Hi Googlies, 6/6/10

Praise Jesus! Thank you Mama Mary!

I have made a wonderful retreat for the first time and feel I can now cope with my problems. Every time I attended retreats, people told me my problems would be solved; no one told me to go to get to know Jesus only. This time I went to learn about pro-life so I had no desire to be healed or anything. I think because my intention was according to His will, He gave me his healing too. I have to work at my insecurity problems but I now have the key in God’s Word. You know what I mean, no? When you need to enter a room full of treasures that is locked, you need the key. So, to get out of a room filled with insecurities, I need a key too. It is not a one-second instant healing but I feel this is far better for it will be forever now. Like a never-ending journey with a beautiful scenic view.
The kids were safe there even though they were not supervised. I used to pray before the sessions for their safety. Baby did trouble me periodically but it wasn’t that bad.
I could get almost all the teaching.
Two days more and school will begin. I wish I could home school my ‘smallies’. I am praying for home-schooling for Charis Ann. When I think of pulling out Aaron and Nathan though I get jittery but the preacher said he had taken his daughter out when she was in the 9th Std. Also Glenn must agree. And I must be confident of the method. I have prayed for discernment. I always had this thing in my head that children should not be pressurized to perform and that is why I never sent Kirsten for tuitions in the tenth and even now in 12th.
My middle ‘Playing Second Fiddle’ was published yday. Posting the unedited version here for you all to read.
Take care. Have a blessed week ahead. Do write in and give me your views on the article.
From the heart,
Auriel.

PLAYING SECOND FIDDLE

Someone asked a famous conductor of a great symphony orchestra which instrument he considered the most difficult to play. The conductor thought a moment, and then said: “Second fiddle. I can get plenty of violinists. But to find one who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm – that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddles, we have no harmony.”
In every home, office or public place where a group of people get together to create something new, there are people who are called to play ‘second fiddle’.
Take the home arena for instance. The boss of the house, the one who always blows his trumpet or twangs the strings, is the husband. The poor wife often has to play second fiddle, doing all the household chores without a ‘note of protest’. The wheels of the house run smoothly because of her. Harmony in the home can be rightfully attributed to her patient humble service. Although she may sometimes nag her husband within the four walls of their humble abode, you will rarely hear her speak against him when they are at a party or any such public gathering. In fact, she will grab every opportunity to praise him to the skies and will accept his condescending remarks with the grace of a well-seasoned martyr. A good wife knows how to create harmony by playing the second fiddle to the hilt.
We see the same scene at the work place. The workers, peons, janitors, deliverymen all serve the purpose of second fiddles. They weave their invisible selves into the tapestry of every day routine; without them, the CEOs and Managers would be stumped. Every time the workers’ union decides to go on strike, management gets into a tizzy. Each unproductive day costs big bucks. So you see, our second fiddles at the workplace create the much-needed harmony, after all.
In the public arena, a leader naturally hogs the limelight along with his coterie of ‘chota’ leaders and embryonic leaders-in-the-making. He wins all the applauses, hogs all the credit and is given substantial perks, which could swell his head to blowing-up proportions. What about the ‘second fiddles’- the body guards, PAs, secretaries? Even a bonus is given to them with reluctance.
Flip the coin and you have lazy second fiddles. The peon who sleeps with his mouth open or the janitor who drags his feet as he drags his pail to pass the day. Government offices seem to have people especially trained to be such second fiddles. But don’t they reflect the attitude of their bosses? I would say boldly, if I may, that the attitude of the boss determines that of the worker.
Happy is the second fiddle, then, who knows he’s a second fiddle and accepts his role with enthusiasm, taking the cue from his conductor and creating harmony in the Orchestra of Life. He has the best quality that God looks for in his creation – Humility! He works, not for fame or money, but out of an inner desire to be one with his group. To take them to greater heights. And when the stage is lit and the leaders strut the ramp to take their bows, the ‘second fiddle’ sits in the corner of the stage, manning the curtains. For him, there is not much gain except his pay packet, but, because of him, everyone profits and there is prosperity all round. Take him out of the equation and what have you? Utter chaos! Only Noise!
So it is time we salute the second fiddles in our homes, our place of work and in the public arena. Smile and say a Good Morning or Namaste to your peon or janitor today. Like Munnabhai MBBS, try a ‘Chappi” on them if you can. Learn the name of your garbage collector. Visit your maid at her home some day soon. Give your postman a glass of cool water or sherbet as you enquire about his work.
The municipal workers are busy digging trenches to combat the ensuing monsoons. Stop and show genuine interest in their work and supply them with hydrating fluids as they slog in the scorching summer sun. Don’t wait for annual festivals to give them that much-awaited ‘Bakshish’; your words of praise are worth more than that small perk, I bet!
We ‘trash’ migrants because they are a threat to our employment and environment. But they are only playing second fiddle to the mega-buck builders. They too need our concern and care.
Lastly, don’t forget to acknowledge your wife’s contribution in making your home a heaven on earth. Treat her to a special outing, just you and her, and shower her with daily doses of love and appreciation. Help her complete her tiring and tiresome chores quickly so the two of you can spend some ‘We’ time together.
And if you are a second fiddle, play your piece with enthusiasm; create soulful music for your Creator. And if you feel no enthusiasm right now, motivate yourself by fine-tuning your strings. For without you, there is no harmony. If music be the food of love, play on. (850 words)