Blessings

As an adult, I used to think to myself, "What would sustain my life?" Will it be money, material o rmy university degre? After checking out all of them, I can easily conclude that my life is fuelled by heartfelt blessings.

As we began preparing for our journey, we saw blessings in various forms from around the world. At a logistical level, except for our clothes, there is not a single thing we had to go and buy. Gradually, the spectrum of blessings became subtler and more nuanced. It started pouring in the form of prayers and silence.

There are no accidents, says Master Shifu, and my bumping into a few Buddhist monks at Gandhi Ashram wasn’t a coincidence either. I had been holding this intention for some months to say prayers at Prarthana Bhumi (Prayer Ground in Sabarmati Ashram, where Gandhiji prayed every morning and evening). I landed there absolutely unplanned a couple of days before the pilgrimage. Just as we finished our prayer, a friend came along with a few nuns and monks. We all sat in a circle, said our prayers, and when they heard about the pilgrimage, they offered blessings.

And these kids that you see here are our local Santa, beaming joy all the time. Their biggest gift is the spark in their eyes, the contentment in their hearts, and the curiosity in their minds. They are like a family now, and our doors are always open for them. As part of our farewell, all the kids wrote beautiful letters for us, sharing their prayers and wishes. A lot of their prayers were like, “Didi, do not pick up a fight with anyone. Take care of your health. Do not walk too fast. Cover your ears, chest, and legs from harsh winter winds.” Every piece of advice from our little friends was bang on.

And this picture is from my workplace. It is a shelter home for women at risk, and my work is to create healing spaces for them and to somehow create a common, interactive space between them and the officials.

The day I was leaving for parikrama, all of them got together and prayed for both of us to have a peaceful journey in the coming month. It takes a big heart for the vulnerable self to pray for the other, nd their prayers showed me the power of love. With all the hugs and warm wishes, they did not let me go without giving me puri and kheer, which were part of their lunch.

These are just a few stories. The blessings that we are being showered with make me feel like the meteor shower on a dark night. It feels as if each stone, each tree, the falling leaves, and the wind are blessing us on the path we have chosen to walk.