Gerald D'Cunha

  “Every challenge, every adversity, contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth.” Roy Bonnett   I n 2024, I lost my Mom. But, she lived close the age 90. Dad had passed away in 1983. Mom became a widow just after she had turned 48… But, she continued to live, with grace and grit, for the next 41-plus years. When Dad passed away, due to a massive heart attack, Mom – like any one lese in her place – wasn’t ‘prepared’ to absorb the shock and pain. Dad had left behind a huge challenge for her: to rise from the ashes or just perish… Mom chose to rise… But, Mom’s sweet sorrow – the sweet memories of Dad – she continued to bear in her heart till her memory was intact. Dad had passed away on the 2 nd Jan, a Sunday, early in the morning. So, for close to 40 years, since then, Mom would remind her sons, when they called her to wish ‘A Happy New year’ – “Tomorrow will be 10 years… 20 years… 30 years… 40 years… since Dad passed away”… Imagine, she started remindin...

  “Some of us are busy doing things; Some of us are busy complaining.” Debasish Mridha   I t was late in the night… around 11 to be precise. In one of the WhatsApp groups, to which I belonged, the Admin made the sad announcement of the demise of   a fellow-member’s father. The deceased was a senior citizen, who had some health issues. But, he was an affectionate soul. As is the case in such situations, the members of the group instantly started posting RIP’s and Om Shanti’s… from all sides. Not even ten minutes had gone by, the Admin made one more announcement… This time, about the shocking demise of a 43-year-old lady. She and her husband were in a critical condition battling Covid. She succumbed. The group members, once again, started posting RIP’s, Om Shanti’s “Shocked!”… “Cant’ Believe”… “Sad” and so on. Not even another five minutes had passed by. A young member, who is a chronic cribber in the group, came out with a very trivial complaint… Instantly anothe...

  “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” Song of Solomon 2:16   K ing Solomon from the Old Testament is hailed as ‘the wisest king’. The words cited above, which feature in the Bible (The Old Testament), therefore, must be wise words. So, the other day, when my friend Joe and his wife Mariette, who live in my hometown Mangalore, came over to invite us for their son Nikhil’s wedding, I sighted King Solomon’s wise words atop the wedding card… What did Solomon mean? Meaning of any wise words, always, is as one makes out of them. I do not know what Joe and Mariette – or the young couple Nikhil and Renisha – had made out of those words; but, my little wisdom allows me to make this out: “I can only love my partner as much as I am able love myself.” Which means, unless I am able to see the beauty and flaws of my own being and accept them, nurture them, be kind and compassionate towards them, and celebrate them -   how can I make space to accommodate my partn...

“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” Alex Haley S ome five years ago, our 27-year-old son – our only offspring - decided to chuck his job and start his creative venture on his own. Along with that, he made one more decision: to live with his maternal grandparents, who lived on their own, minutes away from where we lived. I was a bit apprehensive and expressed my feelings before my son in private. “Dad, just chill,” was how he calmed me down, “I will come back, if I face any problem.” Forget ‘problem’, the grandson and his grandparents have been getting along like a house on fire! When I see this, awestruck and confused, I think of what Claudette Colbert once said, her tongue tucked firmly in cheeks: “Why do grandparents and their grandchildren get along so well? They have the same enemy – the mother!” Well, my wife hasn’t read this Post, yet! A bout...

“Angels are all around us, all the time, in the very air we breathe.” ~Eileen Elias Freeman I  have just returned after attending the funeral of my friend Gurpreet’s dad. The first thought that came to my mind, when I heard about the death, early in the morning, today, was: “Thank you Lord, for remembering him.” Now, it may not sound good to thank Lord for the death of our near and dear ones in our families. But, death is a long sleep we all are going to enter, sooner or later… May his soul rest in eternal peace! Gurpreet’s dad had to endure a lot of suffering due to his failed kidneys. He was a strong man, very hard-working and responsible. He has left leaving the family in good place. But, in his pain and suffering, despite the family’s unflagging support and care, he had to endure it all by himself… When I stood there, a while ago, drenched in the sobs of family members on the one side, and the...