Sunday Sermon

Another Sunday. I feel quite relieved after the hectic duties that my extended family bestowed upon me in the last few days. I spend much time either in hospitals or travelling to them. So I had a lot of time to observe people and meditate. Some meditations were like Sunday sermons. Here they are.

Image by Gemini AI

1. The Marigold

A flawless Marigold grew upon a riverbank. She was proud of her jostling and vibrant, golden petals. But contemptuous of the mud below. She spent her days stretching towards the sun, yearning to get away from the moist soil below.

One day a heavy flood swept over the bank, threatening to tear the Marigold away. But the soil beneath her gripped her roots tightly, holding her against the rushing water. When the flood receded, the Marigold looked down, covered in silt, her pristine image shattered.

“You ruined my beauty,” she sobbed.

“I saved your life,” the soil replied gently.

[I spent almost a whole day in a hospital room that overlooked a river. I didn’t see any marigold on the bank, though.]

2. The Sail

The Sail wanted to catch every breeze and fly across the endless ocean, chasing the horizon that receded ceaselessly. The same boat also had a heavy iron Anchor that loved the deep, quiet stillness of the ocean bed.

The Sail thought that the Anchor was her enemy. And vice-versa. The Sail felt resentment as the Anchor held her back. And the Anchor felt exhausted by the Sail’s restless pulling.

Watching them, I wanted to be the boat with the Sail that drove it forward and the Anchor that grounded it safely.

3. The Shadow

The lonely Shadow spent its life fleeing from light, existing only in the cold, grey corners of the world. One evening, it crossed paths with a wandering Lantern.

Shrinking in fear of potential nonexistence, the Shadow said, “Stay far away, or else you will decimate me.”

“I have no intention to destroy you,” the Lantern said. “On the contrary, my proximity may define you better, give you shape, purpose, and depth.”