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I'm back after the longest gap ever. I did not mention the reason
of my being away because I did not imagine that my father's health
would deteriorate so much that nothing could alleviate his pain.

The past three weeks have been the most harrowing time for my family
to see a loved one struggling to survive against odds that seemed to
outweigh everything else. But thank God, some kind of stability, if
it can be termed that, did come. And although he is bed-ridden now,
the pain has been reduced somewhat.

Between tears, prayers, and trips to hospital and home, I took these
shots. My beautiful hometown is surrounded by blue hills. And from the
hospital, dawn seemed to carry more promise. Or was it that I was seeking
a desperate reason for more scenes as promising as day break across these
blue hills? View of the hills from my parents' backyard. Part of the town near the hospital. The backyard again. Sunrise scene. All the other photographs were taken near the hospital and home. Thank you to all my visitors and also to everyone who commented
on my last post. I'll soon be posting on garden wildlife and
of course, blooms! 
Welcome back. I'm sorry to hear about your father's ill health. I hope he is more comfortable now. It must have been a very stressful time for you and your family.
 
Kanak, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. It is frightening, I know, to see a parent suffering. Your beautiful photos are very soothing. I hope that remembering these scenes brings you some comfort. Be good to yourself and get plenty of rest.
 
Kanak, I am very sorry to hear about your father's failing health. I know how hard it is to watch a loved one suffer, and how hard it is to keep vigil at a hospital and to remain strong for the rest of the family. You and your family will be in my prayers. These pictures today are so peaceful and give my soul joy to see. Please keep us updated and I hope your garden blooms will bring you much peace.
 
Welcome back Kanak. Sorry to hear about your Dad's health. I'm sure taking photos and looking at the sky was a distraction from the worry and stress. Take care of yourself, you & your family are in my thoughts & prayers.
 
So sorry about your father. I am very glad he is feeling a bit better and hope for his health to improve and his pain to lessen even more.
 
Oh Kanak, your poor father, I'm so sorry he has suffered so, and that you and the rest of your family have been so distressed. I really feel for you, and so hope that things get better. I also hope that your time in the garden and the beauty of your surroundings alleviates your troubles at least somewhat.
 islandgal246 said...

I am very sorry to hear about your dad Kanak, I hope that he remains in a comfortable state. We all missed you with your colourful and interesting posts. Glad to see you back!
 
Hi Kanak, welcome home! Im glad to see you back too!
Your photos are lovely. I can see hope in every one, especially the ones taken at dawn (as you yourself expressed).

I will keep your dear father and family in my prayers. Our journeys are often painful, but with the love of our family and friends, it helps to soften the harshness of reality.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your father's health Kanak. I'll be sure to pray for him. I'm glad you made it back home safe and sound.

I enjoyed these pictures much. They show so much peace and beauty.
 My Mother's Garden said...

Welcome home Kanak~

So sorry to hear about your father's health. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
I hope you are able to relax and enjoy your time at home and in the garden. You were missed!
 Chandramouli S said...

Old age! That's a scary word and when you see your parents your from its effects, it's painful. But definitely prayers would alleviate it and if you were a virtuous person, it'd literally wipe the pain off! My prayers are with your dad.
Let that Sun - the visible god, remove your dad's pain and make him stand back up :)
Nice appeasing photos, Kanak!
 
Peace eccept my suport!
A big hugg to you and your famaly!
Its soo hard to se neer ones fight pain and illness.
I lost my mother to cancer when she was only 50 years old.
 
Easygardener,thanks. It was, but miraculous things do happen. We can only hope that the worst (pain) has passed.

W2W, I'm doing that right now. And news of any little improvement can be so heartening. Thank you for all your love and prayers.

Mildred, I've often thought about you and Nalley as I was with the rest of my family at the hospital. We pray that the remaining days won't be as harsh....thank you for all your prayers.

Thank you, Racquel. The photo-taking moments were extra special this time as the contrasts of life were so pronounced. The fragility inside the room, and the continuity of life outside.

Thank you Tina. It isn't as bad as it was. We just hope that he regains some strength...

Karen, exactly. No matter how short the breaks were, looking at these scenes eased my worries. Now that I'm home I'm back to weeding and spending as much time as I can with my plants.

Thank you Helen--for your kind words. I missed you too. There's always a blogger friend in my thoughts. It could be a photo, a tip, or words that I liked to read. It's wonderful to belong to a community as great as ours!!

Wendy, I've told myself often that caregiving is not for wimps!! Your words were in my thoughts as I spent the most frightening time with the rest of my family. Thank you for all your love and prayers. And also for the comment about the photos.

Susie, thank you for your prayers. It's so good to be back connecting with wonderful people like you...people I may never get to meet in real life. What a source of strength for me. Glad you liked the photos.

Karrita, thank you so much! I've come back to an overgrown garden but I quite like the look! It's raining too so the weeds have proliferated. I spent a peaceful afternoon yesterday weeding. Touched by your words...thank you once again.

Chandramouli, thank you for your prayers. It's old age and cancer--a near fatal combination. You're right about the prayers. We got much solace from a priest who read from the Gita.

Linda, so sorry to know about your mother. 50 is so young!! Thank you for your encouraging words.
 MNGarden said...

So glad your father is better. You are truly surrounded by beauty.
 
So nice to hear from you again. You have been missed!
But I'm so sorry to hear about your father. I hope he is somewhat better now, and not in so much pain.
Still, I'm happy to see that you are still shooting lovely photos. I hope to see more of those soon.
 
Donna, thanks. Happy to read your comment. We're hoping that he'll regain some strength soon.

Helen, thank you so much! If I hadn't been at the hospital, I'd never have known that dawn could be so spectacularly breath-taking.

Although I did go to shoot some of these scenes the thought that I should get back was always on my mind. But it did make me notice plants and scenic beauty that I might well have overlooked in pleasanter times.

So glad to be connecting with blogger friends again. Have a great weekend!
 arun said...

Hi,Real good shots...I like the splendid natural colours captured.

 
Hi Arun, a comment like that coming from a photographer par excellence...it's an honour! Thank you soooo much!
 
Although your father won't ever be far from your mind, and you will, no doubt be thinking of and worrying about the rest of your family too - I expect it is wonderful to have the camera with you when you can . . . to be able to concentrate on something completely different, even if only for a few moments. When that is possible, it is both a rest and a meditation.


I hope things gradually work out well and that, most of all, your father's pain may be eased.

