My family stands by me

Note: There are a million (maybe more) times that my family has stood by me. I'm just recounting one incident which clearly highlighted this fact and double-underlined it, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

There was a stike in my college (CSI CE, Ketti) in February, 2005. I was in my third year, and I was in the thick of things - including being a part of the student committee (selected by the management) shouldering the responsibility of working things out with the management. When third year completed and I was waiting to get back to my final year at college, a bomb dropped. The college sent a letter to my Dad asking him to meet with the Principal regarding my "admission" into college that year. They also spoke to a close family friend in Ooty, and informed him that they should look out for me in other colleges. We were like "Huh, what?!" So Dad, Mum and I made the trip to Ketti. Sam joined us along the way (from Bangalore) and the three of them went in to meet the Principal. When I was called in a bit later, it was not me in the hot seat - our dear Principal was being asked questions by my Dad, my Mum and my brother (with all his knowledge of corporate functioning, he had some choice questions for the Principal). Basically, the Principal was hurt that I had asked him a few honest questions and informed him of a few honest student opinions. Little did he know that calling my family would give him bigger, more questioning versions of me. I'm not gloating or boasting. Simply put, this incident left a strong sense of "My family stands by me!" inside me. My parents didn't scold me (atleast as much as I expected them to) and they did not mention even once that they had been called all the way to college and that this could have been a shameful affair. When you comfortably know that your family is rocking right beside you and with you, everything else in the world seems small. Thanks to Dad, Mum and Sam for being that rocking family. Yaiy!

Emotionally scarred and wanting

If you've been following closely the stuff I write in this blog, you can make out that my parents are generally "nice" people. Where my Dad has gone the extra mile, in his ministry-related work and in his relationships with people - is to literally pour himself out for someone in need. As his son, I've seen plenty of instances of such things over the years. There have been urgent calls for him in the middle of the night; there have been calls for him to come to another city totally, to help with situations and emotionally encumbered persons; there have been school principals calling on him for assistance; there have been scary "fight" situations that he's been called to defuse; there have been broken relationships that he has been called to mend; there have been families that have taken his advice and help to bond together. For every single call or request, my Dad responds with full force. It's like the Indian Army appearing in full force to save just a single man caught behind the LOC across the border. Every time. All the time. It's never been easy being the son of such a man - but it does help when I look at my own life and see tiny tiny bits of me being poured out into others' lives. I don't run to others at midnight, or get called away to other cities to solve intense emotional issues; but what I do do, is try to address the emotional needs of people around me which I see - as best I can. For this, my Dad is the cause. Thanks, Dad.