THE BLOSSOM ON OUR TREES
























“No pain, no palms; no thorns, no throne;
“No gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”

William Penn

My dear friend Reema* lives in London with her husband and two little girls. Her brother’s family, too, lives in another part of London. And, they have been living there for years. Back home, here in Mumbai, live their elderly and sick parents along with Reema’s mentally-challenged brother, who is in his late forties. Mother, too, needs special attention due to her own prolonged mental-illness. The maid, who was taking care of the house, due to her own reasons, abruptly stopped coming to work the day the lockdown was announced. Reema and her London brother, weren’t able to come here. But, having gone through situations like this, almost, all her life, she handled it with lots of grace and grit. The neighbours, here in Mumbai, found a full-time lady to look after the house. It was when the lockdown was announced… that’s, some two weeks ago!

People like us, who are all locked inside our homes and trying to see the light at the end of our own tunnels, can do only little in times like this. I think, it’s not being selfish… It’s how it is! We do empathize - and mean it too – and say: “We pray for you” … “This, too, shall, pass” … and so on.

It’s like, “You scratch my back and I scratch your back.”  We are all in it, together… As Martin Luther King Jr., colourfully described the situation and inspired his fellow Blacks: “We may have all come here (from Africa to America as slaves)  on different ships, but we all are in the same boat, now!"

How else can we describe our own – the whole world’s – situation today?

The inspiring thing about my friend, Reema, is that she doesn’t complain! It doesn’t mean, that she has no sorrow, fear and suffering. Maybe, the long-drawn struggle has toughened her… Maybe, she knows, that’s how Life is! That, there can never be a bright Easter without a grim Good Friday… No resurrection without death!

We Christians are unable to visit the churches. today… The Good Friday ceremony is being relayed on every possible online medium… If Lord is everywhere, so be it!

An hour ago, I was smiling: Reema had sent to me a dozen beautiful pictures of her courtyard in London. She had captioned it, casually: ‘THE BLOSSOM ON OUR TREES’!

Yes, there cannot be an Easter without a Good Friday…
And, there cannot be a Blossom without a Fall…

A Blessed Good Friday to all.






*Name changed

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.: Reema

Video: Denene24

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