Beautiful Wednesdays!

Wednesdays are wonderful for me ...... I look forward to this day as its a lot of 'me time' that I get and try my best to make the most of it! Its been years that I go to Mount Mary church at bandra ...... I cant recall why I zeroed in on a wednesday but all I do know is that once I started there was no looking back! Maybe it has something to do with my convent education .... As a child I do remember going to the chapel in my school whenever I wanted to pray and that was the quietest moment which I shared with God....... The peace that I found in that is hard to describe in words...... And the peace that I find going to Mount Mary every wednesday is just and extension of that.... There is definitely something about the vibe of the place as well and the location just adds to it..... I go to the church, put a few candles , sit there for as much as I feel like and then visit the grotto opposite the curch, light candles there ..... This whole process may sound like a ritual but for me its far more than that.... Its a very uplifting and wholesome experience ... Its like tuning into a part of myself which in turn tunes into a higher reality and together they find peace and reach a level of oneness!

And quite recently I have tried to follow another ritual ... that of visiting the parlour every wednesday or atleast every alternate wednesday ...... The parlour therapy just adds to the whole 'me time' experience.....Also most of the times the lady who attends to me there is this wonderful person who cant speak or hear but her spirit is unmatched by even the ones with all their faculties in perfect order and without this so called handicap..... They call her 'didi'....The zest and dedication with which she does her work is something else and the warmth that she exudes touch me at a very deep level..... Her smiling face is something that often comes back to me and I look forward to meeting her and seeing her happy cheerful face whenever I go there...... She is a great example of how beautifully one can live life despite the impediments that nature chose to endow upon someone......

The parlour itself is run by a lovely woman called Jane who is extremely good at her work and makes sure her clients get the best ... She is very compassionate and at the same time a task master to her employees ....... However crowded the parlour is I have yet to see her squirm or turn away someone........ She too is always smiling , cracking jokes with the girls there or the clients and she has a very affectionate and welcoming demeanour........ At the same time she takes enormous effort in training people under her so that her clients get treated in a way that makes them want to always come back.......

After going to the parlour in the afternoon , I visit this bakery called American Express Bakery ..... I have very fond memories of this place as they had a branch close to our house and I remember going there almost everyday to get our daily supply of bread ..... Unfortunately they leased out this place near my house which now boasts of a boring Barista.... So now, their one and only branch is in Bandra.... Since I am in the area almost every wednesday, I make sure to go there to pick up their lovely bread ...... At times I have my evening cuppa tea there with a sandwich and chat away with the owner of the place .. a lovely old lady called Mrs Caravalho who loves narrating stories and talking about anything and everything ...She again is someone who makes sure that people visit them for the quality they offer, which I can personally vouch for since I have eaten their stuff since childhood... The taste still remains the same which is coupled with the fact that they never compromise on quality .........They have lovely cakes, bread , and some good health snacks.. My personal favourites there are the sundried tomato and basil bread, the normal white slice bread and the veg puff , in that order ........ I always tell the aunty there that I really wish that they take back their property in Santa Cruz and open their own branch again .... and she always smiles and tells me that they would surely do that and its only a matter of time.. They are just waiting for their son to return from abroad as they need trustworthy people to manage the family business and she and her husband already being aged, find it difficult to maintain and oversee every minute detail....... Just recently she told me how they were written about in the paper and with pride she mentioned that the next time I visit, she would give me a copy of the article...... While writing this I wonder where the name came from .... maybe I should ask aunty the story behind that the next time Im around ........ To say the least it will be very inetersting!

God bless Jane's parlour and The American Express Bakery and may they always have grace and abundance, and continue to have the dignity and humility with which they "serve" ........

So that is my 'trio' for a typically free wednesday ...... The parlour , the bakery and the church ..... And last but not the least is my walk from the church ...... Where I am immersed in myself, totally satisfied after feeding my vanity, my body and my soul!

And come to think of it , the common factor/thread here is a catholic connection which runs through all these three.....Its an observation ...... It might just be a coincidence or a thoughtfully orchestrated plan for me by someone up there :)
But im not complaining :)

So for very obvious reasons, I look forward to and cherish my wednesdays :)