An Unfinished Eulogy...

Can't get you out of my head,

Can't get you out of my mind,

Didn't know you really,

Some childhood moments shared...

Some fleeting news about you from Ma or Facebook.

Everything seemed fine,

And then yesterday I heard,

 I wondered - Did anyone listen, Did anyone hear?

The dark thoughts roiling through your system,

The empty vacancy of the soul weeping in isolation,

Your mind shrieking  - Worthless...

Did anyone listen, Did anyone hear?

Your family shattered, 

All your friends desolate,

They all loved you so,

Yet you left alone and sad...

Taken away from here,

But to where - Is there peace there?

What about the people you leave behind?

And the questions? And the guilt?

I am hoping and praying,

That your soul is free,

And you will find sunshine, happiness and love.

Still ...can't get you out of my head,

Can't get you out of my mind.

Giving Thanks...and giving someone a break (yup! talking about Aamir Khan)

The reality is that there has been too many #hate #intolerance #religion topics on Facebook lately - from our very own Trump who contemplated  that he would consider requiring Muslim-Americans to register with a government database, or worse, mandating that they carry special identification cards that note their faith ( do I really need any more reason to dislike him?) to the violent acts in Paris just a week and half back to one of my favorite actors Aamir Khan publicly noting - his wife often wonders if they should move out of the country (India) ... the amount of negative press Aamir Khan got was mind boggling  for me.

He made a  statement based on his personal experiences living in a country since his birth - so what if he is famous and lives with the proverbial "gold spoon in his mouth"...the man is entitled to his opinion. Truth be told, I feel like him sometimes living here (away from India) especially when I read about all the shootings in the schools and universities (and there is no stringent actions being taken on gun control!). How does a man's voicing his fear make him the scapegoat for comments like "unpatriotic, an idiot, a school drop-out" etc...)

I love  my India...just as much as I love US, the country that gave me a chance to find myself, spread my wings and grow as a human being. I am thankful for the experiences from both these wonderful nations. However I  agree with AK...there is  intolerance, hate and violence and we are seeing outbursts of it daily in some form or the other...blaming it on a certain sect or a certain religion is myopic.

I want to begin my Thanksgiving Weekend on a positive note with a saying from Buddha..he says "Love is the gift of one's innermost self to another, so that we both can together be whole"...very wonderful sounding in words, so hard to practice in reality. Yes,  I am trying and teaching my son the same...Giving Thanks for what we have and Practicing Love and Gratitude (it doesn't come naturally to me and is WIP)

Taken on one of my trips to HK (I made it a point to visit all the Buddha temples in HK)