I am only one....but still....

As I enter the house with my sister, I’m greeted by a frail yet clear voice reciting the Vishnu Sahasranaamam. I wash my feet, then sit next to my mother, and join in her recitation. A few minutes later, my husband and another sister and brother-in-law return, and they too sit down and join the chanting.

By the simple act of doing a thing herself, this 77-year old woman has ensured a few people around her also do the same. No force, no coercion – all she has done is set an example by her own action.

Even as we chant, it strikes me that just by this very approach, my mother has succeeded in bringing up her daughters with the right values. One person doing all that she can to the best of her ability has influenced the path of 6 lives and - indirectly - the lives of all these 6 touch.

I’ve recently been grappling with the magnitude of certain tasks I’ve taken up, wondering about what impact the small things I do will have on the immensely larger picture. This epiphany has come at just the right time for me. 

I step aside for a moment, and click a photo of Amma because I know I will write about this on my blog.

Her frail voice fades away as we come to the end of the chanting. 

This event has served to remind me of a quote I’ve read somewhere long, long ago. Google attributes it to Edward Everett Hale.

I’ve been meaning to write this post since Sunday. Somehow, I’ve been putting off the moment. 

But just this morning, I stumble on a picture my sister’s friend has put up on Facebook, with a very fitting caption. 

Dr. Sunayna Padbidri Rao is a pro at not just medicine, but also at photography, and as I discover today, at giving them the right captions. 

As I read, and re-read her caption for this picture, this blog post has somehow written itself.

Here's to hoping this post has a ripple effect of inspiring each ONE who feels "I'm only one...." to do the smallest "something" that they can....