I added music to my profile. The songs remind me of Montreal cathedrals. That tiny city has a lot more cathedrals than any other Canadian cities I visited! Century old catholic churches are so beautifully built, and visiting these places of worship gives me the much needed peace. I know People do not want to be in Montreal in winters, but to me that is the perfect time to spend a lot of quite time in praying. The Gothic style architecture, and suitable interiors makes it a world class museum. If ever given an opportunity, I would want to go back and spend some quality time in those power-prayer houses. Jesus is awesome, and he sure answers all our prayers! To him we are all the same, he doesn't need anyone to denounce their faith to accept him; he loves you for the person you're and not what you will become. Even-though, I am not a Christian, I know Jesus still loves me, just the way I do, ok may be little more than I do! :-)
Montreal in Winter:
This city was founded in 1600s
Inside the chapel
The sacred place
another angle
It doesn't matter to which religion you belong to, these places have a lot of energy and one should visit these places of worship at least once in a life time!
One of the popular resolution and the toughest to maintain is being ''Positive''. Being positive is not something you inherit, it is not an inborn talent, but something that you constantly work on, it is all about practice. Developing a positive outlook towards life is very important, it is very instrumental to our success. Individual's goals vary as per taste and passion. Success should never be defined as accomplishing set goals, instead it should be defined as the ''life'' after accomplishing your set goals. I know it is hard to phantom, give it a thought, you will be surprised with your outcome. When you're determined to take the road to success, then you should not complain about the bumpy rides. Success comes with a price to those who are willing to forgo the negative experiences. That is why we do not see that many successful people in our society. Anger and emotions should never tie you down from doing what is right to you and to others. Positive is light and Negative is dark. Life is not about how much money you make or the kind of life style you lead, but how much joy you can spread around, giving it to others and to keep it for yourself. Simply soaking in happiness makes life a lot more easier. Life is a celebration and needs to be celebrated. Worrying and wining is an addiction just like any other. Being positive is an attitude and one should wear it on their sleeves!
Life is a process of happiness, and we should thoroughly enjoy it. There are going to be events that will tare you down, places you do not want to be in, things you do not want to hear, people you never wanted to meet but you need to always understand that you can act or react in such situations. Experiencing all sort of emotions is extremely important, and at the same time remembering you're the master and in control of your emotions, is also equally important. I know it is not going to be any easier, but you got to keep on going, always smiling and being positive! Love life and live fullest!!
I do not know how many of you have read ''Laws of Attraction'' book. I have not, so I would not go there :P but from what I understand over the years is what you desire will present to you in the best possible ways in the near future. Near future is a day or a week or couple of years, depending on what you wish for. Till then what you need to understand is your desires are in the making, like ordering a pizza at a Pizza Corner. One got to wait till ones wishes are delivered. ''Patience'' is the virtue here. Be positive, never complain and be one with your dreams, wish & desires. I distinctively remember an incident that took place a decade ago, a decade later it presented to me and I'm living it. I was staying at my 2nd sister's house, it was a small 2 bedroom apartment which was shared by her family of 5, and her father-in-law and by me. She was constructing a bungalow nearby, and this was the best she could find. My nieces and nephew were very young. Youngest was a toddler, the middle one was a year old and the oldest was around 3. The place was very chaotic. In order to escape the chaos, I always went to the terrace at night and stayed there till late night.. all I did was gaze stars and talk to myself and to the mute sky. We lived in tenements and it over looked a runway, at night I saw a number of flights take-on and take-off. That was the most beautiful sight I would see, and I always told myself ''one day I too wish to fly in one of those planes'', just that thought gave me a high. I kept speaking thru' the late night, pretending to be a passenger, rehearsing my phrases, what I would say to my friends and family at the airport, the farewell speech, then talking to the flight attendants... this continued for many such nights; the sky,the stars, the moon, and the cool breeze patiently listened to me. For a person like me coming from a developing country like India, and living a hand to mouth life with none to support is almost impossible to be on a plane let alone travel a different country. Mind you, I did not even have a good scores in college to sail me through my dreams. I did not know how and when, all i wished was to travel by air to a foreign country at-least once. Now, a decade later I realized my dreams, as a matter of fact, I have traveled to Europe, and North America. Today, I live my dream!! Not only I travel by air frequently, I am even an United States of America's Permanent Resident. How cool is that? I spoke of what I want than what I did not have, that makes a lot of difference. Remember, never let situation underestimate you; you shape your future and not the circumstances.
All I ask is dream, dream big, learn to talk to yourself no matter how ridiculous it sounds. Content is good only when you have more than enough and you monopolize, and wants that can corrupt you to be greed; and it should be applied only to materialistic context; . Content is a tool designed to save you from boredom at least that is how I view it. Life is what you make and life makes you only if you stop dreaming or easily surrendered to situations without a good fight. Last couple of years, I did not speak to myself in solitary, I was being controlled by the things around me, a break-up would cause me a tremendous heartache, did take away my passion to dream or to tell me as what I-desire-to-myself. It doesn't matter what your desires are, all it matters is you build your road in order to fulfill your wishes. An angel with a magic wond granting all your wishes and desires will make life easier only if she shows up every time you summon! Till then, you go to talk to yourself and dream on.. you will be surprised as how all your wishes were fulfilled! Don't give up on your dreams, and never cease to dream. Let the dream coming, let the talk begin..
I know this will not fit well with religious people, but i have a point that i would like to put forward to religious persons. What is the purpose of converting others? I raise this question because the other day a lady and a gentle man knocked my door and asked me to convert to ''Jevohawitness'' there by joining their Church! In my eyes they looked like sales persons selling their faith. Why this desperation, will they know they offend me with this question, apparently they will not. Me at my best behavior told them that I am a person who will respect everyone and to me all gods are equal and the same. In fact, I have the same respect for an atheist, just like any other person from any other faith. I am a staunch believer that ''there-is-no-god'' is also a faith and needs to be respected. People do not understand that, and want to force others to follow what or whom they believe is god. You don't draw someone else's faith, don't try to introduce your god to someone else. Each and every person is different and there is a need for everyone to connect to their creator in their way, what ever way it is. Just like how our practical experiences makes us strong, similarly people should undergo spiritual experience to make them spiritually strong. Don't try to dictate others faith that is simply not your business! People who are religiously conservatives are the most unhappy souls, IMHO. They simply fail to appreciate the social diversity around them and wants to impose monotonous idiosyncrasy!
Selling your faith to a destitute soul is the cheapest thing you can do ever. I have also seen people help the economically, financially deprived people and in turn they ask them to change faith? How is that okay ? Helping should come from with in, not because some book says so. The last thing you want to do is insult someone in the name of help and trade faith. A lot of converts in Africa still live a sedimentary lives, still struggling for a square meal and yes, still die of hunger! just changing their name to Ismael or Ester has not changed their living conditions. I wish missionaries learn to show empathy without refering to a book when it comes to fellow humans.. after all love is all we need!
It is a wonderful feeling to be with my husband in our house. When I was in Canada, I lived in tenements. It is a good feeling to be in my house, finally. Having spent 18 moths in Canada, I can say USA is nothing like Canada. They are two different countries all together. In Canada everything is in limited while quite the opposite here in USA! What Large drinks we call in Canada are small/medium here! Canadians have one garbage bag, 2 tubs for the recycling (there is no limitation on recyclable waste) and everything is picked on the same day, usually on a Tuesday. While here in Phoenix it is quite the opposite. Every house here has two really big dustbins. One for the waste while the other is for recycle. They are picked on two different days. Mississauga and Toronto the places I spent most of my time were like a mini world with people m from all corners of the world. Americans and very little Asians or east Indians mostly dominates this place. Also, I observed Americans do not follow SI units; instead they have their own units. Fahrenheit, miles, feet are some of the units I am still getting used to. Americans use a lot of fractions. ¼, ½, ¾ on their direction signs and has a maximum of 75 m/hr while 60 m/hr is the maximum in Canada. Toronto has a very good public transportation; I am yet to find a bus in phoenix! Not to mention every two blocks here one will find fast food joints!! Finally, their accents are totally different!
I am so glad that I have got an opportunity to live in two best countries in North America and learn their practices, customs and ethics. I am grateful to my husband for giving me an opportunity to experience the finest things! Thank you hubby and I love you a lot!
Most of us don't count our blessings. Here is a woman who not only changed her life, but also 1000s of others. She has a fascinating story for all of us. Ever since I got an opportunity to read an article about this amazing woman, my life has changed for better. She is my hero! Yes, I am in love with this lady how helped me to see the brightest side of life. She is my teacher, my mentor and my admiration for her never seems to fade away. She carries her heart on her sleeves. Her story is too fascinating that it will resonate in your mind for a very long time. She will touch your heart, she will teach you to do the right things, she will help you to boost your morale. What an extra ordinary journey she has. It is so rightly said that it takes little ''extra'' to be that ''extraordinary''. A little effort can bridge the gap. I've never met her not even once, yet i feel so close to her. I am truly blessed to have lived in her era.
In Bagavadgeetha (Chapter 16, verse 2) it says "Truthfulness is relating the facts as they are and not as one wants them to be perceived. Absence of anger is calmness within the mind without agitation even when rebuked, attacked or in the process of defending oneself. Tyagah is renunciation of possessions and thus natural generosity. Tranquillity is complete control of the mind. Freedom from slander is absence of envy and retaliation. Compassion is kindness to all living beings especially when they are in distress. Non-covetousness is self satisfaction with what one has been allotted in life. Gentleness is absence of cruelty or harshness. Modesty is shyness in decorum and hesitancy in even the thought of wrong doing. Absence of fickleness is the avoidance of frivolous activities. Boldness is courage in asserting what is truth and defending righteousness. Forgiveness is not becoming upset by humiliation. Fortitude is steadying the mind when under great duress. Purity is external and internal cleanliness. The lack of conceit is absence of thinking of oneself egotistically. These 26 qualities related by Lord Krishna are characterised by one who is situated in the divine nature and thus qualified to attain association with the Supreme Lord and His devotees."
I love you ''Aai''!
She is my living god and I salute to you Mother!
She was born Chindi (rag). One brother was Kachra (rubbish), the other Bhoosa (sawdust). Their father was a cowherd in Vidarbha and when Sindhutai Sapakal (she renamed herself after the sea) was a little girl, all she did was tend to cattle. Her heart, though, was not in it. So she would wait for the buffaloes to finish grazing and lower their bulk into a pool of muddy water. ‘‘I then rushed to school,’’ she recalls in Marathi that carries the accent of the hinterland. ‘‘Since I would never make it before the lunch break, I call myself a ‘half-time fourth pass’,’’ says the 61-year-old recently given a special seniorcitizen award by Harmony Foundation. She couldn’t finish school but the many kids Sindhutai has mothered in her orphanage have done her proud. One of her adopted sons, Shyam, has even chosen her life as the subject for his PhD thesis. And why not? It’s a remarkable story. Her parents got her married when she was nine to a man 26 years her senior. ‘‘The wedding was fun,’’ she says. ‘‘I got to wear new clothes. There was lots of food and the band played till late in the evening. The baraat came very late, by which time the dal (lentil) went bad. And there was no coconut, so my in-laws were upset.’’ Two years later, as was customary in the village, Chindi was dispatched to her husband’s house, where she was effectively the child-maid: she did the housework, collected cow dung, cooked on the hot chulha, and bore her husband three sons. ‘‘I’d get bored but there was no choice,’’ she says. ‘‘My mother-in-law called me halkat (naughty) and made sure my (illiterate) husband beat me up when she caught me trying to read Marathi poetry on scraps of newspaper that came home as paper bags.’’ Little Chindi smartened up after a few thrashings. After she memorised a poem, she simply swallowed the newspaper. Then came the turning point. Chindi bore her fourth child, a girl. ‘‘My inlaws didn’t want the baby (Mamata) or me. They began to starve me,’’ she says. ‘‘I knew my baby would die, so I left the house eight days after she was born. My mother-in-law was happy to see me go.’’ Lugging the child, Chindi walked 30 km back to her dead father’s house. Her mother was not happy to see her. ‘‘She wanted nothing to do with me, so I walked to the train station,’’ she says. ‘‘I crouched on the floor with my baby. In despair, I began to sing a bhajan, pleading with God to help me.’’ Help came in the form of coins that passers-by threw. Despite her own misery, Chindi noticed that the station was home for many orphans. So the bhakri (bread made with rice) was shared with the kids. But there wasn’t enough food to go around, and finally one day, she boarded a train to Pune. ‘‘I decided to give Mamata up. It was a difficult decision but sheer practicality won over maternal instinct. Mamata was left at the Dagdusheth Halwai Trust in Pune and her mother went back to the railway station and her orphans. ‘‘Gaana gaya toh khana mila.’’ (I sang for my supper). From songs, she moved to small lectures. ‘Ration for bhashan’ became her mantra. The money came in but there was still the matter of shelter. ‘‘It was then that I decided to spend nights at the crematorium,’’ she says. ‘‘Heat from the pyres would keep me warm and fruit and rice used for the funerals would fill my belly,’’ says the portly Sindhutai. ‘‘But it was so hard. If I managed to sleep at all, I had nightmares and woke up crying. People from the neighbouring village would hear me and say the crematorium was haunted. Those were wretched days.’’ In 1986, Sindhutai moved to Chikhaldhara to live with the tribals there. Speaking up for tribal rights, she became quite the activist and people began flocking to her speeches. Cannily, she decided to build a Krishna temple ‘‘because I knew it would be easier to draw people to religion rather than education’’. Her reputation as a protector of orphans was well known already. Meanwhile, Mamata was growing up in the Pune ashram. ‘‘She would visit me during the holidays. We would all live like one large family and eat whatever was available. She got no special treatment,’’ says her mother. In 1998, Sindhutai established Sapta Sindhu, an ashram for widows and children. She has nurtured 1,042 kids over the last decade. ‘‘I have 199 sons-in-law and 36 bahus,’’ she says proudly. To all of them, she is Aai (mother). Her daughter Mamata, who now has a degree in Psychology and a Master’s in social work, also helps out at the ashram. At 61, Sindhutai has perfect vision and a robust constitution. In February 2009, she was invited to the Vishwa Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in the US. ‘‘I was so scared the aircraft would fall down,’’ she grins.
Courtesy TOI, Thanks to Anubha Sawhney Joshi | TNN for bring this story to the world.
The following video is the trail of a Marati Film based on this woman.
No movie has ever inspired me like 'Conviction'. This is an extraordinary real story of a sister who goes extraordinary lengths to prove her brother’s innocence. It is a story of Betty Anne Waters, who has a killing conviction to unbind her brother Kenny. Kenny is wrongfully convicted of a murder? In 1980, Betty’s Elder Brother Kenny is arrested while attending his grand pa’s funeral. He is charged with murder of a female, and witnesses are threatened by the corrupt police officers of City of Ayers, Massachusetts to testify against Kenny. As a result, Kenny is wrongfully convicted, and sentenced to life-imprisonment without parole. The sister is convinced Kenny is not a Murderer, and he rightly deserves his freedom back. Betty could not afford to hire a lawyer. Instead of giving up, she studies law, and attends Law College. During one of her case studies she understands the importance of DNA Profiling. With the help of her friends, she is able to reopen a 12-year-old case. She faces a lot of set backs, she is never boggled down by them. Finally, she is able to get her hands on the evidences. One of the evidences was a blood sample of the perpetuator taken at the crime scene. Kenny’s DNA is matched against the perpetuator’s DNA. It was a mismatch. DNA confirms Kenny’s innocence. Just DNA results were not enough to absolve from the charges, the DA needed more. Betty and her friends do an investigation and learn both the witnesses purged during the trail. Truth on their side now, judge finally declares Kenny as a freeman and drops all the charges against him. This entire fight took Betty 18 years at the cost of her marriage and her children. Betty refused to make peace with her past, and did not entertain anyone who doubted her brother. She went on to do what she thought was right, and she was right indeed!
Betty’s fight reminds me of Krishna’s words - ‘do your duty, and leave the results to me’. Betty did her duty with out getting distracted and as a result, she is helping all those who are wrongfully convicted in the US, now. This movie was so inspiring that I have made a promise to my self that I will remain focused. I’m attention deficient. I’m easily bored, and now I understand it is because of lack of motivation in life. Though, I have gone through a lot at one point in my life, somehow I have never able to come out from it. I have analyzed myself as why I am not the same person I was some 10 years ago. Right from my childhood, I have always been a go-getter sort. When I was 24, I had plans of having a baby as I hit 30, either adopted or biological. It did not matter if I were a single parent. Now, that I am going to be 30 this month, and has no baby yet, I kind of de-motivated myself from doing other things. And I am taking out my frustration by being passive. All I should have done is reassess my plans and stay focused. I’ve decided that 5 years from now, I will have lots of savings and a child. I am going to work on removing the mental blockade, and start focusing all over again! I would have never analyzed myself this better as it not for Betty Anne Waters. I truly appreciate ‘Conviction Team’ for being instrumental in influencing me and putting back on the track. Thank you Guys!
Read more of Betty Anne waters and Kenny Waters http://www.wrongfulconvictionlawsuitdefense.com/tags/betty-anne-waters/
Most of us don't count our blessings. Here is a woman who not only changed her life, but also 1000s of others. She has a fascinating story for all of us. Ever since I got an opportunity to read an article about this amazing woman, my life has changed for better. She is my hero! Yes, I am in love with this lady how helped me to see the brightest side of life. She is my teacher, my mentor and my admiration for her never seems to fade away. She carries her heart on her sleeves. Her story is too fascinating that it will resonate in your mind for a very long time. She will touch your heart, she will teach you to do the right things, she will help you to boost your morale. What an extra ordinary journey she has. It is so rightly said that it takes little ''extra'' to be that ''extraordinary''. A little effort can bridge the gap. I've never met her not even once, yet i feel so close to her. I am truly blessed to have lived in her era.
