Happy Thanksgiving Day

He who thanks but with the lips

Thanks but in part;

The full, the true Thanksgiving

Comes from the heart.

- J.A. Shedd

For flowers that bloom about our feet;

For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;

For song of bird, and hum of bee;

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness! - William Shakespeare

Some hindi quotes -

on shri sainathaya namah,
sai nath aap mujhe is duniya mein leke aaye shukriya...
mujhe aise maa baap diye jo kisi bhagwan se kam nahi hai...shukriya
mujhe zindagi mein khushi di...shukriya
kisi cheez ki kami nahi hone di.... shukriya
mere har dukh ko durr kiya aur kar rahe hai..shukriya
mujhe pyar kiya..mujhe apnaya....shukriya
meri galtiyon ko maaf kiya..shukriya
mujhe dusra mauka diya...shukriya
mujhe himmat di,sahayata ki...shukriya
aapko jitna shukriya bolun kam hai....par shukriya sainath ki aapki kripa mujhpe hai sainath..
yahi kripa banaye rakhna sainath.....
shukriya baba

- Unknown

God bless the whole world, no exceptions!

Dry Fruits Barfi

When I got married, I didn't know cooking much. So obviously I didn't have any idea about cooking on the festivals and different occasions. I was very lucky to have my mother-in-law who used to cook a lot and have a great knowledge on everything. She makes different kinds of food and sweets on different occasions.  She is a great inspiration to me. We always did puja with her on every diwali.

This was the first time when we did puja separately in our house. So, I didn't have any plan or idea what to do. My mother-in-law guided me for what things I need and how to do puja. When I thought about sweets, I remember she made sweets at home only. So, I thought I should give a try this time.

I searched on the internet and I got the recipe for Dry Fruits Barfi. But, my plan was to make sweets with things available at home. I didn't have time to go out and buy something. So, I changed the ingredients and made the sweets.

Ingredients :

1 cup dry pitted dates

1/4 cup dry figs

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

Ghee as required

Method :

1. Chop the dates and figs in very small pieces. Also chop the almonds and walnuts finely.
2. Grease one tray and put it aside.
3. In kadai (wide pan), put 2 tbsp ghee and put all the dry fruits.
4. Mix them thoroughly. Put some more ghee if needed.
5. Dates and figs will melt and become sticky. Stir continuously and cook it till all the ingredients bind together.
6. Transfer the mixture to the greased tray and flatten with knife or spoon making it smooth.
7. Let it cool for 1/2 an hour and then cut into square shapes. Store them in tight container.

I liked this recipe as it is healthy and full of fibers & antioxidants and also is nutrients rich. It is naturally sweet so there is no need to add sugar. My husband liked it very much. He said I'll finish this before anyone eats. For me, it  was a good experience. I love it. :)

Happy Deepawali

May God shower his

choicest blessings on you.

Wishing you happiness, good

health & a great year ahead…

Happy Diwali…

Sending you smiles for every

moment of your special day,

Have a wonderful time & Happy Diwali.

Oh My God (2012)

Today, I watched a movie Oh My God (2012 film) and I liked the movie very much. Every one acted very well in the movie and I liked the role of Kanjibhai Lalji Mehta (Kanji Bhai) played by Paresh Rawal. Paresh Rawal is a great actor. Mithun Chakraborty has played a very different role and he was also good. Akshay Kumar was in the role of modern Krishna and he also performed very well. The story and subject of the story were also impressive.

I like theme based movies. This movie was message to all the people in this world, that how today most of the people make use of the religion and have made it their businesses. The people are very superstitious and easily misguided by godmen (priests, pandits and maulvis). These god-men have made business in name of religion. They themselves are not spiritual and having any knowledge of religion, they don't know the meaning and purpose of the rituals. They just have made use of religion to earn money.

It's true that the people like to give money and other things to the temples, churches and masjids, but not to needy people. They are god fearing people, not god loving people. The God is everywhere. We should have faith in him. Whatever religion we follow, first we are the human beings. And we should respect every person in this world. Every religion teaches us to spread love everywhere.

Hindus advocate the practice of ahimsa (non-violence) and respect for all life because divinity is believed to permeate all beings, including plants and non-human animals. Jainism teaches us "ahimsa parmo dharmah" (Non-violence is main religion) and "Jiyo aur jeene do" (Live and let live). Islam also is a great supporter of peace and non-violence. It is proven in the article Ahimsa. All other religions also follow the same. Our great leaders like Mahatama Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Malcom X and Cesar Chavez were also the supporters of non-violence.

The drama was shown in the movie to question the existence of God and to attack on Godmen's selfishness. And the movie was based on a Gujarati play called Kanji Virudh (vs) Kanji, and with a plot similar to that of the Australian film The Man Who Sued God.