Thursday, March 29, 2018

The Lantern an old friend!


Hey  Beautiful  Hearts!   
                                                  




Hope  and  pray  that   you   have  found   your   light  in  right   time  to  see  the  things   in  their   "right"   perspective !

Hope   that   this  light   is  not   only   lighting   up   your   outer    surroundings   but  it  paved  it's  way   to   your   heart   and   souls   to   glorify    your   innate    world!



As   you   know (hopefully)  that   we   recently made  two   rooms  as  upper   story   of  our  house , so   we  can   use  one   of  them   as  store   because   before  this,   we   were  using   one  of  our  lower  room   on  ground  floor    as   store   inevitably .

And  we  were   doing  it  unconsciously   as   among   the  three main  big  rooms  ,one  we  use  as  living  room  and  one  as  bedroom  .

So   third  one   was  not   in   proper  use.Whenever  we  had  to  put   something  extra  at  a  side    we  would  put  it  in  our  third  room.

After   preparing  the   two   rooms  above  the   roof  we   emptied   our   third   room   and   put  all  extra   stuff    in  on  of  the  upper  room .

We   will   furnish   this  empty   third   room  when  we  will  be  back   from  summer  holidays  in  my  native   town  and  some  days  in  Islamabad  as  well.

While   shifting  the   stuff   from   lower   room  i   found   my   old  LANTERN !

  I   removed   it's  dust   and   took   a  picture   to  share  with  you   as  it  brought   many    beautiful   memories  from  my   wonderful  past!


Though   our  village   was   not  much  far   from   the  capital   city   yet   it  was   under   the  great  influence   of   local   LANDLORDS   who   owned   most   of  the  land   of  our  village  and  other  villages  around  .

That   was  early   80's  era  .  And  obviously   was   worst  in  previous  years  .Landlords  of   our  village    who   lived   in  their  palace   like  huge  mansions   close   to  village   never   wanted   any   such   progress   in  area  which   educate   the   people .

The   biggest   fear   of  landlords  was   that  if  education   put   wisdom   in  people  and  give  them  realization  of  their   own   rights   ,who   will   salute   and  obey  them   blindly   and  they   wanted  to   secure  and  improve   their  vote  bank   at  any   cost.

All  this  i  heard  from  my  grandparents  and  my  mother . They   told  that   those  landlords  use   the  ignorance  of  people  as  their   most   powerful   weapon  and  this  is  why   they   don't   want   that   the  people   around   them  to  be  educated   and  self  righteous .

So   they   tried  hard  to  not  build  any  boys  or  girls  high   school  in   villages  under   their  influence .They   also  tried   to  keep   the  electricity   away   from villages   .Their   demand  of  obedience   and  claim  to  be  lord  of  people  made  them  kill  so  many  innocent  people   who   tried  to  raised  their  voice  against  the  injustice .


But   this  is  undeniable   truth   that   LIGHT   somehow   make  it's  way   to   darkness  when  it  has  to,  and  no  one  can   STOP  it  .

When   we   entered  in  our  village  it  was  early  80s   time   and  there     few    boys  primary  and  high  school  and  one   girls  high  school   were  made   little  far   from  our   village .

Education   was   lighting  up   the  minds  of  people   slowly, It  was  just   begging . Though   schools   were  started  being  built    but  electricity   was   still   absent .

The   government  provided  the  towers  and  all   required  system   for  the  light  but  there  was  no  check   that  "are  villagers  getting  the  benefit   from  the  government's    efforts   because   real   owners   of   villages  were  these  landlords  who  were  not  allowing  to  supply   the  electricity   to  villages   though  their  mansions  had  the  light  facility  since  years !

Coming   to  the  topic  finally  that   when   i  started  my  schooling  in  village  i  was  first  girl  from  my  small  village  who  went  to  school (almost  33 houses)  .I   was  slapped  by  my  uncle(mom's  brother)  for  this  crime(in  his  opinion)  but  i  was  lucky  to  have  my  dear  mom  stood  up   for  me  and  said  clearly"that  my  daughters  will  go  to school"(my  eldest  brother  left  school  after   the  primary  five  years  education  as  he  was  under  the  influence  of  my  uncles.

When   i   would  back  from  school   i  try   to  finish  my  homework  during  daytime   in  natural  light .But  when  i  could  not  do  it  during  daytime  i  would  do  my  homework  in  night   in  the  light  of    THIS   LANTERN!

Yes!   this  is  my    very   first   friend  after  my  mom  who  helped  me  doing  my  studies ! And  this  is  why  this  lantern  is  so  SPECIAL  to  me !!!

Almost   more  than  40   years  old ! 

I  have  special   feelings  for  it  .I  don't  know  when  i  will  die  what    will  my   children  do  to  it  ,may  they   will  throw  it  away  as  rubbish   but  for  me  it  is  treasure  from  my  golden  part  of  life  !

My   mom  would   have  lit  it  for  thousands   times   to  cook  dinners  and   doing  her  other  chores  in  nights  which  were   sometimes  silent  and  still   and  sometime  stormy  and  howling !

i   used  to  read  under  it's  dim  ,waving  yellow  light   my   school  books  ,magazines  ,storybooks  and  novels   until    our   village  got  electricity   i  think   in   1986  but   system  was  not  stable  at  all. Light  winds  blew  off the  wires  from  towers  and  village  get  under  the  rulement  of  darkness  once  again.


I  can  still  feel  the  joy  and  thrill  when  i  saw  first   time  lightened   bulb    in  my   room  .It   was  revolutionary  change   for  my   way  of  studies :)

It   was  like   someone  brought   bucket   filled  with   sunlight   and   spilled  it  in  our  home!!!

We   were   so   overwhelmed   by   joy   and   excitement   as  God   had  sprinkled   his  special   blessings  upon   us. I   remember  that  after  this  mom  immediately  bought  us  our  first   small  black  and  white  T.V.


When   i   got   married   in  1991    i   requested   mom  to   give  me   this  lantern  along  with  her  other  gifts  for  my  wedding.  She  was  surprised  with  my   request   as  on   such  occasions  girls   ask  for  brand  new  stuff  such  as  electric   appliances  or  furniture .But   i  was  asking  for  and  old  lantern .And  my  mom  gave  it  to  me!

I  never  used  it  in  my  married  life  as  there  was  no  need  but   i  kept  it  along  as  my  old  best   friend  which  provide  me   light  and  pierced  the   darkness   which  was   stopping  me  from  studies .

This  way   it  lit  my   mind  and  soul  too!


Precious   friends   time  to  prepare  lunch  ,my  kids  are  giving  their    yearly  exams  these  days  .

Weather    is  pleasant  with  highest  36  and  lowest  19  c.

Garden  has   some  lovely  colourful   smiles  which   bloom  my  heart  each  time  i look  at   them  and  smile  back  to  them  with  gratitude!

Requesting  each  of  you  to  take  good  care  of  yourself   and  stay    blessed  with  FAITH  and  HOPE which  are  base  to  miracles!

God  Bless  You   All!!!





  












34 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful story. It is striking how certain objects can come to mean so much to us. I understand why you asked for the lantern as s wedding gift. I think that gifts like that are some of the best that there are.

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  2. "All this i heard from my grandparents and my mother ."

    See..it didn't work. They knew. They saw it. :)

    I loved this post, Baili. So inspiring! Yes...education, the light...there are some here too who would snuff out those things if they could.

    Your post reminds that they can't!

    God Bless You.

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  3. "All this i heard from my grandparents and my mother ."

    See..it didn't work. They knew. They saw it. :)

    I loved this post, Baili. So inspiring! Yes...education, the light...there are some here too who would snuff out those things if they could.

    Your post reminds that they can't!

    God Bless You.

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  4. That is such a beautiful lantern! Your mom did the right thing, strong admirable woman.

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  5. I love this post Baili, it's your best ever as it tells so much about your childhood, what it has been like growing up as a girl in that era of suppression where education and knowledge were considered dangerous! and how precious your education was. The lantern is very special, when I was baptised I chose a song for everyone to sing 'thy word is a lamp unto my feet' which has the words from the Bible of Psalm 119 I think anyone who has faith in God (regardless of religion), could enjoy this song and the words(you could probably google it) which certainly seem special for you and your lantern. Betty x

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  6. You are right, sometimes old things revive sweet memories, and not only this. By restoring the atmosphere of good old days we come to define the major and minor. Thank you, Baili!
    with best wishes from Russia,
    Irina

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  7. What a beautiful story! And what a precious lantern! Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  8. What an impressive post, dearest Baili! Educating girls is of primary importance, as also those who tried to stop Malala Yousafzai very well knew. Your lantern is beautiful and a very precious memory and symbol.
    Blessings and hugs!

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  9. I hope you share this story with your sons. It will be something they can see to show them what a strong and determined mother you are. Perhaps one of them will have a daughter one day and give her your lantern to remind her that if she is determined she can do anything. It might become a family heirloom. I like the idea of that.

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  10. I so enjoyed reading your post, and yes I completely understand why the lantern is so special to you ... marvellous.

    My good wishes

    All the best Jan

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  11. What a heartwarming story, Baili! That lantern is indeed very special. Education is one of the greatest things for all.

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  12. Interesting reading about your lantern. Your mum was wonderful insisting you get schooling. Look at you now, doing so well writing in English :)

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  13. The lantern reminds me of the days on our farm before we had electricity. We used a lantern just like the one you show.

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  14. What a beautiful story of courage, persistence, and appreciation for an old friend. I can plainly see why your lamp holds such strong memories for you. I am so glad your mother supported you in your education. Lovely post, baili!

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  15. you are such an inspiration!! I love your stories, I truly do,

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  16. I love this story and I love how the lantern has been a true friend to you for all these years. Thank you for stopping by my blog and helping me to find you!

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  17. It's wonderful to find such a meaningful item after all these years.

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  18. It's funny how a small object can bring back so many memories, great story you have had a interesting life.
    Merle..................

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  19. A sua história é a história de uma pessoa que nunca recuou perante os obstáculos. Gosto de a ler. A lanterna é linda.
    Uma Páscoa muito abençoada.
    Beijos.

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  20. Hi Baili! :)) I LOVE LANTERNS!!! We have a few that we light on summer nights, they are so cozy and wonderful! You wrote such a nice story about your memories, what a great find, I can read your happiness in your words!!! :)

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  21. Ah, this is such a lovely story! That lantern is indeed a treasure. I can certainly understand why it means so much to you. Wishing God's blessings for you too!

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  22. This post made me cry. I can NOT imagine being deprived of so basic a right. That is just awful how people would conspire against your folks like that. That lantern is a beautiful, beautiful symbol of triumph and truth. Teach your children how important this is. Pass down these stories.

    Sending many good thoughts to you and your family from Missouri on this Easter Sunday.

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  23. A beautiful lantern and a beautiful story! Thanks for sharing it with us my friend! Pass down this story and lantern to your wonderful children! Big Hugs!

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  24. A beautiful story to go with the lantern. I have one of these for hurricane seasons when our Electricity goes out.

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  25. That lantern has a special place in your heart! It is good that you didn't give up going to school. You persevered and you are blessed!

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  26. Hello Baili! What a lovely story. Great memories and the lantern is a keeper and treasure. Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!

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  27. Dear Baili, thank you for sharing this wonderfully inspiring story. I never knew that education and electricity was kept from your Pakistani villages for so long. I love your idea of a "bucket of light" being spelt over your room and your home. What a gift--light! I took all that for granted all my life. Thank you for opening my eyes to all for which I want to be grateful.

    And thank you for treasuring that lantern that helped you learn so well for so long. Peace, pressed down and overflowing.

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  28. Oh what beautiful memories your lantern brings back :-)

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  29. A sad situation with the landlords...sadly the case in much of the world! How beautiful is your testament to education and light! Loved your lantern story!

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  30. What a heartwarming story! Thank you for sharing it!!

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  31. I loved this post, Baili! The story of your beloved lantern touched my heart. So often in history powerful people have tried to keep people uneducated so they can control them. I'm glad that you escaped that trap. I admire your mother for standing up for your education. I love your stories!

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