Gerald D'Cunha

  “Doing something for yourself gives you motivation; but, doing something for others gives meaning.” Maxime Lagase   T here are our own ways through which most of us help others. Whenever we hear the word ‘help’, we tend to think of helping with money. No, help is not just with money. There are a hundred ways, with which, people out there need someone to help them. And, all of us, out here, are ready with our own way... Now, when I say, “All of us, out here” – yes, is each one of us here really ready to help someone out there – in his/her own way? Is it really so? I would love to think so, even if that makes me sound very naïve... Our hearts resonate with someone’s ache in our own way... Y esterday, a dear friend of mine, shared a post on her social media platform. She was promoting some healthy, home-roasted nuts and seeds which were beautifully prepared by one of her nieces. A pack of 250 grams was priced at Rs. 300. And, there was a line at the bottom: ‘Pro...

  “Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” Mandy Hale   W e do not have all the answers. Do we? Neither do we have a solution for every problem of people around us, nor do we have a solution for every problem of our own… Others seek help from us, we seek help from others… When I need medical help, I approach my doctors… When their young ones need help in studies or other developmental issues, doctors approach me… This is ‘world’… a place where I need you for something, and you need me for something… We are all inter-dependent, you see. A n old friend of mine – who is in his late forties – called me up last evening. He is a family man… His wife is a homemaker, and two kids are still in school… My friend has just lost his job. “Can I see you any time tomorrow?” My friend asked. We have agreed to meet in the afternoon, today… But, my friend knows, that I would not be able to f...

  “If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have less, give of your heart.” Anonymous   O n the New-year day, I had called to wish one of my elderly relatives. This woman had struggled hard all her life and given her children quite a cushioned life… In the process, she hadn’t kept anything for her old age or medical issues. For past few years, her health has been waning and making her fully dependent – financially as well as physically – on her married children. During my conversation with this woman, she mentioned about one of her nieces, who is in her mid-sixties. “Gerry, she had called me yesterday and told me, that she had been very sick and nobody was     helping her. I feel bad… Her dad had helped me when I was young and struggling… I want to help her financially. But, you know my situation… I can’t take any decision on my own… I am completely dependent on my children… I am scared to ask them to do anything in this respect.” I heard out my elde...

  “Every sunrise is an invitation for us to arise and brighten someone’s day.” Richelle E. Goodrich   W hen I came across the above quote this morning, I was, suddenly, made conscious of what it was trying to really convey… You and I have taken the Sun for granted… Haven’t we? Every day, when the Sun comes up, what does he really do? And, imagine, if, one morning, he decides not to come up! This morning, I was asking myself: If the Sun wakes up with an objective, that his presence should brighten every one’s day here on earth, shouldn’t I wake up with a similar objective? Well, I am aware of my limited reach… Unlike the mighty Sun, I am only able to brighten the day for a few people around me. But, that’s what is expected of you and me – the little sparks of the mighty Sun above… Let’s do some good acts… just to brighten the day of someone around us. There are a hundred ways in which you and can do that. Helping someone financially may be one of those hundred...

  “Grace is free, undeserved goodness and favour of God to mankind.” Mathew Henry   T ragedies have a strange tendency of uniting us. When they strike, we see in us a mysterious surge of brotherhood… All of a sudden, extending a little helping-hand seems natural to us… Well, I agree if you think, that I am generalizing this phenomenon… Forgive me for that, Sir. Exactly a year ago, when Corona Virus exploded into a Pandemic across the globe, almost all of us were gripped by fear and uncertainty. Some of us, including myself, didn’t step out of our doors for months. But, I remember during those initial total- lockdown days, hundreds of young men and women going out of their way to reach out to those who were panic-stricken… Some with supply of groceries, some with medicines, some with a helping hand by coordinating things with hospitals or graveyards. Here, I am talking about lay people like you and I… Doctors, Nurses, Police and those on essential services… yes, the...

"If the world looks cold to you,  kindle fires to warm it.” Lucy Larcom “H ello  Sir, can you do me a favour? Can you please send me a small video of you wishing Tanmay on his b’day? He will be completing 12 today. I want to give him a surprise!” This was from Tanmay’s mother, a while ago. Well, I have a lot to say on Tanmay’s special day. Saying through a video is, certainly, not the way God has blessed me to do it with. So, here I am doing it in my own God-given way… DISCOVER YOUR OWN SPECIAL WAY: May that be the first nice lesson, dear Tanmay. In life, you can do things in your own God-given way… You have to discover it. The way I discovered mine. Look at this l’le champ. Just think: How he must’ve discovered what he had to do, and what advice he had to give to strangers on the streets: ‘Don’t forget to show love’. WE SHARE THE SAME SOUL: This is a priceless lesson, dear. It’s the finest education of your heart…and, yo...

“ That charity, which longs to publish itself, ceases to be charity.” Eliza Cook T here is this temptation in almost all of us to tell – and tell it as loudly as possible – how generous, how helpful, how noble we are… Yes, because of our charitable work. Top to bottom – from our Prime Minister to the man on the street - yes, all of us seem to love the optics. When we help someone, we want the world to know about our generosity. That means, we do not want any of our ‘noble’ thoughts and deeds just go like a ship by the night… We want to cash on it… We want to trumpet it, flash it as loudly and as brightly as possible… And, get some strange ‘kick’ out of it: “Wow!” … “Kudos!” … “Great Work!” … “GBU!” … and so on. These are times of distress for all of us… Distress of one kind or the other. Many of us have food to eat, but, no helping hands, perhaps. Our once helping-hands have no food to eat, perhaps. Some of us are in distress, because our aili...

O nce, a Wolf was in terrible pain... A bone was stuck in his throat. When he saw a Crane around, he pleaded before her to send her long bill down his throat and pull out the bone. The Wolf made a promise, “Trust me, my friend, I will reward you handsomely for your help.” Convinced, the Crane quickly got into action. She placed her long bill in the mouth of the Wolf and took out the bone, quite effortlessly. The Wolf was relieved. “Thanks for your prompt help,” he said to the Crane and began to dash off his way. “Wait a minute, my friend,” cried out the Crane, “What about my reward?” “Ah… What about your reward!” the Wolf turned back to answer, grinding his deadly teeth, “Well, my friend, you have won a good fortune, already. You can, now, go around boasting before the whole jungle, that you had the grit and the gumption to put your head in a Wolf’s mouth and yet could walk away scot-free!” I love this story. Though I don...

A while ago, a friend of mine called me up. He said, “A thought has been crossing my mind for over a year now. I have this strong urge to give away five percent of my income to empower a girl child through education. How shall I go about it?” For a moment, I felt a bit surprised on hearing what my friend was saying. He is a creative guy and has been freelancing for over three decades. But, for last some years, the work has come to him erratically, here one, there one. It has been a constant source of tension in the house, and, it had caused a strain on his relationship with wife. Apparently, despite his best attempts to get more work, the work has not been coming his way the way one would expect. So, against the backdrop of this situation, when I heard my friend sharing with me what he was thinking, the natural and the most sincere reaction would be to tell him “Hello, it’s an impractical idea… You are just daydreaming … First, go out and get some work, make som...