Another month goes by ..

       The lazy sun peeped with its rays outstretched, for a while and then snuggled back under the clouds .The morning was quiet today .I was feeling lazy too and stayed in a bed, waiting for my cup of green tea to arrive. All I could hear was the the ticking of the clock  reminding me that  yet another 'Onam' had gone by , yet another month had come to an end .
     I instantly felt home-sick . I cuddled up with my pillow as I thought I was going to weep. "Good Morning, your tea " Hubby stood with the cup extended towards me . I had left the tea-making task to him when I had been asked to take bed rest during my post surgery days . I never took back the  responsibility even after  I recovered .And hubby did this one task with perfection .

      I hauled myself out of the bed and walked towards the window .The sun had changed it's mind too . It had awakened and looked bright and cheerful. The near by trees had been washed clean by the heavy  rains during the  past two days and now the leaves glistened in the sunlight looking fresh and greener .The sparrows were chirping by my window. The squirrels running up and down the palm, chattering. I enjoyed watching their swift movements. A  little squirrel  lifted it's  tail in coordination with the sound it made and used it's  forelegs to rub it's  face now and then .On a neighboring  tree  two parrots had started bickering, pecking each other and then flying off to a different  branch and then returning to peck again .

      It brought back the smile on my face . It felt nice to connect with the sounds and views  of nature.  It  soothed the soul, indicating all's well. Here's another day , another chance  and today is going to be a nice one .I finished my tea and moved away from the window. My chores beckoned and there was lots to be done .. ..

“I give myself a good cry if I need it, but then I concentrate on all good things still in my life.” 
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

Friends Forever

"Friendship isn't about who you have known the longest .It isn't about who you have shared the most secrets with .It isn't who you have done the most favors for . It is  about who came for you when you needed them and who stayed by your side when you needed them the most ."

 I came across this quote the other day .I remembered having seen similar quotes and mail forwards based on the same thought . But is this true ? I have had many a moment when a good friend has been in need and I have not been able to be by her/his side .The time was when I probably had someone sick at home  whom I had to take care of  and be with.. or probably the time when my children needed me with them  as their exams were on. At such times I just ensured that my friend who is in need now does have other friends beside her ,that she is being taken care of . And then this family or relative went up the priority list and the friend came second. But I would make a call to find out  how she /he was doing  and keep in touch with others to know the progress. Going by the above  saying , my friend may rate me as 'no more a friend' after she recovered because I was no where near her during her hour of need . After all , how was  she to know that she was in my thoughts and in my prayers all the time ? 

 A friend,  I believe is a well-wisher . And you know who is your well wisher if  you have known the person well enough .I know someone is my friend since this person would want me to be happy and healthy always .This person would rejoice during my moments of achievement and feel sad when  I feel low or when I am  suffering or in pain . So what if she was  not beside me  when I needed her , she would definitely have prayed for me . 

May be she had not known I was in trouble. Nobody had informed her .

Or may be she herself was going through a situation worse than mine which she hadn't shared with me for the simple reason that I would  worry .

Or the simple explanation could be  her role in my life is over . 

She had done her bit of cheering me up some time back or had helped me on some occasion earlier . 

Now she has more people in her life  and many more   who need her attention and care , more to accommodate in her embrace  and this has distanced the two of us .

I have more people  in my fold too. New friends and new relatives, neighbors who have  more proximity to attend to my  needs and help me  out . 

So why can't I simply cherish the good moments we had together and  appreciate what she had done  for me ? Why should I  expect her to do so every time ? Why write her off as a bad friend or a bitter enemy  just because she was not  able to help me when I needed her  ?

A Friend is always a friend .Let one  not  choose a bad day or an hour of need to judge her /him. When two people  befriend each other  they spend some beautiful moments together  that gifts an everlasting memory  .. and if the friend has faded even from  one's memory when one sees the person again the re-connection is instant .It should bring back the good times and not any bitterness .

"In loneliness, in sickness, in confusion-the mere knowledge of friendship makes it possible to endure, even if the friend is powerless to help. It is enough that they exist. Friendship is not diminished by distance or time, by imprisonment or war, by suffering or silence. It is in these things that it roots most deeply. It is from these things that it flowers."
-Pam Brown