The Divine Aura - Part - I - First Steps

The morning sun painted our home orange, and somewhere during the divine coloring ceremony, a miracle was about to blossom.

My daughter had been moving fast with her baby walker for weeks, those precious hands gripping it with confidence and determination.

At one point I was worried "Oh..!!, Why she is holding it so firmly?", I was seeing the marks of the walker's handle in those tender palms, the pink palms were turning red.

I requested her, "Kanna, relax for a bit and then push the Walker...!!!". But, she did not agree, she was so caught up with that walker, maybe nature was making her do it., so I just smiled and left her to move as she preferred.

But, I still wanted her to take a break for a moment, I whispered to my sparrows to do something to make her take a small break.

My sparrows immediately on their mission, flew near my child, they sat on the Walker, she was happy to have them around, she stopped for a brief time when they flew to her Walker.

She was afraid to move fast with the walker with her firm determination as earlier because now the sparrows were sitting on the walker and at times one of them came down and was walking so close with the walker, she did not know what to do, she could have driven them away if she wanted to, but my daughter would not do that, I know it, she adores my sparrows, there is no way she will drive them away when they come to her.

Finally, she took a small break but still holding the walker but not as firmly and tightly as earlier, that was enough for me. My daughter might have realized that was my strategy to make her take a break, but she was not at all upset, that's my daughter!!, she smiled at me as if saying to me, "Papa!!?? I know your trick". I smiled at her little relieved as she is taking a break now and I looked at my sparrows, My sparrows looked at me in pride as they accomplished their mission. I thanked them silently.

After a brief time, I called my sparrows to come to my shoulders so my daughter can continue her walking using the walker. When my sparrows came back to my shoulders, my kid looked at me and gave a very cute look as if asking me "So, now break time is over is it!!? Papa?", though I understood her question from her look, I could not answer that, I just looked away but still smiling!!, she slowly started her walking again.

I did not realize this brief moment of rest would prepare her for something extraordinary.

Now, when she moved across the living room with her walker there was even more energy and positivity - she was singing, giggling, dancing, jumping and what not.

I was happily witnessing that natural flow state. I stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb the groove she was in by expressing how much I was enjoying it. She was so naturally expressing herself, some songs she was singing while she was walking was so sweet, my sparrows knew it, because they were dancing for those songs in my shoulders. They eagerly asked me if they can join my kid, I told that would actually only distract her, so asked them to just let her be, we shall witness it from here, they agreed and continued their dancing on my shoulders.

"Oh My God!! Thank you! for the eyes and ears and his grace on me that allowed me to witness and experience this pure joy and happiness",

I wondered "Is this what happens inside when a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly?".

I was convinced that it is the same phenomenon in play here.

"Ah!! is this that moment for my butterfly?" I wondered, as she stood still for a moment looking at me and nodding her head up and down as if in agreement, I asked her "Yenna da ma Kanna..?!!" she turned towards the walker and was shaking the walker and making sounds as if asking, "Why is this holding me?", I laughed out loud and asked her "Why don't you to let it go for a while?!".

We knew the miracle could happen any moment, we were waiting for many days to witness it.

But we didn't realize it would be at this very moment...

I leaned against the wall relaxedly, my sparrows resting on my shoulders, watching as she examined her colorful walker - the four-wheeled companion that had been her walking trainer for months. She placed her small palms on its handle, pushed it forward a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

With the most mischievous expression I had ever seen cross her angelic face, she looked at the walker, looked at me, and with deliberate joy, pushed it away!

Thud!

The walker rolled to the corner, forgotten, as if she was announcing to the universe:

"I'm ready to walk myself!"

My breath caught in my throat.

She stood balancing like a butterfly testing new wings, arms outstretched. Her eyes locked onto mine with focused determination. This was it - the moment I had been waiting for. My sparrows fluttered their wings in excitement.

At this very moment, there was this butterfly that flew straight to my kid's little fist, she was smiling at that butterfly without losing her balance, when this happened there was such a divine Aura that surrounded my kid, maybe Lord Vinayagar was blessing my kid on her first steps, without any reason I was filled with so much joy, this happened just as flashlight and the next moment the butterfly flew away and the Aura just dissolved into the colors of the butterfly or it dissolved into my kid's joyful smile, I could not comprehend as everything merged together, but I could see something profound happening before my eyes, I am sure I saw the Aura but the next moment the Aura switched places, I saw the joyful smile that emitted the same Aura and the flying butterfly also emitted the same Aura. I could not understand what just happened, I did not analyze this further. Because my kid was slowly moving on her own, I needed to focus on that.

One small foot forward. Then another. Wobbling, then steady, then taking another step. I felt overwhelming happiness while realizing something profound - she was becoming independent, growing away from needing me to hold her but when this thought came she was walking toward me. I broke to tears of joy!!

With that thought making my throat heavy, I called eagerly, "Come to Papa, chinna kanna!!," my voice thick with emotion. I almost ran to hold her, but stepped back and wanted to watch her walking alone.

Each step was a celebration, each wobble was a tiny adventure. I was clapping, my sparrows were jumping. Her face was filled with pure joy and mixed with concentration, she was smiling and it was emitting that Aura that I witnessed moments ago, when the butterfly sat on my kid's fist. As my mind drifted to the thought of the Aura. Quickly, my focus shifted to my kid who was slowly walking towards me..

Three steps, four, five... and then, just as she was about to reach me, gravity was trying to make her sit but this time I moved one step forward held her hands and helped her regain her balance that's it, her eyes sparkled and she looked up at me and the smile and joy radiated in her face was brighter than the sun. I smiled back for a moment and I released my hold on her hand so that she can continue her wobbling walk on her own.

"Amma! Amma!" I called out, my voice cracking with joy. "Inga vanthu paru.. ma, yen Kuzhanthaiya!"

From the kitchen hurried Patti. Within seconds, she appeared in the doorway, still holding a spoon, her eyes immediately finding my daughter standing there, gently swaying as she tried to catch her balance, smiling victoriously at her grandmother.

Patti was speechless for a moment, smiling with tears of joy rolling from her eyes as she said, "Kanna... kuzhanthai nadakkara da...!!!"

The moment her grandmother spoke, my daughter giggled and attempted another step. This time she took three brave steps toward Patti before making her sit down, then leaned against her and sat on her lap, clapping her hands as if to say, "Paathiya Patti, naan nadakkaren..!!?"

Patti immediately abandoned her cooking, wiping her hands on her saree and lifting the giggling child. Unable to control herself, she burst into tears of joy. My daughter reached out to wipe Patti's tears, and Patti closed her eyes, placing her cheek against the child's cheek, and emotionally saying this, "Yenga da Kanna poven naan ippadi oru santhoshathhuku, yen selvame, yen thanga kaatti, yen vairamey, yen chellame, nee yentha kuraiyum illama nalla irukkanaum da??," and her eyes got flooded with tears.

She immediately went to the pooja room, took a dash of vibudhi, and blessed my daughter, ensuring the sacred ash didn't disturb her eyes, then started praying silently. Seeing Patti's emotions, my kid naturally folded her hands and flickered her eyebrows that half closed the eyes and trying to mimic her Patti who was deeply praying.

Seeing this, I began praying in silence as well... so did my sparrows.

And so began the most beautiful daily ritual our home had ever known.