Saturday, July 6, 2013

A Postcard to Heaven


It was a stormy, cold night. The sound of the wind hammering against the house with thunderous force frightened me to the core.

I was in the kitchen bustling about, cleaning up when the lights began to flicker.  I stopped what I was doing my heart beating fast. I did not like storms but I liked them even less in darkness. And the kitchen was a mess. I prided myself on a tidy and clean kitchen. But as the flickering gave way to darkness, the untidy kitchen would have to take a back seat.

I sat huddled by the fireplace glad for the warmth and little light it gave. But sitting alone in the midst of a storm, your mind starts playing games and imagination begins to run wild. And if you let it get the better of you then those moments can be very long and difficult. I sent a prayer up to Heaven and asked my Lord to be with me.

And then I started to take stock of the situation. Slowly I ticked the essentials in my mind, like ticking the days off a calendar.  I had warmth and light from the fireplace, I had my phone charged up and ready should I need to call for help and I had enough food and clean water for a few days should the storm continue. My mind eased a bit and the fear started to subside. There was nothing to do but to wait out the storm.

Music brings joy to my soul, so I reached for my ipod, closed my eyes and listened to the soothing strains of the violins and flute. Then my mind went on a journey to seek the insights of my soul. And as I sat there meditating, I found myself in an exquisite garden seated at the feet of my Lord as he played the music of the cosmos.

The lights came on - hours had passed and I hadn't noticed. I had been given a little time to simply be, to stop and walk away from the daily grind, to break free from the race that we've made of our lives, to experience peace within the fiercest of storms. 

Like two sides of a coin every situation presents us with the opportunity to overcome or to wallow, to move forward with courage or to cower in fear, to accept and make the best of the situation or to blame someone else.  The responsibility of making that choice lies with us. 

The sun rises after each sunset, the day follows the night, the tides ebb and flow, the moon waxes after it wanes, the good times follow the bad ones and the light comes back on after a storm. Life balances out. The storm gave me a chance to unwind, to relax, to balance out. 

It showed me that I had the courage to overcome, that some circumstances are beyond our control and to try and change that is futile. It taught me that peace lies within and that when the storms in our life appear, it is our inner peace that gives us the strength to move through it.  And it taught me that we are never alone.

It was time to thank the Lord for his grace. After all, all the things I learned in those few hours of darkness, were through his grace and love. And the peace I felt within was knowing He was there by my side at every moment.

And so I wrote my postcard to Heaven. 


Written for the Write Tribe contest:  
Write a piece/a story/ a poem incorporating the following  7 words in random order :
  postcard   coin    tidy    wild    help   calender    responsibility

Write Tribe


Wishing you all a peaceful day.

Warm Regards
Photobucket

40 comments:

  1. There are things which we can't control, but inner peace and courage is really important to keep:)
    Nice piece of writing:)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Tarang. We think and respond better when we can keep the inner peace.

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  2. during those moments of despair and darkness belief and optimism are needed !
    bfully written

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    1. Thanks Afshan. Belief and optimism provides many answers.

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  3. As always I have no words to say...except that I am awed!

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  4. Very good lesson, Suzy and so well written. Glad I stopped by. :-)

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    1. Thanks Debbie, I'm glad you stopped by too.

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  5. Easy flowing and well written piece...I enjoyed reading it :)

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  6. Suzy, justice done to the words. All of them. Beautifully woven together. Positive and reassuring.

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    1. Thanks Naina. Wasn't sure I could pull it off but got there somehow. glad you liked it.

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  7. That's a wonderful, calming routine, Suzy! And, a wonderful piece for the competition!

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    1. Thanks Roshni. Glad you found this calming.

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  8. This is one post I will come back to again and again !

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    1. Thanks Ruchira. Your very nice comment is greatly appreciated.

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  9. Loved the positive narration with a beautiful message! All the best for the contest, Suzy :)

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    1. Thanks Shilpa. Glad you liked it. All the best to you too and all other participants.

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  10. Nice.. Many pearls of wisdom in this article! :)

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  11. I need one of those postcards! Good post

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  12. Haa the pleasure when one recognises this postcard :)

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    Replies
    1. That pleasure is indescribable. Thanks Meena.

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  13. Self-help is the best help. And of course our God is there with us always.

    Beautiful post. I love the spiritual angle you give to your posts.

    I really loved it a lot.

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    1. Thanks Preetilata. We find great strength and great faith in difficult times.

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  14. Faith helps us tide through the storm.

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    1. It sure does Damyanti. Thanks for dropping by.

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  15. You are right suzy...we should overcome our fears...or at least find the way out by ourselves...

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    1. Thanks Sreedev. Sometimes, acceptance is to overcome.

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  16. Your post is like a prayer, Suzy and a pleasure to read. Thank you!

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  17. Simply superb!! Pleasure to read :)

    All the best for the contest!! Dropping by The WriteTribe Contest.

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  18. Hi Suzy,
    It's such a beautiful writing challenge. Totally awesome the way you immersed your thoughts with the challenge.
    Cheers
    Vishal

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  19. I'm finally here to read your entry, Suzy. Thanks for taking part and adding your philosophical take to a simple prompt.

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    Replies
    1. Was great to take part Corinne. It kind of evolved into a philosophical write. Free writes do that to me.

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