I shall not want because THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" Psalms 37:4

The Holy Bible is so full of promises from God and everything is so true unto me according to the WORD of the LORD.
This verse come to life each and every second I breathe. Theres one incident I have to share with you all which still brings tears to my eyes. On my son's (first child) first birthday, I was planning to wear a red salwar Kameez. The material for the salwar was with me for a looooong time (read 3 years,) and finally I gave it for stitching to wear for the occassion. I didnt want to buy a new material coz we had just made a huge investment at that point of time, we bought a house. I got the stitched salwar kameez on time and on the previous day of the Birthday party, I tried it on and as I was putting it on, a big TEAR!!!!! I was in tears, the material was gorgette/ chiffon, so cant stitch also!!! I just didnt know what to do.

Those days, I was OBESE, so I will never get ready made Salwar Kameez of my size. I always had to stitch it those days. And no way will I get one stitched in less than 24 hours notice, not even if I owned a shop!!!! There was nothing I could do. Well, to be honest, I didnt pray for a miracle coz it was practically impossible. But God knew my want. I didnt throw any tantrums, I just prayed and thanked God that I have other clothes which are good for special occassions (maybe not new).

On the day of the party, my Husband, me and Rohan went to Anna Nagar to collect the Birthday cake from Prima's Bakery. (we went one hour prior to the party) When I was in the bakery, I get a phone call from one of my dearest friends who was my teacher once upon a time (Padma teacher, but now I call her puthri chechy). She is no longer teaching but has a boutique in Anna Nagar. She asked me if I can just drop into her shop for a second on the way back. At first I said, I cant coz I have to get home and get ready coz guests will be arriving (remember, it was only 1 hour more for the party) but she said "No, Sojo, I will not delay you, just for a second". So we rushed to her shop, she gave me a packet and told me " This is for you for 1 year of motherhood" .

I opened and saw a beautiful salwar kameez. It was better than what I had planned to wear. She had my measurements because I stitch their often (the shop has a tailor). So she picked a Tusser silk Salwar suit material for me, made the tailor keep all his work aside and sat with him and made him stitch. I got it just an hour before the party. I almost cried.

MY JESUS IS NEVER EARLY, NEVER LATE, HE IS ALWAYS ON TIME.
and Because the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want Psalms 23:1

It's amazing how God works!!!

I dont know how many of you can relate to being in a place where you don't get any of the food you grew up eating. I was born and brought up in Kerala and there we live, breathe and sleep coconuts, Plantain is a staple- from cooking it raw to steaming the ripe ones to batter frying the over ripe ones to whatever u can think of!!! Drumstick is the favourite vegetable for most malayalees, Idly and dosa is a must atleast twice a week.,Small onions and curry leaves are used in almost all cooking and coconut oil... well, a malayalee house without that???? and all these are among a few of the things I crave and which I cannot bring coz it wont last long!!!
Well, I can go without it for maybe 3 to 4 months...after that, well, Iam a human!!!!

I live in Cairo and we do bring lot of groceries from India... Raw rice, Idly rice, Toor Dal, Moong Dal, Urud Dal, Mustard, Masalas, Maggi Noodles, Jaggery, Green Gram, Papad, Matta rice, ginger garlic paste, Fennel seeds, Cocum, pickles to name a few.... well, we do have luggage limit...so whatever we bring is used sparingly!!!!

So, last week I was telling my hubby that I wanted a Kerala meal but how can u make a kerala meal without coconut? I wanted theeyal, aviyal, pacchadi... I dont know .... I wanted a lot of things!!!!!
And then I see a message on facebook from my husband's cousin Neetha from Kuwait.. she tells me that her husband is visiting Cairo on work and asked if I wanted something... I asked her for raw rice and jaggery (raw rice to make dosas and jaggery for a lot of things... payasam, puli inji etc etc) And you know what, when Neetha's husband, Shibu came, he brought coconut and drumstick along with raw rice and jaggery!!!!!!!!!!

When I saw it, I was just controlling myself from jumping with joy in front of him. I just silently praised God... I just cannot explain to you the feeling.. The next day dinner was Drumstick Aviyal,, Drumstick Theeyal, Tomato Pacchadi, Kerala matta rice, Papad and Spanish Mackarel (Neyymeen) fry.. I had only 1 kg matta rice (i make kanji with it once in a while) and 2 packets papad (fry it only with kanji) left with me but still I made it and It was the tastiest dinner Ive ever had in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


See how God works... He knew me, knew what I wanted and he made Neetha pack it for me. Thanks a lot Neetha, it meant a lot to us. All four of us ate to ouR hearts content and above all, Thankyou JESUS... I LOVE U SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!

Pic of the Bestest meal Ive ever had in my life!!!!!


Well, today we had Idly and CHUTNEY made with the raw rice and coconut, after a very very long time...

Tomorrow Iam going to make Mathanga erisserry....

"I delight myself in the LORD and he gives me the desires of my heart"
Psalms 37:4

Obeying God, Forgiving Others...

I believe a true follower of Jesus Christ will be like Jesus Christ. Forgiving and Loving. What is the use of praying "forgive my sins as I forgive those who sin against me" when you cant seem to forgive someone of their wrong doing. No man is perfect- neither you nor me, but regardless Jesus loves you and me. He has forgiven me...so If God is for me, Who can be against me?

I believe one of the greatest proofs of friendship is the ability to forgive a friend when a friend goes wrong.  The claim to love will amount to nothing, when you are not willing to forgive a friend. What kind of love will always blame a friend for past mistakes? What kind of love is that if you think that friend doesnt mean to you nor matters to you when the friend asked for forgiveness? If Jesus does that to you for the innumerable sins you commit??? This itself is a sin, when u do not forgive when someone asks for it. God has promised us Abraham's blessings provided we be like Abraham- He was a man of faith, he trusted God and above all HE OBEYED GOD... So if God asks you to forgive others, do it...that is the least a true christian can do.

When someone asks you forgiveness and you do not forgive...then when you pray next time, think for a moment...."Am I worthy to stand before God's presence?""

My thoughts exactly as it is.....

 

Testimony 2

This happened in December 2004 while I was bedridden (yes completely bedridden with bedpan etc...). Everyone wanted me to stay at my inlaws place coz my husband used to go on a lot of business tours. I knew that was better for me, but I just couldnt agree to going there coz I was embarassed with the bedpan thing. I know, u will say...comeon girl, u r bedridden... well, yes but doing potty in the bed is such an embarassing situation. And also, most of you who are reading this might not have gone through such a situation...so I will tell you how difficult it is to go potty lying down, bum raised....also, since there is no activity, going potty happens just once in 4 days...so it is not a pleasant situation for people around (sorry for explaining in detail but just clarifying things!!!!)
I had a full time maid in the flat where me and my husband were living. She used to take care of all my needs...like standing with a mug while I brush my teeth, coming running whenever I have to pee, change my clothes, give me sponge bath etc etc...
So the first time, my husband went on tour for a week, there was a lot of pressure from everywhere to go and stay with my inlaws (it was so good of them to call me and also everyone who asked me to go there did that out of concern for me) but I just couldnt agree and that time, I could only tell Jesus... I used to cry out loud in my bed... I knew no harm will befall me coz Jesus is with me but convincing people is difficult. I just went on praying.
So, my husband was supposed to leave December 6th early morning. On december 5th, my husband tried reasoning with me, but I kept telling him God will take care of me. You wont believe, at around 11pm December 5th night, I get a call from my brother "Sojo, Iam calling from Palghat, Iam on my way to Chennai, Our company plant caught fire, so Iam coming immediately to purchase some things" Well, in such a situation, what do I say, PRAISE THE LORD!!!! well, the plant catching fire is not a pleasant thing, but what I understood later was that it didnt incur much damage.
And the best thing was, he was there the whole week, staying at my place (from the day my husband left till the day my husband returned)... also, he had to go just 1 to 2 hours everyday to do the purchases, give orders or meet people. The rest of the time, he was at my bed and we used to sing songs and worship and prayed a lot together. What a blessing. what a blessing.. Iam crying as iam keying this... One of my friends from Anna nagar called me and asked " Sojo, Your prayer brought down enough fire to burn a plant" Well, my prayer is nothing... it is always God's love for me that works in mysterious ways in my life... I HAVE AN AWESOME GOD AND HE LOVES ME SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

10 things I like and don't like about living in Egypt (in no particular order)

                                           This was taken in Hurghada, Egypt.  Jan 2011


Language
Like:
Most Egyptians don't speak English and understands even less... so Ive really polished my dumb charades skills. well, atleast they understand my actions!!!
Don't Like
Well, its so frustrating to make them understand what u really want!!! when I was new here, I wanted to buy mutton- I went to this supermarket, Mercato and asked for mutton- they didnt understand..so I said Lamb, well they had no idea... so I said Bakrid (this time I was sure they wud get it, afterall its a muslim country and they do sacrifice lamb on bakrid) they were like Bakrid? well, now what do i do... out of frustration, I did bleeeeee...eeeeet. They laughed and said its not available....AH!!!!

Indians
Like:
There are Indians living in Cairo- Ive not met all of them, but still when I see them ocassionally in a supermarket or a fren's house, its such a relief to speak properly without trying to simplify sentences and doing dumb charades!!!
Don't Like:
I have only very very few friends in Cairo- Ive not gone to any Indian meetings and its so frustrating not being able to talk in ur language to someone, so frustrating when I cant just dial a number and talk for hours...so frustrating when I dont have any1 to visit or anyone visiting me!!

Travel
Like:
Its cheap to travel around Cairo provided you bargain. If you take the white car, they will charge you only the meter reading and you can easily get to nearby hypermarkets for 5 pounds.
Don't Like:
Well, the black cars don't have a meter and if you cant speak their language, they will really take u for a jolly ride!!!

Food
Like:
Egyptian food is cheap. Maybe not as spicy as Indian, but still it is tasty (ok most of it....)
Don't Like:
I crave and crave for Indian food but dont get it here, theres only 1 Indian restaurant but no south Indian food is available and it has a very restricted menu and over priced. Another thing is, no vegetarian food available anywhere. When I was fasting, I went to Mc Donalds and ordered a veg burger... and what do I get...just the bun and a lettuce leaf.... Now that is a veg burger for them!!!!!!!!!! I dont know how vegetarians survive here!!!

Grocery:
Like:
Well, you can run to ur nearest convenient store and pick up ur basic requirements and hypermarkets do have a lot of offers which is very exciting!!!
Don't Like:
Dont get any Indian grocery- No, nothing at all... from mustard to toor dal, Ive to carry everything from India. Being a Keralite, it is very frustrating when I cant add curry leaves to my dishes and sad I cant bring the plant from India.

People:
Like:
They are very friendly and though they cant make out what you are trying to say, they really try to help
Don't like:
If they know you are a tourist visiting for the first time, they will exploit u like anything- literally rob u...!!! so its better to have an Egyptian friend with u always!!!

Apartments:
Like:
We get fairly big and fully furnished apartments in the heart of the city at a reasonable rate unlike Indian metros.
Don't Like:
However big the apartment is, Kitchen is very very small with no kitchen balcony.

Activities
Like:
Well, there is not much activity around here, so we get a lot of time to spend with family and kids
Don't like:
Well, you need some activity to keep yourself sane!! Kids especially find it very difficult with no friends around the area- and nowhere to go and play...so the only activity for them is playing video games and watching TV

Things to see:
Like:
its not a like, I totally love it- so much to see, The Pyramids-its really a wonder, Cairo museum is absolutely something u shudnt miss- I get chills when I see the wonders there...and ofcourse, the beautiful Nile, the wildlife safari, the red sea... Love Sharm-el-sheikh, Suez... Alexandria, Hurghada....Then there is the Mount Zion where God appeared.... well lots and lots more....
Don't like:
Well, wherever you go, its crowded with tourists and again, if you dont speak their language, they will fool u into paying extra everywhere.

Services:
Like:
I can sit at home and pay my current bill, gas bill, cable bill, garbage bill etc- they will come and collect it
Don't like:
Even if I pay 6 months internet bill in advance, they cut it every month saying I have a bill pending- it will be cut for atleast 2 hours till my husband shouts at them asking if the cashier has taken our money home. I guess till then they dont even check!!!! well, if we dont pay in advance, this problem is not there, says one of our friends here.... ok...experience is the best teacher!!!

Things to learn from my 2 year old

Eat what you like, when you like and stop immediately when you are half full.
I guess this is one important lesson in life. She loves good food but you can never force her to eat when she doesn't feel like it..and just becoz it is tasty, she wont have a second helping. With this attitude, you don't need to diet at all!!!

If someone is having something good, why shouldn't I?
My daughter is always on the lookout for what her brother or parents are having..be it food, remote control, colouring book, paper...whatever... if they have it, why shouldn't I? I guess this attitude will make you strive for the best..

If I want something, I should have it and be very clear about it
If she wants a chocolate or a CD or a song to be played, she will make sure she gets what she wants... by hook or by crook...even if it means annoying someone..and there is no beating around the bush.... if it is the CD that she wants...will go on asking till u get fed up and just give it to her......persistence is the key!!

Get out and keep moving
She makes sure she gets to walk atleast half a mile everyday... she will put on her shoes and stand near the door and will not budge...till I take her out for a walk... Exercise is good for ur health

Do things on your own
Well, she cannot write, she cannot colour properly but she will not let me help her... she will keep on colouring till she gets it right... okay almost right!!!

Be generous in showing affection
She is a sweetheart when it comes to showing love... Out of the blue she will give u a kiss and even demand a kiss from you.

Doesn't keep grudges, whatsoever!!!
How much ever I scold her, no hard feelings at all!!! the next minute she is on my lap!!!

10 things I learnt from being a mom...

The guilt will always be there..
The crying will eventually stop...
Diaper wipes can clean almost anything..
You don't have a favourite child... both are favourites!!!
Today's favourite dish needn't be tomorrow's
Going to a restaurant is a stressful situation
You can coax them to get under the blanket but can never force them to sleep!!!
If kids are with me, I usually get a headache if I try to watch my favourite programme on TV
Always keep my guard.. don't know when I will get jumped on!!!
How strong the resolution was... you always bore everyone talking abt ur kids!!! wink!!!

8 years into marriage and 8 things I learnt from being married...

When my husband does something.. be it cooking, cleaning, shopping...anything!!! he does a better job than me
Tho I would like to be somewhere else at the moment, it is easier to be content when Iam with my husband and kids
Bear inconveniences and I will have a perfectly happy life!!!
Life is more than money
Don't ever compare!!! Live my life the way Iam most comfortable!!!
Hot fresh food from my kitchen will cure anything and everything
I can never have enough pens, pencils, papers, fevistik, fevicol in the house when I need it!!
It is easier to cook my own food than ordering in and after 2 hours reheating everything and then doing the dishes!!!

A good mom or a bad one?

Before I became a mother, I had a set of rules for bringing up children..... but now that I have 2 children, I realized you cannot makes rules for stuff u have no clue about..
I don't know if Iam a good mother... I want to be but am I?
Is it normal for a loving mom to scream at her kids... Sometimes I do...
I want them to be prim and proper always but they seldom are....
I want the house to be spic and span.... it never is...their toys are everywhere!!!
I want to give them only healthy stuff...but I find myself spoiling them with chocolates...
I want to play with them but I find myself preoccupied with other stuff like cooking, cleaning, dusting, laundry etc... and by the time Iam free, they are fast asleep...
sometimes I compare... that child is walking quietly behind the mother and why is my child running all around the hyper market?
and at the restaurant, that child is eating properly, why is my 2 yr old throwing the spoon and fork at her brother and dropping all the food
Iam guilty of all this.... this is not the picture I drew years back.... but I guess this is what life is all about... maybe raising a child is not about a set of rules....
All I can do is DO MY BEST..... some things just don't turn out the way I want it to... If it was like that, life would have been too easy!!!!