There is a writing exercise I often had my students do in class: Write about your mother’s hands. This ten-minute prompt almost always yielded a fruitful rough draft full of details that were emotionally resonant. Yet, as often as I sat with students for this exercise, I avoided doing it myself. I didn’t want to put down on paper the truth of how I saw my mother’s hands: puffy, hesitant, unsure what to do. Instead, I’d spend the ten minutes writing about my father’s hands: intelligent, capable, chiseled knuckles, and the beautiful rising moons at the base of his fingernails. He was a surgeon, his hand movements confident, which gave me a feeling of safety. In contrast, I often had a feeling that my mother needed help—now!— and that I was the one who was supposed to provide it. There were times in my life when my mother and I spoke daily; still, I did what I could to keep some distance from her.
That’s pretty much where I was, emotionally, fifteen years ago when I began to write After Italy: A Family Memoir of Arranged Marriage. In random spurts, I’d been working on this family memoir for years, but in 2008, I committed to the project. Recently, I found this entry in a journal from that time: Writing this family memoir is the scariest story of my life.
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Denne historien er fra August 2024-utgaven av Heartfulness eMagazine.
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Aging Gracefully - For a few months now I have been asking the question, “How to age gracefully?”
Victor Kannan explores the process of aging, with a focus on aging gracefully. How can you be at peace with yourself as old age approaches? How can you develop maturity in behavior and focus on life’s best interests?
Portrait Painting
FABIO KOHLER is an artist and musician.
The Mountain of No Return
SARA BUBBER tells a beautiful Japanese folktale on valuing wisdom and experience and asks you to do a personal reflective exercise.
By Acts of Love
CHRISTINE PRISLAND shares her love of books, good storytelling, and a particular author that inspires and delights her
How Does Fear Affect Our Roles as Mothers?
NEELAM SHIVHARE explores some of the great ancient texts of India on motherhood, compares the behavior of Kaikayi and Yashoda, and realizes the importance of removing fear from our hearts in order to nurture our children.
The Difference Between Trust and Respect
DR. ICHAK ADIZES shares some thoughts on the nature of mutual trust and respect, and why we can trust without respecting, and respect without trusting.
A SIMPLE WAY TO IMPROVE Your Health and the Health of the Planet
DAAJI explains why a plantbased diet is good for your health and well-being, and for the planet. Some of the reasons may surprise you. Yogic science is very comprehensive on this subject, and now medical science is catching up. Daaji then challenges us all to do an experiment for three months.
International Cities of Peace
J. FREDERICK ARMENT is in conversation with CHRISTINE JONES about his organization, International Cities of Peace, as well as other ways he promotes peace in the world. The foundation of it all is the importance of relationship, community, and love. This is the first of a series of conversations.
THE SEEKER OF KNOWLEDGE
SARA BUBBER shares a story from the Upanishads about knowledge, communication, truthfulness, and courage. She then gives us a few reflections and an activity to connect with Nature.
Serving Smiles: FROM HEART TO TABLE
NIROOP PRABHAKAR owns and runs the restaurant 615chutney in Nashville, Tennessee. 615chutney started as the only Indian food truck serving vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free South Indian food. Niroop's goal was to bring South Indian cuisine to the US. He believes that customer service is the key. The voices of his customers and employees matter to him. Here he is interviewed by the Heartfulness Wellness team.