The Aging and the Broken- A lesson well learnt!

“The Little Boy and the Old Man

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man,"I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.

Said the little boy, "I often cry."

The old man nodded, "So do I.'

"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."

And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

I know what you mean," said the little old man.” ―

 Shel Silverstein

Dear darling Baby,

Today I wanted to share with you another lesson which I learned.- A lesson to our posterity (That is YOU). I am planning to spend your next Birthday here. You see, there is this wonderful Big garden where God's Best people live.

This week our visit was dedicated to another part of our neglected society – The Aged Homeless Women. The visit was staggeringly overwhelming.As we tried locking gazes with 12 wise old pair of eyes , we realized that our gazes fell to the sagging eye bags, drooping lips, and as they rested on the wrinkled old hands, I was gripped with intense sadness. It was like a silent blow, a brutal reminder that these were perhaps the very hands which  must have once held the tiny fingers of their children leading them in hope to a better future , soon the selfless act quietly forgotten- when the time came for the tiny hands to pay their dues, as the hands changed roles from the strong to the wrinkled and the tiny young grasp transformed to that of a strong grip of youth.- A stark reminder to all of us about this humanitarian crisis happening all around the world.

When these old wrinkled hands and furrowed brows found no one to hold on to for support, came down the kindred blessed hands of the Lutheran World Service India Trust (an Associate program by the Lutheran World Federation, Dept. for World Service, Geneva.) acting as a ray of hope to this neglected part of our civilization, providing for a safe day-night shelter (sans food) as they strive to stand out and make sure that the most vulnerable group in our society are not left behind as the ambitious young generation surges forward with youthful vigor.

We spent some soul-wrenching quality time breaking bread together (an age-old custom or symbol to wipe out social differences) with the twelve odd aged homeless women (roughly aging between 50-95 years) who were not in a position to work anymore for a living over a cuppa piping hot afternoon tea and cookies, biscuits, and savories as we delved into their past. As the organization, although provides shelter to Forty-Two homeless women ,the rest were out battling to make ends meet for their daily bread.

The main concern as we chatted with each of them as they shared their captivating life-stories ranging from the days of early days of partition of Bengal to the present social evils like separation, domestic abuse and social stigma of being alone, aching joints and failing nerves , was that of the evening supper. They often went to bed early on an empty stomach after the ordeals of back-breaking daily chores, saving morsels for their breakfast and going to bed early lest they suffer from hunger pangs lest they lose the good old night's sleep, another realization slamming headlong into us making us feel so lucky and sheepish at the same time as I pictured the hot piping dinner waiting for me after a hard day at work.I send a silent prayer  of gratitude for this unsung abundance in my life.

They are otherwise a happy lot cribbing about who did not share the prasad after a pilgrimage or arguing about the outcome of a soap which they are allowed to watch on a dilapidated television set provided by the society for their entertainment.

The officers were friendly and patient as they shared various views on combating this social evil and on how to sensitize ourselves as responsible citizens, to realize our forgotten empathy towards this sector of the society which was once an important moral lesson taught in every ancient Indian household -cultivating compassion towards the lesser fortunate or the underprivileged. This will start happening only when each one of us can take time to connect with the elders in our life and community—and also realize that what an untapped resource they are with deep pools of incredible wisdom which they are eagerly waiting to share if we are ready to accept them. 

This is indeed a lesson You need to learn and Me & Daddy to re-learn about cultivating values like kindness and compassion for a better world around us. So what say Baby about the Birthday Party?? I am sure you will pipe in with your impish "I am in, Mamma!!!"

Much Love as always

Mamma