MORNING PRAYER

A DAILY MORNING PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You for this day.

I thank You for my being able to awake once again, to see, and to hear this morning.

I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God.

You have done so much for me and You continue to bless me.

Please forgive me every day for anything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to You, and I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.

Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.

Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.

Let me continue to see sin through Your eyes and acknowledge it as evil.

And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive Your forgiveness.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember the example of Jesus -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray.

It is the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.

Keep me strong that I may help the weak.

Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way.

I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood.

I pray for those who don't know You intimately.

I pray for those who don't believe, and I thank you that You are in my heart and that I do believe and have true faith in You.

I believe that You change people and You can change all things.

I pray for all my sisters and brothers, and for each and every family member in their households.

I pray for peace, love, and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than You.

Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

This is my prayer... and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen

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ONE MORNING.....

The morning drive to Jeppoo Church to attend the Mass brought a variety of early risers to my sight and I was keeping a watchful eye on how the normal life of the people of this coastal town goes on during the early hours. Everyone was on their mission to reach a goal or to be there as planned.

The cheerful chirping of the birds and squirrels around our house, echoing a melodious choir to the Almighty for blessing a beautiful day greeted me as I got ready to go. Just as I opened the gate, the dog which dwells in our lane, living with the titbits fed to it by the kind neighbourhood, hesitatingly arose from the satisfying sojourn and walked past me oh its expedition for the day.

The grocery shop owner was just opening the shutters as I passed by. A customer was already at the door waiting eagerly to purchase the unanticipated requirement for the house.

The health conscious population of different age groups were already on the spree of covering the distance to burn their previous day’s calories intake. Some students were rushing to their coaching venue, to keep up the time, unaware of what is going on around them.

Many travellers travelling by the night service buses were just reaching their destination anxious to meet up with their loved ones and a number of auto drivers, who already had begun their laborious day, were impatient and keen to earn some extra rupees from these needy travellers.

In midst of all these I saw a lonely garbage picker, trying his luck to earn a decent earning for the day, digging up the garbage. That sight caught up with my mind and heart and my thoughts got trapped on this fellow living being. That’s life I suddenly woke up from the deep feeling and it was time for me to enter the Church to spend some time with my creator.

INDIA PAKISTAN CRICKET MATCH

The publicity that the Indian media has given to the India Pakistan Cricket match can be equalled to the recent Japan disaster or Libyan ambush. All other news events are sidelined or reduced to a sentence and the media is trying to compete with each other organizing debates, talks and discussions.

However this match has come after a long gap. The last match was during the 2010 Asia Cup, which India won by 3 wickets. After a crucial wage of war of words in respect of the 27/11 Taj attack this has really come to lighten the spirits of the Heads of States of both the countries.

Having created such a hype and interest in the match, no wonder that we too are glued to the television, much ahead of the beginning of the match. Eagerly waiting how the two teams are going to fare up and if everyone’s expectations of winning the match will be met.

Wishing all the best to both the teams and expecting that India will emerge as winner.

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MY GRANDMA

If only I knew that I will not be seeing my maternal grandma, who was an intimate buddy of mine, when growing up, when I returned from my working trip abroad, I would have gone to her house and met her, hugged her and kissed her for the last time. The reason for having not done that, is merely because of my anxiety to travel abroad.

Alas! within a few months of my first job, I got a letter from my Mother, giving information about my dear Grandma’s passing away. Those days, more than 35 years before, when the word ‘internet’ never existed, phones was almost a luxury, it was not possible for me to get in touch with my mother to console her, than write few lines to her, which she could read only later in the month.

I was only left with the sweet memories that I spent with my grandma, which are still afresh in my mind. My grandma a kind hearted, polite, simple and down to earth person, I can say a perfect combination of all the virtues, had become a widow soon after my Mother, her second child, was born. The two fatherless siblings and the mother were looked after by her husband’s brother, in that distant land.

Now to write about my Grandma, she was an adorable woman of medium built. Any amount of noise or talk will not irritate her. She will mingle with her grand children and try to help them out in their daily necessities, whenever they called her. Most of her time was being spent in the kitchen attending to the daily chores and the latter part of the day with the cattle of the house. She used to keep herself busy from the dawn to the sunset and after the night prayers and supper, quietly retire to her bed only to get rejuvenated for the next day. Those were the TV less days, and age of radio system with limited hours of broadcasting. Only entertainment was visiting the close relatives or entertaining them when they come home.

Reminiscing those days itself is a pleasure which I usually do, sometimes discussing with my siblings and cousins about Grandma, and they all agree those were the days my friend, which we will never find.

DOWN THE MEMORY LANE.....

It was the month of July of the year 1970, the time of cool monsoon season in Mangalore. Everyone was with their parasol or raincoat to take shelter from the pouring rain. The vast public were living their busy lives as usual and a small section of the younger feminine generations, were eagely waiting to begin their new lives at St Agnes College. Around 55 students who had enrolled themselves in the Pre University Class, began their journey collectively after completing their guided and monitored uniform lives in the High School level. They came from various backgrounds and schools in and around Mangalore, St Agnes, St Annes, St Mary’s, Mary Hill, Lady Hill, Bajpe, Kinnigoli, Udupi and so on with a sole intention to move forward to graduate in Commerce syllabus.

Many unknown faces, strangers to each other but with an enthusiasm to beat the isolation, all mingled together and started their college life in an altogether different atmosphere with much more liberty and choices to live. Like birds of same feather flocking together, girls who belonged to a particular school wedged together comfortably and coolly. The remaining lonely ones tried to get acquainted with the quiet ones and soon grew closer and closer.

I remember the first day in the college, all were anxiously looking forward to our new lecturers whom we neither met or seen until then. Once the classes commenced, gradually we tried to get acquainted with our new teachers. We had Mr Varkey for Accountancy, Mr Frank Lewis for Economics and Mr Monteiro for Statistics. Some of us were fascinated by the young lecturers without losing an opportunity to amuse at their accents or pronunciations.

Catechism and moral science classes gave us wider choice to meet more teachers and under the guidance of Sr Olivia everybody made an effort to be a good student .

The lunch breaks were very relaxing, specially on those days when I had my quick bite at the canteen or a nearby restaurant; I used to get ample time to divulge in conversations with the fellow students at ease.

As the days passed by, the whole class knew each other well enough to recognize the faces at the bus stands or road and we grew closer during those four beautiful years. We moved forward together to First year Degree Course, then to the Second year and to the Final year of our journey and some of the lecturers remained with us tutoring whereas few other new ones joined in. We had the privilege of being taught by Sr Amabilis (presently called Sr Angeline, whom I often meet these days) - Economic Development, Sr Agatha Mary – Economics Analysis, Mr Frank Lewis Income Tax and Sr Marie Xaviour English.

And finally the day to bid goodbye to our classmates emerged. We all were in mixed moods, one way the contentment to be graduates soon and ending the hectic student life and stepping into an independent life. On the other hand, our carefree days were going to end soon and we had to bid goodbye to the fellow students and lecturers with whom we had a bonding and an attachment.

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