Sunday Blessings - Gifts

The Gift Of Friends
by Karin Schaefer
There are days when bubbling from us comes the innocent child within,who giggles at the little thing and wears a silly grin.There are days when melancholy comes to visit for a while;the mind feels tired, the body weak;we have no strength to smile.There are days when joy abundant grabs a hold of you and me;wraps us up in all it's splendor,lifts us up and sets us free.There are days when sorrow wraps us in its cloak of grief and fear,'till our hearts ache to the breaking,'till our eyes can't shed a tear.There are days when love bestows us with its wonderment and light;with its beauty and its mystery,its power and its might.And there are days when life rewards us and seems to make amends by granting us a marvelous gift,the precious gift of Friends.

My Pastor 's wife brought me this
beautifully hand crafted bead and sequin purse
from her hometown , Bhopal,
situated in Central India


Its highly embellished but
too ostentatious for the simple places
I go to. Besides the rickshaw drivers will
mistake me for a woman of substance
if I carry a reticule like this and demand double the fare.
Now I am hoping to be invited
to a wedding or party or
some fancy occasion befitting my accessory
I am aware that in the West these sort
of purses would cost a lot. But fortunately
in India they are moderately priced.

This is such a special gift.


This morning, before church the lady
in whose home we had last Friday 's
Fellowship Meeting brought
these farm fresh eggs for us.
She has a clutch of farm chicken
(desi murgis)

These desi andas (farm eggs) are very expensive
in the market.
I can make egg curry with them.
Just boil the eggs shell them,and deep fry them in oil and set
aside. Prepare a curry gravy of your choice.
The gravy should be nice and thick.
You can add pureed tomatoes
and boiled potatoes in it.
Pop in the eggs and cook for a few minutes.
Garnish it with fresh cilantro.
And its ready to eat with steamed rice.
Noodles, pasta chapatis, nan or bread.


Here is a video of this Friday 's Fellowship Meeting.
It took place in the home of 3 retired sisters.
We were singing Amazing Grace.
While shooting the video I did not sing.

In the book of James in the New Testament ,it is written "Every good and perfect gift is from above,coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,who does not change like shifting shadows" James 1;15 (NIV)

I have received such precious gifts from beloved people from near and far.
Today I thank God for the gift of friendship.

Shots from a Rickshaw

Two weeks ago I went to see an Aunt on her birthday

and took these photos from a moving rickshawCars parked in front of the Indian Coffee House.

All old colonial cities have the institution

of the Indian Coffee House.

It was a place for intellectuals and commoners

to gather and discuss politics and current affairs.

There were cubicles where families and

romantic couples could have South Indian meals.

As children we used to go there for outings.

A temporary shop being dismantled.

The IPEM building Institute of Psychological and Educational

Measurement, established by Presbyterian missionaries.

It is very successful and popular. They hold the TOFEL tests.

All Saints Cathedral

Stalls near the government offices.

People from rural areas who come to the city for

government work buy clothes etc. from

these cheap makeshift stalls.

The fruit and vegetable market

I shop here.One has to bargain quite a bit.

Fruit shops.

People are more interested in buying vegetables because fruit is so expensive.

The Board of Revenue office.

Established by the British. Its like the IRS.

My Dad worked here.

Another Government office

A car sales room.

Eklavya 's effigy.

He was a tribal boy who had to offer his

thumb to his guru in exchange

for mastery over archery.

This is another story.

The statue of our late Prime Minister Indra Gandhi.

I could only get her back.

As I passed through the affluent section of town,

I took pictures of the houses of wealthy people.

Above is the Circuit House -again from the British Raj.

It is a government/VIP guest house and

conference center.

I hope I did not bore you with

my zipping across town.

Found this interesting photo and caption

in today 's Hindustan Times newspaper.

Click and enlarge to read the fine print.

After completing a puja (worship) idols are supposed to be immersed in the river. These have been abandoned on the river bank.

Jesus said;God is a Spirit and those who worship Him,

must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

The Psalmist says;

I cannot run away from your Spirit O God.

*************************

God has not abandoned you.

Don 't try to run away from Him.