Blessings and fear are a strange couple. One can never know what is a blessing and what is a fear. Blessings bring one closer to one’s inner divinity. Blessings make the fear go away as by understanding one’s fear one becomes free.

June had been a difficult month for my husband and me. They say trouble comes in threes, never alone. I had to have a surgery for a growth on the finger of my left hand. I had been putting it off as I thought it was an insignificant event. I went to the doctor and was advised an MRI and then when I had the MRI, they wanted a contrast MRI. After that they did an ultrasound. Now one imagines that it is only a finger but the three tests took a long time, on different days.

Then when I was to have the contrast MRI, my husband had a severe pain in his right hand. He could not lift it up. We thought it was a pinched nerve. When we went to the hospital for my contrast MRI, there was a delay, so in the meanwhile my husband went to the department of physiotherapy. The physio therapists told him to go to the see the Neurologist.

Now the hospital I was in is called Holy Family Hospital run by Priests and Nuns. It is multidisciplinary hospital. He found a Neurologist, who saw him and said that he had had a mini stroke. Well, it was a run around. But it was a Blessing that we were in the hospital. Then my surgery happened and it apparently was a large tumor on the front and the back of my finger. My husband had his tests done and is prescribed a balanced life style with medications.

Another blessing

This was not enough because suddenly I had a bleed from the surgical incision. My clothes were covered in blood on the right side. We rushed to the Emergency and by God’s grace it was a minor incident. The biopsy revealed that tumor was benign, another blessing.

So, you see, three events happened one after the other and also, we both had a mild attack of Covid. Another blessing as it was short.

I meditate, chant and pray but the niggling fear stays on. It really hangs in by a tenuous thread and it is so supportive and encouraging in trying to make one fear the worst. My experience has been that chanting whenever one is afraid or not, one feels grounded and protected. One does not let one’s mind say, ‘What if?’

When one enters the Hospital through emergency, they have a statue of the Madona with the Christ child. It is always lit and there are candles, which you can place as in all Catholic churches or shrines. I bought a packet of candles as we were leaving from the Shop. The lady at the shop asked me, “Are you making a wish.” I was surprised by her response and she was equally surprised by my answer. I replied that I was seeking the Madona’s Blessings.

We were happy to be in this hospital as there was a sense of dedication and kindness to all the patients. Each room has a crucifix on the wall. And outside the hospital as you enter, there is a florist and he sells Tulsi Ghars, which are small structures, designed to house a Tulsi plant and light a lamp. The Tulsi plant is believed to be a manifestation of Lakshmi and it brings good health and wealth to the household. It also protects and safeguards the home from any kind of harmful influence.

Aim Hrim Klim