Winter Wonderland

This is a charmed town.
Fairy lights blink from trees, garden gates, windows and rooftops.
Snowflakes dangle from awnings and some trees have a dusting of cottony snow. The only thing missing is a sleigh and a snowman.
We turn around and spot them both framed by a backdrop of coconut trees gently swaying in the cool breeze.

We grew up in this coastal Indian town of Vasai but somehow at this time of the year, it seems like a winter wonderland.
We turn around a street corner to be greeted by an arch that leads us to a stable. We come face to face with life-size images of the Holy Family in traditional Indian attire. The father feeds a quiet cow while the mother gently rocks the baby to sleep.
It is an amazing work of art. The enthusiasm and enterprise of the villagers is evident in the realistic depiction of the humble birth of the divine baby.
We walk along a lake to find it guarded by angels who smile down at a giant poster of the Holy Family in the middle of the lake.
At the crossroads, we meet a group of children in Santa hats who are singing carols.
The next day, we find ourselves waving at three kings riding on camels. they are followed by men and women in traditional clothes. It is the Christmas Carnival.

In the churchyard, there is a display of stars made by several villages for the Star Competition. The theme is 'Best out of Waste' so we find stars made of sackcloth, coconut fronds, newspapers, plastic bottles and used CDs. The stars spread the dual message of spiritual light and the unity of the people in the villages who came together to design them.
There is also a Song and Dance Competition one evening where tradition rules over modernity. It was heartening to see so many young people in saris and dhotis singing and dancing to the old folksongs.
Dazed by the sights of day we retire behind curtains which wink with the light of the silver and blue fairy lights and the Christmas star that shines all night long.

The real star of the season is the little Baby Jesus whose birth brought light into the lives of so many people around the world.
Tender voices join in the singing, "Long time ago in Bethlehem" and our little town echoes with the story that unfolded long ago.

 

A Sentimental Fool

People do rude things sometimes and I don't get angry.
My friends point it out that if people do rude things to me, I must do something about it.
I choose to ignore their advice most of the time.
Some people step on my toes. When I let them be, they climb all over me.
"This is called bullying," says my best friend, "You must learn to stand up for yourself."
So one day, I tell a bully to step off my toes in front of everybody else.
She is encouraged by a bigger bully to hit me. I fall down flat on my face and lie down there till my friends raise me up.
Yet, I am not angry.
"Do you think I did the right thing?" I ask my best friend as she wipes my face.
She tells me to step aside. Her face is red.
"I wonder what makes you so angry" I  tell her.
"YOU make me angry" she says.
"Me?" I ask.
"Yes, you just let people step all over you. You let them judge you but you never tell them when they are wrong. It makes me sick."
"Why should I?" I ask.
"Why should I what?" she questions back.
"Why should I judge them?"
"Because if you don't, they think that they are right all the time, that's why."
"Then let them."
"Then let them what?"
"Let them think they are right"
"But they are not"
"Of course, not."
"Then why do you let them?"
"Why do I let them what?"
"Think that they are right?"
"Because they are not."
"Of course, not"
We carried on like this till our conversation ceased making any sense and we ended up laughing.
...

I may be a sentimental fool but there is one thing I know for sure - there is someone else who knows the truth all the time. We do not have to drum it around. He knows the truth because He put it there.
He is the best judge and leads us to where He wants to take us.
The people we meet, the decisions we make, and the events that unfold, good and not-so-good, shape our journey and navigate our way.
The most intriguing thing about this journey is that we don't know how far or where we are going.
It helps to know that someone is guiding us like a Shepherd.

(Picture courtesy: Anna Lemos)