She Taught Me Faith

The flower that blooms in the morning and fades in the evening isn’t really bothered about how long it lives. A bird that flies freely in the sky or the fish that swims without worry, hardly thinks what and how of tomorrow. We are human beings. How can we be like them…!
I was terribly tired, as I was moving from house to house, to learn the life of simple poor people of rural areas. Gowrenahalli, one of the poor villages in Anekal, Bangalore, was the place I was in for 20 days of exposure, as a requirement for my studies. Moving from house to house and listening to the stories of their lives, of their pains and struggles, of their unfulfilled dreams and aspirations, was truly a unique experience that would remain in my mind for long. One thing that I kept repeating, whenever I met someone who was struggling, ‘these things will pass away; their life situation would change…’ In return they thanked me for the hope I assured them and appreciated me saying, “You must be a man of deep faith.” Heart to heart, I was feeling happy, as my ego was getting boosted up.

On that Tuesday, as I was walking in the hot sun, I came across a small hut, where an aged lady and her daughter live. Gowramma, 67 year old lady, welcomed me to her small hut, where there was hardly anything to sit on. As we began our conversation, Gowramma opened the pages of her life. She had lost her husband years ago. Despite the dire poverty she was in, somehow she had managed to get two of the three, of her daughters married. Her life was nothing but a saga of suffering.
 
As Gowramma is quite weak and not able to work, her last daughter, somehow manages the house by working petty jobs here and there. I did feel the pinch of poverty when Gowramma told me, “We do not take coffee, tea etc. We are poor. We don’t have money for all this.” Later I realized that they were living on eating two times Raagi balls and water. During our conversation, I could sense the tears, Gowramma, trying to hide which were so obvious.
Talking to Gowramma, I learnt that she had absolutely no one to support and help except that of her last daughter. But that daughter will be leaving home soon, as her marriage too is fixed. Listening to her, I was sure that none of the three daughters are in a position to take care of her. I was haunted with question of Gowramma’s future. I was struck: What’s next? My mind was overwhelmed with the questions of her tomorrow.
Gathering everything together, though I felt I should not, I still asked, “Gowramma, what about your future? Who will take care of you? Who is there for you?” She burst into tears. The tears that she was trying to hide, so far flew like flood waters.  I was taken a back for asking such a question. May be this question was haunting her too.
Trying to sympathize, I thought of repeating the same slogan, which I used to do in other houses. But…
Moments later, gathering herself, Gowramma opened her mouth, uttering, “The God who gave me this life, will never let me down.” Her voice was shivering; tears were still flowing in her eyes, but no doubt, her words were filled with tremendous amount of faith.
I was dumbstruck. My ego was struck down by her words. I realized how small I was.  Introspecting myself, I also realized, in a moment, all that I had was some information about faith, which I was trying to share with others. But she had FAITH.
Returning from the house of poor Gowramma, I made a short prayer, ‘Lord give me the faith like that of this poor Gowramma.’
Indeed, She taught me Faith!