-A Journey through the Eyes of an Old Blind Man and His Grandchild
Akhil Billy
My name is 'Life', the Grandchild of 'Love'. My Grandpa Love is the Most Happiest Person on Earth I have ever met.
Though Blind his Eyes were Always Filled with Light, and that Light was a Lamp to my Feet.
At school my friends used to ask what grandpa does, though inside I knew he works hard to check my needs amidst his age and blind conditions, their questions did silence my mouth, blind my mind and sight.
I guess I strained my grandpa, by my sharpened questioning and though it came out spontaneously from my blinded eyes in my heart and mind, caused by the fiery fire produced from the ill seeds, planted by the thoughts and emotions overflowing from the multitude around us and raging ashore like the tidal waves of a sea. Now I feel that it was too much to come from me, after all he’s my only family and yet here, I surrendered it to my ego and selfishness as Cain’s offering, to a person who never ever by his slightest glance, make me feel any pain or want anytime. All he had to give was always a smile filled with love and only love... love that was so much filled with life.
Grandpa always used to say, “ We are all but mere pilgrims on this world wide stage, performing our own small little roles, given from above and all we have to do is to put on the Goggles of Love, Respect and Acceptance so that we might see, each Artist play their Roles beautifully, fitting each pieces of the Jigsaw Puzzle well.
We ought to Learn, to see our duty and life calling not just as a mere Material and Asset Centric life and degrade the beautiful Wide Angle Picture Frame, of this Movie called Life. “
Never had I have to cry to make Grandpa take me out, as for Grandpa Life was always Outside, maybe that’s why Grandpa never concentrated on one house, but to him the World itself is our home. He always believed in a Roof of Hope Covering each child from above, yet another thing, I never understood about him.
Grandpa told I used to love and enjoy it a lot too, but now I don’t know whether I’m happy or not about it.
Don’t know how, why and from where I got this notion of ill feeling then. Might it be from the teacher who asked me to draw the picture of my home and parents, that I got the first feeling of being lost, I do not know..or might it be probably from the language essay writing class when I had no idea what to write of a home or family or village.. or might it be from the self intro sessions where I stood up, not knowing what to say about myself.. or was it when later on there came friends, who made friends looking on our whereabouts and family status, I do not know.... I do not know....
One Evening after school and bath as Grandpa dressed me and as my doubt started to all of a sudden erupt out like of a Volcano. To my foolish question Grandpa smiled and said, “Come let’s have a small walk”, and off into the wilderness we went. I placed my little hands inside my Grandpa’s hands.
“ Lord , Father and Master of my life, permit me not to fall by them!
Who will apply the lash to my thoughts, to my mind the rod of discipline. “
- Sirach 23:1-2
‘Miles to Go before we Sleep. ‘ Setting our Sails towards somewhere afar, we drifted past roads, bushes thorny and flowery , lands waste and fertile, deserts and forests , drought lands, stream side lands that brought forth fruits at every season, roadsides with hefty luxuriously designed bungalows and even roadsides with gutter like drinking water taps with thirty - fifty huts around it like bees stick around honey.
A Journey that was to me like a vision or dream showing the landscape picture of the world in a nutshell with its focus anchoring deep into the core of the World, Earth , Universe and Heavens at the same time.
‘Twas like a dream painted out on the beautiful canvas of the mind and soul, revealing the greatest mysteries of life. How small are we in this universe, as a pinch of salt in the ocean are we, or like a new born baby in the hands of grandpa or the other side of revelation to be the hands of Almighty God , our Heavenly Father, with his Mighty arms stretched out like the Milky Way.
We took a small rest under a tree in the center of the Garden, The Tree of Life, “ Those who looketh at it would be Saved. “ The garden was so beautiful with fountains and springs that never seemed to end or dry. The garden was filled with streams that were like a silk cloth lying over the rock and the water was like honey and milk so sweet and rejuvenating to the body , mind and soul.
Grandpa took me to a Well as we were thirsty, Jacob’s Well.
As we drank from it Grandpa showed me the sign board that showed a writing on it,
“ Everyone who drinks of this Water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the Water I will give them will never be Thirsty. The Water that I will give will become in them a Spring of Water Gushing up to Eternal Life. “
- John 4:13-14
Along with the water drifted my thirst but not just the thirst of water but also the thirst for the house my friends had, the thirst for the cars my friends had, the thirst for a father and mother like my friends had, the thirst for the dress, books, pen, bag, stationery and facilities my friends had, all thirst for what others had, infact subsided from within me and instead, a new thirst came, the thirst for Wisdom.
It was only now that I was able to see the school I was in, the bathroom and sheds at the Bus station and Railway station, the platforms before the shops and Roadsides all were but the Wide Wings God spread out as an Eagle watching over us from high and sheltering us safe, Blessing us each time with this Roof of Hope, Gathering Us Together, Opening our Hearts, Eyes, Ears better, so that we may See what others can’t see, Hear what others can’t hear, Taste what others can’t taste, Feel what others can’t feel, giving us a new feeling of Home wherever we are and everyone in it being our Family, Stand for It Always, making it a better place each day through the Openness we are Gifted with Each Day.
And Yes! For the First Time, I Slept Hugging My Grandpa Tightly, Knowing that the Roof we have Above, Will Not Fall Nor Will the Eyes that Watch Over Us Slumber, Even for a Split Second. Thus with the Biggest and Most Beautiful Amongst Dreams, we Drifted Far Off into our Sleeps.
The End
Exodus 16:32 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, in order that they may see the food with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”