Love is Free

The gift of love had blossomed again with beautiful crimson roses. Their sweet scent took me back to my 10th birthday. I vividly remember celebrating it with my father on a cold winter evening near the fireplace. He had bought this rose plant for me as a present along with some books. I was excited to see my new books and put the plant aside. But Father, whom I lovingly called ‘Pa’, took me to the front yard and made me plant the ‘present’ in a flower bed. Every evening, we would both tend to the yard and admire the plethora of different colours in our small but beautiful garden.

One day, Pa was summoned to School. I saw him walking towards the Headmaster’s office. The warm smile Pa gave seemed like the warmth of a thousand suns but I was overwhelmed by my own guilt. We walked through the forest without talking and then he tugged at my hand and took me into his strong arms. All I could do was cry on his well-built shoulders, wetting his coat with my tears. I regretted throwing my bag of books in the pond;… in retrospect, it seemed a very petty thing to do, simply because my classmate had refused to share her notes with me. Without saying a word, that night he prepared my favourite soup and baked the best pie. I promised myself, I’d be a better person and expand my empathetic potential. I woke up to a more promising day and Pa seemed to notice the change in me. I went to School with a positive attitude and felt no shame in offering sincere apologies for the way I had behaved the previous day.  All of a sudden, I felt wonderfully light and unencumbered by the burden I had carried all these years, considering myself to be less fortunate than others.

Every afternoon, I was happy to see Pa outside the school, waiting so that we could walk home together. Little did I know the lessons I was learning! We would walk through the forest and I would try to absorb the conversations Pa and I had. He taught me life’s lessons by pointing at the bounties of nature. He would show me the beauty of the spring season when nature rejuvenated itself through the glimmering blanket of the winter snow. The ‘never-say-die’ spirit of the young shoots helped me in gaining the strength that would stand me in good stead in future. The stillness of the winter made me see that beauty exists in all things and embraces everything within its path. We enjoyed our conversations in Autumn when the squirrels would stock up the acorns telling us that it was nature’s preparation for rebirth. Pa made me realise how easy it was to let go of the old and clean out the clutter so that we could invest our time and effort in what really matters. I learnt all these important lessons of life roaming the forest, with Pa and nature as my teachers.

Seventeen years later as I water the roses, I smell Pa’s cologne, which he would dab on, so generously. He seems to be watching over me while I tend to the rose creeper which stands as a symbol of our everlasting bond. The giggles of my children bring me out of my reverie. I pick up the twins in my arms and walk into my home which Pa had built with so much faith and love. As I read to the little ones, near the fireplace, I am reminded of how Pa had done the same for me. I too, slip cookies and candies under my kids’ pillows as a reward for doing something good and wait to see the spark of wonder in their eyes-- just as Pa had seen in mine!

I try and be the parent that Pa had been to me and share with my children the lessons of life I had learnt from him. Every night, rocking in Pa’s chair, seeing my home filled with love and laughter, makes me feel blessed and thankful. The warmth of the fireplace rekindles my childhood memories, of never letting the cold, gloomy environment of the orphanage dim the warmth of Pa’s unconditional love. Our secret, Pa’s and mine, remains buried in my heart, for Pa became the father I had never had. He taught me that ‘Love is free’, that it transforms our lives in such a way that we become living, breathing examples of its extraordinary power!