Showing posts with label #kindness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #kindness. Show all posts

Friday, October 03, 2025

The World I Grew Up In


 

I long for the India of my childhood—
Where faith was only faith, seen through secular eyes,
Where no one asked the last name of a friend in play,
Where Diwali sweets were shared, and from the same hands
came bowls of sevaiyaan in Eid delight—
How free was that India when childhood was mine!

I long for the India of my childhood—
Where patience to listen was still a gift,
Where minds differed but we dined from one plate,
And if words stung, we laughed the hurt away,
How mindful, how gentle, was that India of youth.

I long for the India of my childhood—
Where many tongues wove one conversation of smiles,
Where a gesture alone carried honor and respect,
Where no one feared the other—only reverence reigned,
How tolerant was that India of innocence.

I ache for the India of my childhood—
Where theft was seen through the lens of need,
Where violence gave way to compassion’s hand,
Where Usha and Farzana studied and played as one,
How human, how luminous, was that India of my youth.

Yes, I ache for the India of my childhood.

~ Dawn

Sunday, January 23, 2022

The best things in life are rescued



Every person grieves in their own way and yes, we as a family did too. It was during that time when one of my blog friend  Keithkenny , who's comment in my previous post made me think.

"At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer, we remember them."  ~  Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Reimer 

I must say, Thank You Keithkenny for your kind words of wisdom. We started thinking about rescuing another one just for our Reyna's sake and then we started looking online shelters to rescue with an open mind.

We made an appointment on a weekend to visit Humane Society Silicon Valley and here we are looking at all the animals that were brought in here one or the other way. l mean, somewhere brought from another shelter because it was a small place and they couldn't accommodate or somewhere just stray in the Central Valley and they were brought in. I have been to this shelter in the past as a volunteer and all I felt was there's so much cruelty around and as much we humans are intelligent animal, we tend to think we can do anything and to prove that power sometimes some harm others and that can be their own family members and, or their pets.

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." ~ Henry Havelock Ellis

My heartaches always when I go to a shelter because I read their eyes and I feel each one of them are talking to me. Why I feel they are screaming through their eyes, please take me home!!!!!!!!

I never like to go in when it comes to choose one over the other, hence I told my family you all decide because for me, I am okay to rescue any. I remember when I was a high-schooler, I used to say I want to adopt all the animals, stray and the ones in the zoo and take care of them.

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

We saw there were so many puppies this time and when we asked, we were told during covid lot of people got the pets but returned it because they felt they cannot take care of them.

"Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their canyons." ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Such a sad thing. Well, we looked at some who were in the room but people visiting them so finally we got to meet Ginger a border Collie and German Shepard puppy who was that time ten weeks. Ginger was with her sibling Sue and the way she was sleeping on Sue ( a complete black in color with white fur on the paws as if wearing socks), made us feel that it was a stuff toy until we entered the room.



Ginger was very social, as soon we got in the room she came running to us and started kissing and she won everyone's heart. Sue, was not interested and she was sleeping. We discussed among ourselves and decided to get Ginger home.

Today Ginger is eleven weeks and happily adapting us as much as we have made her part of our family.

I often accidentally call Ginger, Reyna but then quickly correct it as I tell my kids that no one can replace Reyna and Ginger is not a replacement for Reyna. We are very thankful for Ginger to help us through this time as these days our world revolves around her.

Her schedules, her food, her toys and trainings and in all her cute gestures, her puppy barks and playfulness. 

Life moves on while we create more and more beautiful memories which we cherish until we live.

"God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December." ~ J.M. Barrie

~ Dawn

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