10 years of us..and counting!

Day100..#100daysofhappiness #100happydays

There is an unseen pressure in putting my words for this day 100. Apart from the fact that it’s a milestone and a conclusion to my 100 happy days journey, it also marks a significant moment in my ‘happily ever after’ story! It’s our 10th wedding anniversary today and I am elated and grateful!

Initially I thought it would be lovely to get married once again but then I realized we have exchanged our vows for a lifetime, so do we really need a reminder? Didn’t seem like it after having reflected on the decade gone by. Like every perfect marriage, we are just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other. So while most love stories are beautiful, ours is always my favorite! I read this line “Marriage is when a man looses his bachelor’s degree and a woman gets her master’s degree” and though cited in humor, I was forced to introspect if this was our picture too, then realized that ours is a friendship of equals and a partnership of love, so no one loses a degree, our strengths help us both gain. We have loved, cared, shared, cried, and laughed, fought, complained, obligated, reasoned, accepted, supported and so much more. We have memories that keep us real yet have us smiling with our hearts. We have dreams that keep us working for more. We may disagree on matters but we know what it means to come half way and sometimes more! We support each other on our parenting styles..With Hitler shifting roles! We are willing to smile in the name of obligations that take time to settle in our individual belief system. We don’t count our victories, instead we count our blessings. If there is calm, there is also excitement. If there is gratefulness there is also celebration.

It’s been a testing journey not as a relationship but from life and its unpredictability.  Not to sound like a mood dampener but after being under a medical trauma, every waking day is a gift to be grateful about irrespective of any limitations. This is perhaps the reason, over the years my prayers have changed from an ambitious career to being there for my family. So even when there are new challenges I am not angered any more, I am just more embracing. While it’s been nerve wrecking for me, I have seen family come together like no other and be the pillar that very few are blessed to have. At a time when I was at my worst, I have seen them smile, cry, be courageous, work hard at being optimistic, combine duty with love and are willing to do ‘just about anything’ to be my hope! We have children who teach me everyday the value of innocence, unconditional love and living the moment. We are their parents and perhaps not perfect, but we have the willingness to make the mistakes and correct them too. We have a style of parenting that brings a parent and friend on the same platter and that’s what makes our relationship precious. So when you actually land a milestone like your 10th wedding anniversary, all you want to say is a big thank you with all my love.

Celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary means remembering the years gone by, making us stronger as a family. This marriage began with a celebration of grandeur that mum planned to the last detail, as we embarked on a new phase. Just when our family headcount was receding, we were blessed with more fullness through so many new relationships and stronger old ones too. This marriage renewed my faith in relationships and all that is emotional. Charles Dickens once said, “Family not only need to consist of merely those whom we share blood, but also for whom we would give blood”. Glad we have more such people!

With celebration almost being my second name, doing something memorable that makes my heart dance was a given. Napoleon once said “If the earth were a single state, then Istanbul would be its capital”. So for our anniversary celebration, Istanbul had to be the chosen destination, though we were repeatedly informed about the destination being red flagged. But everything about Istanbul, sounded just about right… at the confluence of Europe and Asia, where cultures meet and synergize into something rather magical. There is a blend of modern and ancient, legends echo its greatness, the captivating Bosphorous that calms your soul and the warmth of locals that redefines welcome. There is trouble in this destination for all its external dangers, but no one has been able to disturb its charm amidst so much chaos. So much buzz around that city that visiting there was definitely on our bucket list.

There is something about Istanbul that draws parallels to marriage for me. It has everything that matters, yet it yearns for more. It blends the best of both cultures in such harmony. There is chaos and calm. There is grandeur and simplicity. There is passion and hard work. There is warmth and decency. There is history yet the mind to embrace change. There is maturity and experience. There is a willingness to move on positively. There is fun and boundaries. There is faith and openness. So being in Istanbul for our 10th anniversary was a lot more meaningful that just a ‘perfect getaway’.

So today on our 10th anniversary for you Arya, here’s a facebook wish from me to you!

Ten years together is what we share,
With you and me as a pair!
Memories made, milestones are many,
With family and friends, it is worth every penny.
Show you my love with words is all I can,
Cause I am no kitchen fan.
No promises for a fancy meal or a beer mug,
Instead planned holidays by this travel bug!
Thank you for all the laughter, madness and care,
So ten more decades would only be fair!
I love you for all that you are,
With me, you’re shining star!
Promises made, now and then
Its always ‘I do’ at every ten!

Smitten yet saddened...

The news read... bomblast at Istanbul close to Grand Bazaar. My heart sank knowing that I was there just yesterday soaking in everything that went past the last 10 years and thankful for a journey gone by. They welcomed in excitement and celebrated our happiness.

I was smitten by the charm of a city so fascinating that has the strength to see and show beauty in the midst of chaos. We laughed and explored as though we were almost young and carefree yet saw new meaning in every moment we spent there. We discovered vibrancy as a local would. The city did not rush us and that gave us a new lease of life.

I am glad our big 10 was at Istanbul with a fabulous celebration to conclude here back home with so much love. Everything that mattered got me smiling. As I thank Istanbul for giving me a memory for a lifetime.. I pray for the spirit of the wonderful people there who make that city as beautiful as it is!  In admiration and gratitude. . With love!

The girls who keep me giggling

I may not have known a lot of you for the longest time, but you have given me reason enough to say thank you for spreading cheer every now and then.

There's nothing like the pain in your stomach with tears rolling down the cheeks when you have laughed with all your heart and most often for not a real reason! With some, its the deepest conversations while with others its infectious laughter or just the cheerful hello everyday! These girls seem to make life happy and crazy every now and then, so here's a thank you for giving me everything that matters - laughter!

(Ps: Included the lil kids who teach me pure fun every day and our apartment monkey - my lil Basanti whom I seem to have grown fond of, whenever she is around - even though from a distance!)

Thank you once again for celebrating life every now and then even without an occasion! So here's to girls who know that joy has no definition!

To the father of my kids

Our steps are getting bigger and our height taller. We seem heavier to lift though sharper in mind. We have our tricks and test you often. Every stride you take is sometimes too big for us to pace hand in hand but we look forward to taking many smaller steps just to be by your side. But we love more than you can imagine and that does not change with time. Holding us close.. you smile with pride. We are two sides of the same coin and we are glad that coin is yours. We love how we play, laugh and have fun with you. We know we can fuss and look forward to every meal prepped to be special by you. The news filled baths, mind numbing massages, yoga all seem to be a ritual of our own. We laugh and cry, with you to hold us. We fall and rise with your finger to hold. Our equation has a little bit of everything and thats what makes it perfect!

Happy Father's Day Dada... with all our love Tamara and Tanaaya.. Arya Ganapathy

Happy Father 's day again!

It was Father's Day on June 20, 1999... so looking back I will always smile in sadness as I bid farewell to a man who lived on his terms. He was undeniably a big influence to me in my 18 years after which Nimmi Belliappa mum held the mantle of being my mum, dad and best friend... not an easy task but she did it with perfection and today is my forever idol.

A scroll of words drafted and gifted to my dad...there was a strange gleam of recovery he showed that morning.. a hope I wished came true.. but destiny had other plans and it was time to bid adeau to my dad.. not our relationship, not our memories and always have promises made in my heart.. that I had been entrusted with.. ... There was deep sadness in the heart but unwillingness to lose my strength for fear of not being able to support the family I have with me. There will always be a question... have I cried enough but always the comforting thought that I hold him in my heart every day....

Every year Father's day is on the 3rd sunday of June..which will be the day my kids will cherish with memories of fondness with the father of my children.. but for me father 's day will always be June 20... if ever the day coincides again.. I will not smile in sadness but rejoice the morning that was on June 20, 1999.

happy father's day Daddy... you are loved everyday! Mommy happy father's day to you for perfecting a dual role as we continue to learn the nuances of our parenting sagas.

With love...