There’s a crack in the floor that’s hardly even noticeable, but I can’t tell- Is it getting bigger, or is it shrinking?   What if I step on it? Would it shudder beneath me and swallow me whole? Or will the floor stay intact?   I could simply patch the crack up, but how would ...

Have you ever heard of atychiphobia? It’s an extreme and irrational fear of failure that can clash with your daily life, preventing you from taking risks or causing you to delay tasks that you feel will result in defeat. Some classify it as a non-diagnosed anxiety disorder. I considered this terror to be one of ...

“No, no, no.” Lilian takes one look at me and grimaces. We haven’t stepped outside, and already she’s regretting inviting me to her friend’s party. I can’t blame her, though. I don’t want me there either. It’s comfortable at home. Well, her home. A four-bedroom, two-story dwelling in central New Jersey, where my mother moved ...

Who I am Is sinful in every way. Why was I created? I do not wish to stay. If I could leave, This world would be happier. No one would grieve. The Lord Himself And Heaven would cheer, If I were no longer here. These lonely nights will take their toll. These thoughts spiral out ...

True joy comes from holiness and anguish, for the benefit of God’s Plan. Everything that resides in Heaven and Earth is part of the tapestry that is God’s Infinite Design. Peace and love abide within the arms of the Great I Am. We, as part of Creation, live in the abundance of what God gives ...

During my growing years, fire threats are a known risk to our Delhi neighborhood. The apartment is the entire third floor of a large, three-tiered building. The ground floor houses a sawmill and a massive timber warehouse, “Abbott Sawing and Lumber.” Mr. Abbott and his son attend their office six days a week. Small clusters ...

Shashi has been an inpatient at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences for the last several months. Her mom, my paternal aunt, is her caretaker. Auntie stays with her day and night at the hospital, sleeping in a chair. She faces immense coercion from the staff to leave with her child, but she refuses to ...

A slow trickle of information, spanning years, helps me become more familiar with Pal Bhapaji and his household. The partition of India and Pakistan, displace the family. They lose their home and belongings, and arrive in Delhi as refugees. All of them, including Pal’s parents, wife Leela, and his sisters, Harsh and Santosh, comprise the ...

It’s the early fifties, and the city of Delhi is expanding outside its boundaries. It is advisable to return from distant sightseeing trips or visits before sundown. Despite this expansion over the past 500 years, the iconic Qutab Minar (tower) stands several miles away from city limits. New townships are sprouting far away from the ...

Darkness filled the room with silence, the only sound available to me. My juvenile body felt a heavy weight. The rush of worry was loud and blaring like a fire engine. What could this feeling be? How did it appear out of nowhere? I didn’t have the answers to my questions or the words for ...