A Story of a Valentine's Day And A Few Days That Followed

satchitananda · Feb 18, 2017

Dear Pushpa Mami,

worried to hear that your ECG is not alright. As a dear friend, I wish you would go and get it checked out, though I do see where you are coming from when you say you don't want anything to be done. Please be careful with your medications and don't strain unnecessarily.

PushpavalliSrinivasan · Feb 18, 2017

Dear Satchi,
Thanks for showing so much concern. I do take my medicines regularly and my daughter Malathi also has BP and whenever she goes for check up she would forcibly take me with her for check up. In fact we elders have to take care of our health not to give trouble to our children and be a burden to them. If wishes were horses I will prefer anaayaasa maranam. My Bangalore niece was daily chanting the slokam for anaayaasa maranam and the Lord was merciful to her and fulfilled her wish. In the morning she attended her nephew's marriage and in the evening left the world.
PS

joylokhi · Feb 18, 2017

satchitananda said: ↑

Adversities and The Blessings That They Bring

[JUSTIFY]As I have mentioned in the past, I have had a rough time over the last couple of years when I have been restricted to home and unable to go out much or do much of my own jobs. I have had to be dependent on domestic staff to help keep my home running – something that I was never used to. But I have learnt to accept the situation.

But above all these what came as a huge blessing to me was the fact a friend (yet another in-law) introduced me to IndusLadies. The chance to make a lot of friends, meet them personally, the opportunity to discover my ability to write, blog and use other skills enriched my life like no good times had done in the past. The need to stay at home gave me the opportunity to open my eyes and look at the natural beauty all around me. The kindness of so many people touched me – be it relatives, doctors in the hospital, nurses in the ICU who kept hovering to look after me when I was sick and to chat with me and encourage me when I was better, the friends who prayed so hard for me and kept sending words of encouragement and love and affection, waiting to see me back on line - has touched me like nothing else has before. These nurses were all old enough to be my daughters. Their affection and cheer was so infectious. Their smiles in the toughest of work situations was a revelation. Their happiness to see me smiling and chatting was so wonderful. Why should they have cared? I was only a job, but they did not seem to think so. God bless them. The doctors were relieved to see me well and able to move about. Bless their skillful hands and their knowledge which they bring to the help of suffering individuals.

I can go on endlessly like this. But all I can say for now is “Thank you life, thanks God for all you have given me. You have shown me the toughest times but also equipped me with an inbuilt helmet to take all the blows you showered on me. I ask for no more”. So all I can say to Life and to All you friends who called me, talked to me, messaged me, prayed for me and stood by me thorough this is simply A Big[/JUSTIFY]

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Dear satchi,
Was feeling truly emotional reading through your experience! So glad you are feeling fit and had such a positive outcome of the surgery and treatment. We have a lot to be thankful for, but still I admire your fortitude and spirit even in this tough time. And, theres no doubt such steadfastness and empathy/help from ones spouse is what is more important than any verbal expression or otherwise of love. I agree a 100%.
Take care and take things easy for sometime till you are completely rested. Best wishes.

LakshmiKMBhat · Feb 18, 2017

satchitananda said: ↑

For better for worse, in sickness or in health

[JUSTIFY]Valentine's day – a day which has captured the imagination of the entire world and come to become something of a craze, hysteria, fad, a commercial opportunity – whatever you choose to call it. To some, it may be a day of great significance. Why do I choose to talk about this day 5 days after it is over? I never bothered about it all my life. I have always wondered about the meaning of this much touted word “love” which seems to be bandied about so easily these days. However, this year the day came to me with a difference. It brought the words of the wedding vows to me.

I, take you to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us.

I am not a Christian, but I love these vows as they are so meaningful and taken consciously by both the bride and the groom knowing fully well what it is that they are promising and the enormity and purport of the vow. It is taken in front of so many witnesses in front of the altar, in a language they clearly understand and cannot claim ignorance of. So neither can claim at a later date that they did not understand what he/she said and wants to backtrack.

This time a friend asked me how I going to “celebrate” Valentine's day and it brought back the wedding vows which we did not take in those partimcular words to mind – especially the bit about “in sickness and in health”. I laughed to myself. It was certainly going to be a momentous day.

So that I can make clear what I am going on about here, I shall just briefly mention here that I have been through 9 surgeries to date in my life time. One of those was when I was a kid, the rest in during the last 12 years. Life has gone on nonetheless and I can confidently say I have achieved whatever I have had the potential for (even if it has not been anything spectacular) despite all the setbacks.

This Valentine's day saw me getting admitted to the hospital for my 8th surgery – a spinal fusion for a problem which has been with me for the past few years. Although I knew that it would involve a considerable amount of endurance, I had not bargained for what followed – I knew these possibilities existed, but they always happen to other people, not to oneself or so one thinks. More about that follows. So it came to pass that I and my other half spent the day after Valentine's day holding hands in the ICU.
[/JUSTIFY]

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Holding hands together, that is the best part Take care and our best wishes.

satchitananda · Feb 19, 2017

joylokhi said: ↑

Dear satchi,
Was feeling truly emotional reading through your experience! So glad you are feeling fit and had such a positive outcome of the surgery and treatment. We have a lot to be thankful for, but still I admire your fortitude and spirit even in this tough time. And, theres no doubt such steadfastness and empathy/help from ones spouse is what is more important than any verbal expression or otherwise of love. I agree a 100%.
Take care and take things easy for sometime till you are completely rested. Best wishes.
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Thanks so much Joy.

satchitananda · Feb 19, 2017

LakshmiKMBhat said: ↑

Holding hands together, that is the best part Take care and our best wishes.
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Thanks a lot Lakshmi.

girvani · Feb 19, 2017

Dearest Sachi

You are a brave woman and I salute to you and your husband. I was holding the breath until
The last. I am glad all went well. Take care and lots of love to you

satchitananda · Feb 19, 2017

Thanks Girvani. :-D

VaniVyas · Feb 21, 2017

Mam, were you writing this snippet lying down in ICU. Hats off to your spirit and positivist approach
May God be with you throughout and u are really a source of inspiration to all IL members.
hats off and Take care...