North Maple Ave

The Stable as viewed from N Maple Ave

Holding on to dear life

Old and withered yet standing tall and strong

While walking down North Maple Ave to take some pictures, I noticed this tree (second photo) holding on to a few leaves and that set me thinking ….

Holding on to dear life-What does it mean ???

Holding on for dear life is our reaction to when life is falling apart, and we desperately need something solid to grab while we weather the storm, so we don’t fall apart too.

We all know that life is constantly changing and nothing is permanent. The phrase can be redefined to mean something else too. There are some things that mean a lot to us and are dear. They give us the comfort and confidence we need to weather any storm – friendship, family, faith, hope, trust, values, morals etc. But we should be ready to let go off the stuff that weighs us down like clutter, guilt, fear, insecurity and anger.

Most importantly, WE SHOULD hold on to each other. We have to hold on, lift each other up, comfort one another.

Pretty Landscape

With the right amount of snowfall the landscape looked so pretty with old man winter making a return. Another major storm is expected this Tuesday with blizzard like conditions which could result in snow dumps of at least 18 to 25 inches  !!!

Just when we thought it was going to be springtime soon, old man winter made a surprise return. With all the advances made in science and technology this is one area which is still cloudy . But the day may not be far off when humans will “play God” with the weather.

 

Ridgewood 365

I have been unable to post pictures of my hometown for the past one month. Partially due to the fact that I was travelling to India for 3 weeks and on return it has been very hectic at home and work.

In the meanwhile I did post some pictures of my trip to India.Plan to be back posting pictures of my hometown starting this coming Monday. Watch out. Until then enjoy some of these random

photos taken every now and then …

 

Good Vibes

 

Two versions of the same picture. ALEX and ANI -Named Ernst & Young’s New England Entrepreneur of the Year and SBA RI Small Business Person of the Year in 2012, Rafaelian ,the CEO is a force of positive energy building a company with a conscience.

Located in downtown Ridgewood, it is tucked away between small boutiques and restaurants. All the google reviews about them seem to be positive !!!

Gotta visit them sometime soon.

OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL,CATHOLIC CHURCH OF RIDGEWOOD , NJ

My first visit to a church happened when I was eight and attending elementary school  in India. Our school took us on a trip to a sugar plant in Meerut , a small town about 100 miles away from New Delhi .There is also a very famous church in a nearby town called Sardhana. Our school being a Private Hindu School was very secular in character and we were taken to this church to learn more about all religions. It was called Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, also known as Churches among the Churches,  dedicated to virgin Mary. The Church was built by begum Samru , a  girl of 14 who married a European mercenary soldier Walter. Samru  converted to Roman Catholicism and adopted the name Joanna Nobilis. She ruled the Principality of Sardhana in 18th and 19th century. The Church is the largest in North India.

My fascination for visiting churches never stopped after that. I am a stoic Hindu yet ready to embrace all religions.There is so much to learn from every culture.My view on religion is to expand the personal and cultural lens through which we see the world to evolve a shared view of humanity.

Ken Folletts book ” The pillars of the earth ” was the final push I needed to visit many more churches . The novel is based on the building of a cathedrals in the fictional town of Kings bridge, England. The story backdrop is set in the middle of the 12th century ( a historical   book  that traces the development of Gothic architecture out of the preceding Romansque architecture, and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory .An amazing  and must read for history lovers.

Sometime in this 365 day journey I will post the interiors of the churches that exist in Ridgewood..