Random musings

Last month, I met with an accident when driving the car. Nothing happened - to me or the lady who was in the car with me. I guess that I should have been thankful, but I didn't feel that way.  Here, I had mustered enough courage to drive around at night, when I didn't know the directions. Knowing my track record at getting lost in the middle of nowhere, it seemed like a big accomplishment. After the accident, I was back to feeling like a nervous, clueless person with the same fear, settling in again. What was more surprising to me, is that when this happened, the first thought that came to my mind is that - I must have done something wrong and that's why this happened.  It is strange, that " not-so-great things happening in my life " and " God " do not go together. Subconsciously, I had bought into a lie that God's blessings only come to certain people, and if something was going wrong, it was because I had messed up and God being holy a...

It was somewhat unnerving when someone volunteered me to lead one of the " spiritual disciplines " discussions at the ladies' fellowship meeting. Everyone has been taking turns, so it was only fair that I would be willing to do it.  I spent two weeks going back and forth with myself, about if people need to stick to what comes naturally to them, like use their God given talents or if we are expected to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and do stuff that makes us uncomfortable. I, finally came to the conclusion that everyone has something to share with regards to their faith and I do too. It was okay if I didn't make perfect sense or if I needed to say the same thing in five different ways for it to make sense.  The discussion was about " Studying the Bible ", which I will admit is something that I struggle with. Anyway, this is what I ended up sharing with the group of ladies. Every morning, I tell my kids to do certain things - like brush th...

I've been meeting with a group of ladies every couple of weeks and we study a book called " Celebration of Discipline ". The book is about growing in faith and drawing closer to God, by using spiritual disciplines. I want to know more about God, and unless I have some kind of structure/discipline in doing that, most likely that wouldn't happen for me. So, it was interesting to hear the other ladies' perspectives. During one of the discussions, one of the ladies said something about " fake it till you make it ". I was somewhat taken aback when I heard this. I think that her intent in saying it, was that spiritual disciplines don't come naturally to people, so we have to keep doing it, till it becomes more meaningful or real or something of that sort. At the same time, I wonder, if we believe in a God who is all-knowing , wouldn't He know when we are faking it? Wouldn't He know that I'm sitting in the middle of a church service ...

Both my kids talk quite a bit about being married. Especially, with Naomi - her plans are pretty elaborate. She has it down, all figured out right from the " white off-shoulder " dress that she is going to wear, to the number of rooms that she needs in a house and even the number of kids and their names. She is going to have two kids - the boy will be named Samuel and girl will be named Anna. She has asked that Daddy lives with her and I can live with Daniel. I'm also going to be taking care of my grandkids when she goes to work. The other day, as part of her game, batman Lego  married Dr. Lego and they lived in their white house with a pink fence. Daniel, on the other hand has decided to have five kids. He was somewhat anxious when we told him that he would need to find a wife, when he is older. I sincerely hope that they don't lose their sense of joy about finding a life partner. Maybe, it is part of being a little girl, who dreams of being married one...

When Daniel started going to school for the whole day, I had to look into options on what I could pack for his lunch. My kids are not big into Indian food, and usually Indian food doesn't taste good when it's cold. So, I would usually pack cold meat or cheese spread kind of sandwiches. I found the recipes on the internet for lunch ideas to be complicated. So, I started experimenting with different combinations, and I have a few ideas that I thought of writing in a blog post, that I will update, so I don't lose track (Somewhat, dorky. Yes:)) Protein options --------------- - Boneless skinless chicken thighs - Marinate in spices. This is a dry rub. (I use cumin, coriander, pinch of chili and salt). Sear chicken on both sides in a pan on medium-high heat till it forms a crust. Bake at 350 for 12-15 mins. Pack chicken pieces in individual snack size Ziploc bags. Can cut up and use with pasta/spaghetti, noodles or rice. - Shrimp - Marinate shrimp in turmeric, pi...

We go to an Indian church, most Sundays. This is a small community of friends that we have had over the past many years. Many of the folks from this church have stood with us, during good times and bad. Though, we don't have family living in the same state - having this church has offset that need to a great extent. There are few things that have been on my mind for sometime now. A lot of people in this church are my husband's friends. The rest are my father-in-law's friends. I realize that, I'm a reserved person, so it's not always easy for people to talk to me.  But, there are few friendships and relationships that I've tried to invest in, but for some reason, I feel like a bystander. What I say or do or don't say or don't do, doesn't change anything.  Even, the ones who are friends with me are because - I'm the wife or daughter-in-law or something of that sort. It especially becomes troubling for me, when someone is talking to my ...

Have you ever spoken to someone about a problem only to receive a truckload of advice on how to fix the issue, all of which left you more confused? Or, spoken about something that was close to your heart, only to have the person brush it off or treat it flippantly?  Or, have someone zone in and out of the conversation waiting for the next chance to escape the conversation or want to chime in with their two cents? Or, have the person listen intently for the time being, but completely forget about it after the conversation is done. Such folks are called  " poor listeners " . I should know because I'm one of them. I tune out people and conversations much more than I would care to admit.  I've heard someone say that, most people listen with the intent to reply rather than the intent to understand. This would be very true for me.  When my sister would speak about things that upset her, my immediate reaction was to offer advice and fix things for her. I ...