Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy 12th to Us!

You make me laugh, you make me cry,
You make me strong and coax me to the extra mile,
You support me, like no one I know,
You've watched me fail, you've watched me grow (literally!)

You taught me to be happy
in the truest of sense,
You taught me to be myself
and come out of my fence,
You showed me a new world where happiness was always possible,
You let me into your life to create memories, cherishable.

I cannot begin to describe my lucky chance,
These past twelve years have been a blissful trance,
You make sure that I have the very best,
For that I'm grateful, I'm eternally blessed.

But more than anything, I truly respect the fact
that you take me as I am, strengths and weakness intact,
This unconditional love you have for me
is beyond what I had imagined, so you see,

I won't thank you as it would mean farewell,
I admit, I enjoy your attention quite well!
My only wish is to be with you forever,
If I have you I'm happy, wherever!

This life and beyond, I promise you this,
You'll always have me, We'll always be together!








Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Let's Put A Smile On That Face

I would like to relate a true incident when I was rescued by McCain snacks. It was a few years back, when my elder son, Varun, was all of six years. He was this extremely active kid (still is, actually) who could either run or jump, but couldn't sit still. Every evening he would love to go down and play with his friends and that would give him the ultimate joy with which he would go to sleep, awaiting more action and fun the next day. Until one day, when he caught the flu. A nasty one.


With fever running about a 102 degrees, he was extremely tired and the blocked nose and sore throat didn't make it any easier. He slept through the days and nights due to the medications and in the evenings, he would just sit on the couch, pretending to be watching TV but all he would think about was not being able to join his friends. He didn't like being stuck at home. His friends would call asking for him and I would turn them down while looking at his sad little face. By the third day, he felt a bit better but was absolutely bored. As a mother, I couldn't bear to see him that way. My cute little jumping jack was now sitting still, quietly. I couldn't take him out either as it was quite cool and I feared it might worsen his condition.


So, I came up with a plan. I thought, why not invite his close friends home? He could play with them and probably that would perk him up a little. I called his friends, whoever was available, to come home and play with Varun. I then told my son of my plan. His face instantly brightened! I eagerly headed to the kitchen to fix some snacks for all the kids. I scoured my kitchen top to bottom but couldn't find a single thing! Not even a biscuit. Now, I didn't have time to go to the shops to buy something, his friends were on their way. I was so disappointed. Just as I was wondering what to do, I chanced upon an advertisement of McCain’s snacks on TV. I remembered that I might have some McCain snacks in the freezer. We all love these snacks and keep them stashed, just in case. I quickly opened the freezer and there it was. A full pack of McCain smiles! Varun’s favorites! Phew, that was close! No sooner did his friends arrive, Varun’s mood changed and they all began playing in his room. After about half an hour, I called them out for a snack.


I cannot, till date, forget the expression on their faces when I laid the platter of those beautiful, delicious smiles in front of them. Normally, I wouldn't prefer to feed my kids fried food during illness but this time, I made an exception. Just looking at his excitement while gorging on the smiles in the company of his friends, made my day. Thank goodness for the pack of smiles in my freezer! The kids enjoyed and had a great time. Varun was back to his active self and I was relieved, to say the least.


But that was not the miracle. That night as I was tucking Varun in, he unexpectedly got up and gave me his special sloppy kiss. Pleasantly surprised, I asked him what it was for. He said,” Because I could eat smiles with my friends today! Thank you!” I felt a warmth within myself with all the love that I was soaking in. But at the end of the day, all that mattered was that Varun felt great because he could share his favorite smiles with his friends. And I couldn't thank McCain snacks more for making him happy!

Check out the wide range of delicious McCain snacks here.

******   Post written for the Let's Put A Smile On That Face contest on Indiblogger  *******


Thursday, October 15, 2015

The Sparkle of Festivities

The onset of the festive season changes everything. Our drab routine life gets a midas touch and turns beautiful and exciting, albeit for a short period. And no, I'm not talking about the sale that is practically everywhere (although it is a reason to party, no less!). The city gears up for the celebrations with pandals out in every street, every corner. The deities get a makeover and so do our homes. Cleaning, clearing out the clutter, planning things from decor to sweets and snacks.....what a busy but lovely ritual it becomes for kids and old alike!

Here in Pune, celebrations begins with the Ganesh Utsav, followed by Navrathri and then Diwali. And that's not all, even Halloween is celebrated in the colony now. And then comes Christmas, all magical and surreal. Evenings during this period is a sight to behold with colorful lighting and decorations.

But it is not just about the glamour of it all . The real celebration can be seen when people come closer to each other not as a group of the same religion or caste but as humans. Muslims celebrating Diwali or sharing their meals with Hindus during Eid is what festivals are all about. The true meaning of festivities is realized when friends and strangers, rich and poor, gather to share each other's happiness, each other's lives. When one heartfelt wish from John on Navrathri makes your day or when Sita joins her friends for the midnight mass, that's when you are actually celebrating. No matter what the festival, if the people who love you are with you, you genuinely celebrate.

And when you do that, up above all our Gods celebrate the festival of humanity, rejoicing and relieved that their purpose behind the creation of mankind has been saved.

May the sparkle of this festive season be with you, always. Season's Greetings!


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