As I write this post I do so sat in our lovely garden.  Around this time of the year the beech hedge starts to fill out and bloom and this time is no exception. So much has happened in the past two years let alone in the last ten years but nature reminds us of how we should aspire to be.  Grateful and glad that we have this day before us to celebrate and live.  In a few days time I will mark what would have been my Dad’s 104th birthday.  When I think of him I think of God’s grace that he is my father.  Easter is a special time for Christians around the world.  The sacrifice made by Lord Jesus reminds us of the act of love and the practice of giving.    Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus and is a season of joy, penitence and victory of the good.  This month many of my Muslim friends will be fasting during the auspicious month of Ramadan.  For them this is a month of giving and gratitude.  As a Hindu born and brought up here I am thankful for the tolerance and respect we have for others.  We may follow different faiths but we all follow the universal principles of kindness and love. 

The other day I found myself fascinated by the following words-

Resurrection  -Restore- Replenish – Reconcile- Remind- what these words have in common is the power we all possess in our hearts which is to find hope in ourselves when we are down.  Sometimes we must come to terms with the reality we cannot alter and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that what we have is plenty.   We are all walking our own path and on that path there will be hurdles as that is part of life. However, even in our darkest times if we care to reflect, we will remember the kindness of strangers who helped us to get by so why should it be any different today and tomorrow? 

When I write there is a connection to my father. The birds are having a sweet conversation in the background and my dog is sat besides me.  He is busy chewing a branch he found.  He lives in the now and seems to be a happy soul.  This is a blessing.   I will celebrate my father’s birthday as I have done each year. He’s not in here in the physical world but his presence fills my soul.  I see his smiling eyes full of love the kind of  love I see in nature and in the kindness around me. Unconditional.   So I end this post wishing you a blessed Easter.  We all strive for peace and harmony.  Let a smile from a stranger make you smile back. 

©DMP

15th April, 2022