actually be concerned about these questions arising?
Like a high pitch crescendo tantalizing my soul deeply while listening to an exquisite and beautiful musical ensemble….this lingering thought has always prevailed in my mind…..sometimes shadowed by the inner silence laying starkly covering my thoughts and yet at times nosily peeking like a tiny house rat to remind me once again. What happens as we wish and who listens to our plea? Do we truly believe upon the star?
Well as each split moment encourages me to belief about life while trying to weave some comprehension about why some events occur, or the purpose of being alive on this earth, or perhaps the gross reasons as to why people live shortly and succinctly move onwards to the world beyond. Life represented by roles undertaken and significance of events to display their values played and moments held close to one chest, that seem to simply catch our meager breathing away! When I wish upon the star….does not appear any longer as a meaningless statement learned in kindergarten about the dark starry night above….perhaps it
meant to instill a silhouette of thoughts linked by emotions and experiences, entwining many lives and symbolism of being a human once again! Maybe the wish upon the star was a jubilant silver wish to attempt in artistically creating a new life, yes one’s own renewed life…..a hope to be an epitome of resplendence or a gem-stone throbbing with its ingrain rich values of humanity, grace, love and comion. How would these qualities be made mortal-like to show values of being humane, forgiving, considerate or even reflective towards mankind?
In total awe I stand alone underneath the deep blue sky……..yes, wondering how I wish upon the star…..wondering who and what you are? And so the panoramic view of life goes on twirling our fragile emotions here and there….while you, me and everyone mortal attempts to thrive and live each day! Perhaps this is what the wise ones believed…..as we close our eyes in final unison to the beat of our human breath culminating in rhythm to the final heart beat like an enchanting crescendo…as we breathe our last farewell…..the soft lingering tune which constantly hums while gently beckoning us into the folds of silence and stillness…..we listen to the lullaby – “When I Wish Upon The Star…….”
Who Knows?
I s there ever a moment that we truly can assure ourselves that when we inhale deeply, there will always be an exhale in pursuit…..or when we share a smile with some unknown person, it would be reciprocated in a similar manner warmly, or even perhaps when we cuddle a newborn baby in an orphanage, that we share that awesome feeling of gratefulness for a new life created? How do we maneuver the array of emotions which transcend beyond what our meager human intelligence is even able to grasp coherently and interpret in meaning? How does any event shed its wings of significance during its presence? Does it even play a gentle symbolic tune within our heart and soul, to remind us of which perhaps immortalizes the ardent need to be grateful for life? Who knows………….
Many times we simply run through the day buried in multiple chores and roles identified. Some may even become so engrossed in their own turmoil that nothing ever stirs them to silence awhile. Why? Yet struggling like new moths formed in nature, trembling in its first footsteps in eagerness to fly up high…..erasing signs of any limitations nor hindrances, just the blowing traces of a whispering wind moving one’s existence high and low! A Pandora box of life, filled with numerous variations of events and circumstances, nudging a bubble of stirred emotions and responses, swiftly running along the thin lines of time we call as space in human language. Who are we truly? Why are we here now? A misnomer is it? Who knows…..who am I…..who you are……or perhaps where we may be in just a twinkle of an eye from now! The Unknown remains a mystery but nevertheless doesn’t fail to cause a longing deep in our hearts. What am I here for? Guess for now, I can only be the best person I know how to be and present this to the Almighty for keepsake and never shudder nor fear to be human once again! Till we meet again thereafter………who even knows beyond this split second……..
Wishes
T ime influences one’s mind foregoing its implications and logic
So the same with man- made wishes, I think
How even events sometimes blemishes our simple understanding in wanting things to be comprehensible……..or aren’t they?
Today has been such a day right from the start……crushing all hopes and painting the sheer color of dismay in my heart
Yearning to see the silver lining in life just appears to be an illogical mirage…..not anyone else’s just ME!
Is that what all this hard effort and time invested is going to be? A sheer mundane exercise of baseless wishes or shadows recessing in our mind?
The meaning of prayer just seems futile and lost for the present as nothing appears to be delving to create any outline of the silver lining that I had once thought wasn’t too far away……….wishes, wishes that is seemingly a distant and timeless concept for me. I sit still lost for now……………….engulfed by traces of lost wishes once again!
The Soulful Twilight…..
H ave you ever seen the resplendence of the evening sunset, gently stealing its beauty away from the evening skyline? The early morning rain which casually brushes against your windowsill pretending to knock a little to whisper the birth of a new dawn or perhaps the soothing chuckle of a little baby coming from the neighbor’s home softly caressing your soul to smile….Oh what are these daily treasures that we human beings very often just freely fail to observe and many times ignorant of it even ing by!
Fleeting moments filled with precious stillness or perhaps encoming the golden peaks of the sunrise born….the mask worn by Mother Nature to hide her thunderous entry by spreading little bolts of lightning to announce her arrival. How do we explain the simplicity of watching the sea waves ebb and flow against the rhythm of tide with time…..Once again, we as mere simple beings find it a struggle to abide with nature’s mode of comion and forgiving….We remain idle amidst our own hurried thoughts!
Where are we going dear Friend? How have we been living in this created world? Immersed in varied perceptions and beliefs, we begin each day with sunrise and close the shutters of our mind with sunsets. No longer willing to ponder upon the genuine yearnings of the simplistic meaning of – The Soul’s Twilight!