Nineteen years ago the baby of our family was born (March 24th,1989). He came seven weeks early and has been speeding through life ever since. He is a live wire and keeps us on our toes. He has outgrown the days of broken windows and holes in the walls but is still trying to remember (most of the time) the size and herculean strength he has grown into when he gives us hugs or maybe just nudges us to pass us by. Starting from getting A+ in recess and asking the librarian in first grade to get books without words he is now a freshman in Nebraska Wesleyan, gets As and Bs in academics and plays football for his college. He will also do track this spring. In summer he wants to attend a medical camp in Omaha and maybe do a junior internship as a reporter for a Chicago newspaper. The top picture is of Ravi on his eighteenth birthday in front of his birthday present. In the background is dad's truck. The bottom picture is of Ravi at eight months, standing balanced against the Poplar trees, in the palm of his Papaji (grandfather)'s hand. Dear Ravi, we loved you on sight and you will warm our hearts always. We wish you happiness and love in life. May you always like the person you are, focusing on becoming a man of value rather than a man of success, which matters more at the end of the day. God be with you always.
LOVE, mom and baba.
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We left Lincoln at 2:00 in the afternoon and reached our hotel in Rochester around 8:30 PM. Sachi has the Radiation appointment at 10:30 AM tomorrow morning. He is experiencing quite a bit of pain, all expected in the fourth week, rough nevertheless. He is continueing to loose weight. Liquid diet is turning out to be inadequate in supplying all the calories. All this and the pain medications are making him a little unstable on his feet. We are not letting him drive anymore and slowly he is accepting this pending recovery; hopefully it would be for a few weeks only.
Write to us about what is going on in your lives. We sometimes get lonely and the blog always cheers us up. Till next time,
Ambi
14 comments:
helo helo heloooo! first off a very happy birthday to ravi - hope he enjoys as much as i did this past friday (even tho bododa did call to check up on me ;) hehehe... i'm still quite tired from the whirlwind wedding/bday bash weekend in san francisco/san jose...
secondly, it was good to hear bododa's voice, but i can def tell there's a little more strain while talking, so i will reach out more in electronic format, but dont worry - the calls will keep coming :P let us know what the doctor orders with regards to weight loss and such and keep in good health as well, bodoma.
i'll write again soon.
lots of love,
pranams,
vivek
Many Happy Returns of The Day to Ravi, the Baby Tarzan of the family!...
May God bless you with a long and fruitful life of fulfilled dreams and fun-filled times!
Being the little darling of such wonderful siblings and illustrious parents, you don't need to go far to seek greatness or find wisdom....
While your rich genes will support the process of growing up to be a man of substance and an individual of accomplishment, however, acquiring the status of a human being of value shall neither be hereditary nor automatic.....Your parents stand witness to this irrefutable fact. The enviable heights of performance that they have scaled and the rare distinction of exemplary living that they have achieved, were neither accidental nor involuntary.....For, the story of greatness can never be written by accident or acquired overnight...It is rather carved out by years of perseverance with the formidable forces of Integrity, Intensity and Involvement.......integrity of principles, intensity of purpose and involvement of self.
You have the makings, the genes and the blessings.....all you need to do now is scorch them through the struggle of personal experience and experimentation, purify them through the fire of service and adorn them with the sweat of your toil.......
“Life is not counted by the number of breaths you take....
It is rather measured by the number of moments that take your breath away....”
Cheers and Best wishes.
Babidada & Vicky Khudi
Good morning. It was so nice seeing your family and talking with you over the week-end. I am sorry to hear that the treatment side effects have become quite a bit worse. Mentally you seem to be doing great and are stronger than ever. I read something early this morning that I thought related to your comments to Ravi. The subject was on integrity and character. Nothing speaks louder or is more powerful that a life of integrity and nothing stands the test like solid character. You can endure anything because God is at work in your spirit. I found these words to be descriptive of your family, especially reflected in your words and actions. The reading ended with a quote by Horace Greeley: "Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wing, and only character endures." Take care, thoughts and prayers with you always. Janelle
My prayers and blessings are with you and your family.
Hi again from your friends at Smith Hayes. We do enjoy reading the very informative entries in your blog. This must be the 5th week so hopefully Sachi is near the end of these treatments.
Jeff has done some work at George's house - what a nice and knowledgeable young man you added to your family. He was also very patient teaching Harriet and George how to use the new remote he programmed. He was at least 75% successful (it's an age thing).
We think of all of you often.
George and Todd Peterson
A VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RAVI!GOD BLESS YOU my dear child, and LEAD YOU KINDLY THROUGH THE LIGHTED PATH!...
what a wonderful gift u have got from your loving parents!WOW!the car looks really magnificent. all of u must have had a wonderful time together.good, good..all the best, my dear..
Dear Sanabhai n Nuabou,..after a long time i have again come to this wonderful site...in these few days, so much has happened...of course we were in touch...
i still remember dear Kukoo's handsome appearance.he looked so healthy n tough..i saw him last in Sudhabhai's marriage..i pray for his soul near THE ALMIGHTY...when i think of aunty, tears well in my eyes...i will be going shortly to meet her n all others.
My darling brother...we r all with you..all sorts of complications have started showing their dirty face s...no use, my dear brother is so very mentally strong n confident,that he is able to face anything that comes, with a smling face..hats off to you ,my brother...we all r really, really proud of you ,bhaiya..u are great...no complains, no sorrow, no anger, no exesperation...kya hai ye?.. insan ho ? na, aap FARISTA ho...otherwise, this is not possible...
fifth week started..we r just waiting, these days to pass, quickly n uneventfully...all our love n best wishes r with you...love..sini n sanju
Dearest Ravi,
Many Many Happy Returns Of The Day and A Very Very Happy Birthday!Hope you have a wonderful day and a great year ahead.
Take care and Have fun!
With lots and lots of love,
Happiness Always!
Leema Apa & Achintya Bhai.
Dearest Sati Mamu & Main,
Pranam! Main it's good to hear from you again.Hope you had a good flight back home..and managed to get some much needed rest over the weekend too as you had a very physically and emotionally difficult trip to India..Hope Aunty and Uncle are doing a bit better now after the initial first week..my eyes fill up with tears and my heart goes out to them every time I think of what they must be going through and feeling right now.
Sati Mamu...Hope your today's chemo and radiation went well without much of reaction and side effects...We both hope and pray to god that these balance 2weeks of treatment go well and uneventfully and then you will be back home and on your road to recovery which taking into account your strength, courage, positive attitude, confidence and most importantly your faith in The Lord..should not take you too long to be back on your feet in no time..enjoying the Nebraska "Good Life" again!
Pranam and Prayers,
Love always,
Leema & Achintya.
Dearest "Young Tarzan" Ravi,
Many many happy returns of the day. God bless you to become an adorable human being.
We saw the two photographs- Ravi then is cute. Ravi now is strong, smart and handsome.
Have a nice day!
Give a hug to Suraj on our behalf.
With lots of love,good wishes & blessings,
Nandini apa & Swarup Peesa.
19 - I can hardly believe it. I've actually watched him and Suraj grow for 11 years. They started out as little boys I could carry together on my back, and now, Ravi can carry me on his!!! I wish you the happiest birthday, Ravi. Enjoy yourself, and the last year of your teens, as you slowly approach the best years of you life - your twenties - and I say that cuz I'm in mine and sadly approaching their end.
My patient was discharged on Friday. I would have written earlier but I was caught up in getting ready for the wedding in San Jose which has now made 2 extremely enjoyable weekends outside work, the first being with Salas and Anamika in Boston.
I spoke to several docs about my insecurities. But I found the real answers to my questions in your response. I sat rivited and read it carefully. I was truly learning from my teacher. I have always regretted not being able to have these conversations with the "Captain" and learning from his examples. But here I am receiving the same lessons he once taught you. I feel quite lucky and blessed, and in a way, as if JeJeBaba has been looking over me throughout my trials and tribulations. The wonder and awe that his name revives within me is sort of like a young boy admiring a superhero. His doctoring has been spoken of as legendary by everyone. And he left his legacy in all his children who carry the same compassionate touch and strict work ethic that I am attempting to imbibe and express.
I will carry your respone in my mind and heart as I mature. I will refer frequently to the wisdom within. And I will keep myself in check whenever my insecurity tries to interfere with my humanity.
Dearest Sanabhai & Nuabou,
Pranam.Yesterday was our dear Ravi's birthday..we were happy to receive Nuabou's affectionate and loving mail carrying Ravi's childhood memories n pranks and two nice pictures of Ravi then and now..Congrats to you both for bringing up such a strong, handsome and dashing son who is (we are sure) going to be an all rounder like his great Baba.
Nuabou..It was nice spending some time with you during your short visit..sharing some very pleasant and some not so pleasant thoughts.We understand sometimes you are feeling lonely there..that's but natural when children grow up and move on in their respective fields..parents do feel lonely we also share similar feelings.But then parents have each other to care and share..although your caring now is much more..this is a difficult time but don't worry God above all this will also pass like last four weeks.Everything we are sure will be fine.We are all with you though not in person but definitely in spirit and mind.
Sanabhai..We are very much concerned about your increasing side effects, pain and expected weight loss.We are praying hard to God to make everything alright and to grant you strength to pass through the last two weeks of your treatment uneventfully on final road to recovery.
God bless you both and be with you always.To this effect the great saint Kabir said- Breath inside the breath -
"Are you looking for me?
I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
You will not find me in the stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms, nor in synagogues, nor in cathedrals;
Not in masses, nor kirtans, not in legs winding round your neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables;
When you really look for me, you will see me instantly,
You will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God? He is the breath inside the breath"
With lots of love & warm regards,
Get Well Soon.
Nandini & Swarup.
Two more weeks to go. It seems so short....the road back home to recovery and recuperation seems to be just a step away....And yet, time drags...Every breath is a strain, every gulp a torture, every step an effort. Though you exert your utmost to disguise your pain with humor, the agony you are suffering through transmits across the oceans with a clarity that is unmistakable and falls on our eardrums with a thud that is unnerving....The symptoms that you so successfully held at bay for so long, are slowly gaining ground on your tolerance and wreaking havoc with their nasty presence without mercy or mildness. Every lonely day mingles into the gloom of night without notice, but leaves behind a trail of anguish that can neither be shared nor shrugged....Life plunges into an endless nightmare of suffering without salvation.....In spite of your best friend being by your side, and calls from all over the world bringing diversion from monotony, you still realize that there is no escape from the stark reality of your daily tests and trials.....
Brother mine, as the vacation of comfort ends and the burden of pain weighs on your enduring shoulders, be assured that all your family members, siblings, friends and well wishers have formed a human chain linking up to the heavens, invoking God's divine hand to reach out and rescue you from the turbid waters and place you softly on a gentle wave of recovery. Hang in there, my dearest one..... You have always been an inspiration to all of us....today you need to draw from that enormous reserve of strength and lift yourself from this temporary storm of discomfort and weakness.
Always remember: “ A strong man is strongest when he is alone”......
Love and prayers.
Babi
First happy birthday to Ravi. Everyone from NJ is anxious to see the first football player in the family.
Well a couple of more weeks, the treatment will be over and Sachi will be on his way to full recovery. Knowing Sachi, he will recover and regain his weight/strength quickly. Sachi's namesakes and Jia want to see him soon. May be this summer you guys should plan to visit New Jersey.
We will be seeing you guys this Saturday. We have an early morning flight and should be in Rochester by noon. Will call you once we reach Minn-St Paul.
Avtar-Gurjeet
Dear Ravi,
Hope you got our birhtday wishes through your cell phone voice mail. And hope you really enjoyed your Day. Your $60 (you have got a slight raise!)are in reserve with me - you will get these when you come to India, which I hope will be soon.
With many blessings and lots of love,
Bablee Masi
Dear Ravi,
Very happy birthday to you and many thanks for attending upon your Papa while your Mom was obliged to visit us here in India.
We are glad they paid back by being with you on your birthday.
Your Mom was a source of great consolation to all of us on our bereavement.
With lots of love from your
Grandma and Grandpa.
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