I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
But they’re really saying I love you.I hear baby’s cry, and I watched them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world
As a little girl looking outside the window. I hummed this song which was taught during the english singing lessons. For me they were mere words and I liked the feel of it. The empathic nature of the words hit me quite later in life. My father had travelled abroad for the very first time. My grandfather silently left the world. I suffered from jaundice. My mother a frail heart handling two daughters amongst place of known and unknown. It was winter solstice.
The pressure was too much to handle for her. Somehow I never saw her shed a tear in front of me. She remained strong and stable. While making us sleep she sang her personal favourite movies songs from yesteryear as lullabies. How ironical it may seem they soft humming lulled us to sleep. I still use them to put my cherub to sleep. She wove us together. She made us feel secure. She fought back the harshness of unprecedented situations. Time and again till she was there in this mortal world.
Jaundice weakened me quite a bit. I was put on a rich protein and fat diet. I still remember gulping down raw egg in a milk, goat hooves soup and warm chicken soup. She always had a mother calculator which added that extra dollop of butter, vegetable and honey into all things good to make it better.
Here I am after 30 years later in my new life evolved into a strong woman , a wife and a mother. Its winter solstice today. Time just stands still and gives a flashback of the moments that have gone and those that will never be mine. Two days later it is christmas and I haven’t got myself anything yet. I just sowing those seeds again and wishing them to be reborn.
The chanced upon the song again today while browsing through some old albums. It still makes me reinstall faith in the beauty of this world and interweave relationships which is we share. It is wonderfully layered and grows with time into a new dimension. I have become a mirror of my mother. There is new while the old has faded. There are moments of darkness which wanes me down, but there is an inner strength which we all are blessed with and if you keep believing it grows inside you. Just as the sun is farthest and the days grow shorter. But we know that the sun is not far and will be near to us again when Spring befalls. A strong realisation of who I am. A positive person and have the light to bring happiness to so many other people. Inspire people to believe their own inner spark.
Did you light your candle? This is the time to unwrap your inner spark. Enthusiasm is infectious and its spirit is catchy. The Winter Solstice is an opportunity to come together with your family and friends and pray for hope, peace and the rebirth of light.
It is extremely dark and gloomy in London today. My tree is done and my cherub is coughing still. I have done just that what my mother used to do. Pack as much of goodness as I can. She added chicken,carrots, peas and beans into her slowly simmered soup. I am adding chicken,celery,leek and little corn into my power packed soup. The mother calculator is inherently handed over. 🙂 I am going warm and cozy to enjoy a fun weekend ahead. Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead.
- 55g butter
- 1 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 1 stick leek,finely chopped
- 2-3 beans, finely chopped
- 10 gm sweet corn,fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 450g chicken breast cubes/strips
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and gently fry the celery,leek,beans,chicken cubes for 2 minutes.
- Place them in a stock pot with 4 cups of water and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Until the vegetables are tender. The chicken has softened. The liquid is rich in protein and little fat.
- Another way of doing it really quick is adding it to a pressure cooker and giving it five whistles.
- Dissolve the corn starch in little bit of cold water.
- Stir in the corn starch and cook for 2 minutes. Bring it to a boil.Season with salt and pepper.
- Adjust the seasoning, stir in the parsley and serve.
Gorgeous clicks! Soup looks so comforting!
Beautiful post, Roy… sometimes the past attacks us when we least expect it and surprises as to how much we have learned and grown out of it, though it may not seem to be obvious! I would have put in some garlic for that extra flavor but that soup is just too good for cold nights…