Heaven is for real (2014)

And yes that is the name of the movie starring Greg Kinnear.
Easter was great, the blessed season that symbolizes hope - an essential human lifeline.
A year has flown by and I'm missing a loved one. I seek a sign just to know all is well. Anything! I've had them before and they've always calmed my restless spirit. So here I was looking for them again.
And then last Sunday happened to be Divine Mercy Sunday. The sermon talked about doubt and the infamous "Doubting Thomas". And that, my friends, is my middle name. My mind is riddled with doubts that creep in at the most inopportune time to only take residence refusing to leave. And once again my faith, like every other mortal, wavers. I tell myself "Woe me of weak faith", here is a glimpse of my love for Shakespeare. Anyway, imagine my surprise when I watched 'Heaven is for real'. Here were the messages subtly coming my way and it was up to me to read them. Do I believe in Signs? After this, I most definitely do.
Now a little about the movie -

Todd is a man who wears many hats! He is a pastor, voluntary fireman, handyman and coach who lives with his beautiful family in Imperial, Nebraska. A gifted preacher, he has drawn the masses and the parish has only grown. However, Todd's faith is put to the test when his 4 year old son, Colton, has to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency surgery. All prayers are answered and Colton is back home. But something has changed! Colton is talking of singing angels, rainbow colored horses, of seeing Jesus and even sitting on his lap. He talks of seeing his great-grandfather and even his late, unborn sister who he knew nothing about. The whole town is laughing at the family, the kids in school resort to bullying and there is a dip in the footfalls at the parish. It's now up to Todd to wholly believe and be convinced in what Colton has experienced to then be a convincing preacher.
Such an incredibly beautiful movie based on true events.
I feel blessed 😇 and continue to pray and hope that all is well on the other side.

As I journey on ... 🚗

And when the road goes on and on ...

We follow the red bus ...

And I do stop to forage for fresh, juicy cashew fruit

And take in the scenery

While breathing in some fresh mountain air

And after a good 9 hours on the road, cold beer, jackfruit chips and a classic on the telly. Bliss!

On the sands ... 👒

The setting sun as it bids adieu for the day. 

Something we all like to .... Playing in the sand ..😊

As the footprints are washed away by  moving waters, here is a poem that comes to mind ~

So until the next time ...

As I do some Soul Searching​ 🔭 ....

I was listening to Joyce Meyer the other day. I absolutely love her simple and honest to goodness messages that apply to an ordinary, mortal life like mine. This particular message stood out for me where she spoke about growing up in turmoil. For that instant she was a kindred spirit. Broken homes, there I've finally said it, tend to create broken lives leaving behind indelible scars. So the decision to get married is a crucial one and a life partner who promises to stand by you even when the whole world walks out, is huge.

 Marriage is a turning point that changes everything. Its paramount to build a strong foundation that will determine the core values for your family life. This is what you will be handing down with worldly inheritances.

I was fortunate to have found someone who refused to give up on

me even when I was ready to quit. So look for your buoy 🚨 or lighthouse, swim hard and don't fear to reach out. There are different avenues like prayer or social circles, good friends ... Make the conscious choice to surround yourself with all things positive and good, like sugar and spice and all things nice. ☺
Do see the following link -
Learning to be vulnerable healed my trauma

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Aboard the luxurious Darjeeling Limited travelling through India, are three brothers who had last met at their father's funeral over a year ago. They have now reunited in a bid to get reaquainted with each other and are on a quest to find spirituality.

Francis (Owen Wilson) is the oldest and the controlling one who still insists on ordering food for his brothers and even making their sleeping arrangements. He decides to keep all three passports to ensure that no one can cut their journey short.
Then you have Peter (Adrian Brody) the only one of the three who is married and is an expectant father. However he doubts his ability to be a good husband and parent.
And the youngest is Jack (Jason Schwartzman) who is unable to get over his break up with his girlfriend.
Their mother has left it all behind and is now a nun residing at the foothills

of the Himalayas and the brothers hope to catch up with her while there. The three of them brave insane rickshaw rides amid wandering cows and the chaos of Indian streets and even get their shoes stolen. But undettered and armed with an itinerary and a Cobra the three are thrown off the train. But they must each bear his own baggage and work at building their relationships.
Hilarious and fun, enjoy the journey with the three amid the melodic strains of the sitar in Incredible India with monkeys gazing down from rooftops.

We are only as strong as we are united as weak as we are divided ~ J K Rowling

Going back some years, we didn't have too many choices when it came to watching television. Since satellite TV and on demand had not made their appearance then we had but one channel. So life, I believe, was less complicated. All we had was a half hour of television viewing everyday. That would also explain the oaters I had mentioned about previously 😐. So this meant more time on our hands to spend on meaningful and constructive activities like "family-time" i.e. dinner together, catching up on each others day, reading books to better your knowledge 😋 and so on and so forth. Not to mention the time on my hands to bully my little sister. 😗 Oooops... However that half hour was precious time and something we looked forward to. The reason I got to writing this was to mention the documentaries that were aired on TV just before our shows began. These were simple social messages that focused on varied topics, Unity being one of them.
To me, a sense of being United is what overlooks cultural and racial barriers, encouraging fraternization across all humanity. In other words - Unity in Diversity. A recent share of this beautiful video on social media made me want to watch it again so many years later.

The above video can't boast of high-tech animation or fancy story telling but it can do it's job and get the message across.

Be Happy For this Moment. This moment is your life! ~ Omar Khayyam

On world happiness day I would like to wish my readers much happiness and joy.

How do you define happiness? That's a word, the definition of which, would mean different things to different people. And rightfully so! For some it could be emotional, for others material, then for some spiritual ....

We go through so much each day right from the moment we wake up, that in the whirl of all the busyness and the flurry of activities it's easy to forget the good moments. Most times it is the unpleasant ones that stays with us long after the day is over. So what can be done? Do what I do - be an accountant and keep a ledger/diary of happiness. Mostly as the day draws to an end out comes my book where I jot down the things that made me happy or simply smile. The end of the day works best - just as I'm winding down seems like the perfect time to acknowledge how lucky I am. Most times memory fades. My little journal helps to remind me of all the happy, silly and fun memories of moments passed. This is so therapeutic and a perfect reminder of how blessed we are in so many ways.

Here is 'Happy' sung by none other than my favorite singer. A young, innocent voice, 

So heart wrenchingly melancholic and haunting!