A Journey to heaven

He started his journey, as his work in his home was over. He was tired with all day's work. But still he was excited in his journey. He had nothing in his hands. He need nothing to take with him in this journey....

He was contented about his work at home. He felt satisfied that he had accomplished everything with utter perfection. his satisfaction broke into a song. He sang and moved towards a high golden gate.

The gate opened for him but there was no one to welcome him. The place was silent and peaceful and gave a mixed feeling of desire and hesitation. He had never felt such peace before. His home had been a place filled with work and noise. This silent peace made him feel as a stranger to that place.

He looked for someone to break the silence that would make him deaf. There was a little boy sitting on the top of a small dune. He went near him, and the boy asked him,"what have you brought for me?"

The boy was cute and sharp.He had a strange softness and swiftness in his eyes. His gentle smile urged his heart to hug the boy in his arms. He yearned for his touch, which his inner self said that it was why he was here. With a sense of an unknown relationship he kept a step towards the boy, when he repeated his question.

"What have you brought for me"?

He stopped and thought for a moment. He felt like giving something to the boy. He looked around and found nothing. He was reminded of his home where he had toys and sweets and dresses and many more things that he could have given.... But he cannot bring them here now! He started thinking what all he had and what all he have now.

Once he started this journey, he cannot take any physical thing. So he started to think of his abstract assets. He was a knowledgeable man. He was a man of philosophy. He had received awards and appreciations for his works and thesis.

But of what use would be such hard verses and prose to this little boy? So he tried to simplify his philosophy into a story and tell the boy. He started,"My lad, I have nothing to give you. But I will tell you a story. I will tell you a story to explain why you need to choose friends carefully...."

And the boy interrupted.... "but I don't have specific friends.... In this place all hearts are filled with love and so all are friends! Why should I choose one?"

"Okay... then.. I will tell you how to tackle problems of life with intelligence..."

"When this place is filled with love, how can problems enter?"

"Then....." He could not think of one such thing that love cannot solve! His years of intelligence and work had failed before this philosophy of Love! What is the use of tactics, knowledge and intelligence in such a place where every heart is filled with love? He was confused... Then what else could he give the little boy?

He said in a weary tone," I don't have anything greater to give you, than what you have...."

"If I ask something that you can give, would you give me?"

"Sure."

And the boy asked, " Will you give me a piggy ride on your back?"

The man was more excited than the boy! He was thrilled by his touch, as a flower blooms by the touch of the    morning breeze, he felt fresh by the touch. He surrendered himself to the boy's sweet play. His heart was filled with an unknown peace and love. He felt complete. Now he felt no longer a stranger to that place.

Yes... He never thought of the love he had- The most precious of things! The only asset that you receive more of what you give...... But this grace.... You could get it only through offering one's own self! Who is this boy who gives splendorous grace in return of  complete surrender?

And....

He felt HEAVEN!

Published in Authspot
http://authspot.com/short-stories/a-journey-to-heaven/

MEEK AND MIGHT

He , who has the softness in hand,
The softness that opens the flower
At the waking dawn of the early hour
And could close the flower at day's end,
He has the dreadful might to create a storm,
The storm, that uproots strong trees,
That makes mansions come on knees
And break every stone of it to no form.

He who decors each flower with dew
And sends a silent drizzle down,
Who hides sweet springs below the ground
And freshens the earth's day as new,
He throws the violent heavy downpour
And set the sea with its highest tide
And move rivers away from their ride
He changes the course of sea and shore.

Call Him God, with many a name
Or the nature's arrogant game
He is the breeze and He is the gale
He is the ant and the huge whale
He is the symbol of worldly truth
That anything fragile is strong underneath
Strength is given birth by weakness
Mind gains strength only at its meekness.

MY MOTHER

My heart leaps high in space,

When I look at her sweet face.

It seems that her eyes are made,

With pure love, which will never fade.

The smile in her lips, look graceful

She is a creation of God, so wonderful;

Oh! My dear mother,

In my sorrow, you are my consoler;

In my failure, you are my teacher;

As a friend, a guardian and my treasure,

To chat with you is my great pleasure;

This is the only relationship, that no other

Is equal to this – “My MOTHER”!

Man's best friend

On these sunny days, it has been common to see dogs sitting in the shades of your house.... While I was sitting and watching them, I was thinking of all those dogs that I met in my life.....

It is long since I had a dog in my house.... But I remember my sweet pet, "Tiger" by name (and yet was a dog- of course..!)

Dogs have some reserved common names.... Some are like Tommy, Jimmy, Tony, Tiger, Rover, Ceaser, July......

How does a dog get its name? Do these little ones expect to be called by good names? Who can ever think about the name from a dog's point of view?

Well.... Some keep the most common names reserved for dogs... And thats really easy....! Some dogs get their names from their personality(??!!??). From their colour , Whitie, Blackie..... and other styles..... Fluffy, bujju.....

When I was pretty young, after hearing a lot of dog stories that my mother had in her home, I was fond of dogs, as children used to be.... But I never got the permission to grow one.... My mom used to say that it is hard for her to maintain one "dog" itself..... And by that one dog she means me! I used to whine like a dog on hearing this. (But later I learnt that it was the common custom of mothers to use the same words to put an end to the children's dog desires.......!)

But my mom could not stop me from playing or at least feeding (as I always had a little fear for those canined friends!) other dogs which I see on the street. One such friend of mine was "Tommy". My sister and me started feeding that poor dog which doesn't know to pick up a fight with other stray dogs to get a piece of food.... It made it a usual routine to visit our house and it also used to give us company when we work in the garden. When asked my sister how to call it, we entered into a long discussion and arrived at the name "Tommy". Tommy started responding to that call after a few days.... Later we found that the dog was not a street dog and it had an owner! I was too curious to restrain myself from going to that house and ask what was the name they had for their dog? I got the reply as "Mani"....

Now I had a series of questions in my mind...... While the dog already had another name why did it accept our pet name Tommy? And why did it come to play with us leaving the two young girls in that house? Most of all...... Does the dog know whether it was christened with two names and respond to both? I asked one of the girl of that house the last question. She looked a bit confused.... It seemed that as for her giving a name for the dog was just a kind of ritual. She had never thought that the dog should be called by that name!
She said that she never called her dog by that name. So we decided to test whether Tommy was aware of the existence of its other name. As we called it "Mani"...... Oops.... The dog didn't respond! On the contrary, it started running towards us when called "Tommy"..... I was so excited and thus Tommy became my first pet.....

Later I met many dogs in my life, with many queer habits- Roger- my friend's dog, which she always used to call as her brother, Tuffy- a pomeranian from my aunt's home, Teddy- a white cutie of my cousin, Rover- a labradar, that likes to hold something in its mouth and many more.......

Lastly came "Tiger", a German shepherd cross breed, which came as a birthday present to me! It became my best friend and a good companion... It removed the fear of dogs which I had in my heart. It accompanied me wherever I went- sometimes even to school!- creating a lot of fuss.... But he made me understand what a dog is..... More accurate to say- what actually a living being is! It was he that made me realize that all hearts- be it a dog or human- yearns for the same love and responds for the same feelings! From this best friend of man's that I learnt the fact - "All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man, the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports ".....

Having a pet is not merely an entertainment but the practice of loving other lives and understanding them....

My Own Toy Story

Recently I got to watch the movie Toy Story3.

I was reminded of my own childhood days where I used to play, actually live, with my toys!

When I watched Toy Story1, I was 9. I still remember how I enjoyed the movie with my father by my side and ice cream in my hand. Then I felt exactly like Andy, having a flair for playing. In this part three, I still feel like him, wanting to be with them but still grown up and had to leave.

Coming to my toy story, My first mate and a good old toy was NANCY. She was a shut-eye doll, famous at that times such as Barbie is now for the kids. Nancy came as a birthday gift for me on my 2nd birthday. The name was suggested by my father. Nancy wore a blue dress, a cap and black shoes. She was so beautiful. I took her with me wherever I went. I also asked my mom to feed her too when I was called for lunch. She slept with me in my bed.

Later when I grew up, Nancy became old. She also lost her beautiful dress! But my mom promised to make a new dress for her. So I started collecting different coloured and different types of cloth pieces. When I step into a tailor shop, I always tried to collect the beautiful lace cloths which he puts down while stitching. (Still I have the habit of taking small bits of different cloth. Oh! How my Nancy had influenced my life!)

Then came my sweet "Doggie", thats how I used to call my dog doll. It was a dog in light red or to be exact- brownish orange. It had a whistle fitted in it which will produce a sound when the dog's tummy is pressed. It always had its small red tongue hanging.

Later, when Nancy was too old and that was when I was 8, my parents asked me to throw it away. But I didn't agree. So my father bought me another shut-eye doll, more beautiful than Nancy. I liked her too and named her "Princy". But my love for Nancy never changed as my parents thought. Nancy still used to be my first choice.

But one day, there was a sudden turn of events! I was totally afraid to touch both the dolls!

That was when I first watched the movie "The Child's play" and its Tamil replica, "Vaa arugil vaa" back to back! That was really horrible at that time, while I used to fear ghosts. I never touched both my darlings for days....

But I could not forget how I played with them and in my deep unconscious mind could never think that they could be haunted with a ghost. But outwardly as I was afraid of ghosts didn't touch them. But it couldn't hold me for long. I myself wanted to get rid of my fear of ghosts, at least for my dollies!

I tried to go out alone and stay all alone in home- until then which I never did, and to add horror to the situation, watched horror movies at that times when I was left alone at home. Just to overcome my fear and to play with the dolls again!

Now I feel how my dolls, toys and play things have influenced me! As I grew up, I left them in the attic of course..... But loved them as ever I did. Later when my younger sisters and other kids came home I gave the  toys to them one by one. As I watched Andy, handing over Woodie to  Bonnie, I was reminded how I denied to give Nancy to anyone....!

Now I am too old to play with toys......... But still in my heart there is an empty space there for Nancy, which no other stuff of entertainment could fill.......