As I am home (my state of Goa) until my next work posting is allotted, I am back to my safe space—waking to chirping birds, home-cooked breakfast, meeting friends and family I haven’t seen in a while and catching up, having meals with my parents and talking about everything random, visiting the beach and watching the sun and waves, taking a walk near the hills I would climb as a child with my neighborhood kids, catching up with the updates of everyone around me — rosary at 8pm with delicious dinner with Mama and Papa cooked at home with love.
My body has gotten reset to this calm and feels lighter, my mind feels less stressed, and I am enjoying every bit of this much-needed break and the fact that I can hug my mama as many times in the day — best feeling.
My state has a reputation as an international destination for holidays, and it is sad to see a lot of non-locals trying to capitalize on it by flouting laws and ruining the ecosystem with resorts and “advancements.” It pains me to see my land change into a commercial space as I travel to major parts of the state—my village still is very sleepy and homey, and that’s the grounding I yearn for when I return home. The greed for money blinds everyone—the church priests keep reminding us at every homily to remain rooted to our motherland and save the planet.
In today’s Gospel, a Greek (non-local) lady came to ask for help and Jesus reminded her that He needs to feed the children first, and she responds with
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
It makes me realize that everyone is here for a short while in their lives, and we need to just be kind and do our job. Everything else will fall in place… have faith that the Lord is watching His children and He will never let us down!!
While I plan my trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Lisbon, Portugal, and meet family after Copenhagen, I shall pray for all you wonderful readers who have helped me navigate through my profession and faith (sometimes skipping) and be honest about my reflections, as we are all Her children!!
We are all His children!
AMEN
