The Saturday That Rearranged My Heart: Lessons from St. Catherine’s Home

If you’re wondering whether you can make a difference, read this

Photo taken by staff at St. Catherine’s Home

If you take a magnifying glass and looked at your life, you will find yourself surrounded with countless blessings. You will see all the things that someone wishes for, while you take them for granted. You will see that what comes to you effortlessly, is a struggle for someone else. You will eventually realise that the life you were born into is a gift that we often take for granted.

Somewhere in our fast-paced lives, we keep that magnifying glass aside. Our mind is completely focused on dealing with our own set of challenges. It’s at this moment that we need an awakening. We need to travel and visit places to get out of our own head. And that’s exactly what happened with me this weekend.

My friend and I visited St. Catherine’s Home at Veera Desai, Mumbai. I was in touch with sister Venita (manager at St. Catherine’s Home) as the firm that I work in tied up with St. Catherine’s Home for their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative. Sister has been asking me to visit for quite some time and this weekend my friend and I landed up there with baby food as required by them.

When we reached there, sister took us to the new born and toddler section. On one side of the room, abandoned new born babies were fast asleep under the care of the caretakers. On the other side, babies of 6 months and above were playing with toys while simultaneously being fed baby food. The tall woman that I am, those babies kept looking at me in awe wondering who is this dinosaur. All I wanted to do was bring all of them home (but of course that remained only a wish).

In the next wing, there were kids from kindergarten to 5th grade. The kids there were having the time of their lives as someone celebrated their birthday with them and fed them Chinese food. The curiosity in these children won my heart. As even though they have no clue where their lives are headed, they only choose to make the most of the present moment.

We were then taken to the building where unwed mothers reside. We didn’t enter that wing. Sister told us that underage pregnant girls who are thrown out of their homes and rape victims stay in that wing. After they give birth, the court gives them a time span of three months to decide if they want to keep the baby or give them up for adoption. That truly shook me and I said a small thank you prayer that reminded me of what a blessing it is to live with loved ones.

But its not all sad stories in that home. Sister told us stories of how the education initiatives taken by the home have changed lives. With time, girls from the home have taken professional courses and have made a life for themselves.

One girl, after completing her professional course, got a job at the international airport. After working for some years, she fell in love with a colleague who then called sister for her guidance. The girl is now happily married.

Then just few weeks ago, a child was adopted and went to the USA. Another child was adopted and went to Uttar Pradesh. Sister said that my goal is to ensure a child gets a home. This place is not their permanent home. The children here deserve a loving home with caring parents.

As sister was telling us about how St. Catherine’s Home started and the initiatives they undertake, she mentioned how they need volunteers who can teach 10th and 12th grade students. My friend signed up to teach physics and I signed up to teach child development for one hour every Saturday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Lets see how that goes and if the girls warm up to us. Hopefully we can make a small difference in the lives of these girls.

In the photo above, that’s me, my friend and sister Venita. Doesn’t she look like an iron woman who can handle it all? And oh boy, she does. From attending calls all day, to meeting visitors to ensuring everyone is safe and taken care of, she runs the show effortlessly.

One visit, that was only supposed to be about dropping baby food and meeting children, ended up with voluntary teaching over the weekend. This visit taught me that if you’re ever questioning your worth and wondering what difference you can make in this world? step out and visit such places who are trying their best, in whatever way they can to help the helpless.

When it comes to the matters of the heart, sometimes its best to leave it to the universe above. Do read the below piece by Grace Delphia.

[embed]My One and Only Ridiculous Blind Date It turned out the universe didn’t need my help to find lovemedium.com

‘And choosing to see the light amid the shadows, time after time, is what makes us human…’

Do this is beautiful and heat-warming piece written by AP.

[embed]Finding Beauty in a Harsh World A thoughtful reflection on kindness, beauty, and hope, and how small moments of goodness quietly shape the way we see…medium.com

Thank you so much for your time!