The Paper Kite

The book open, my eyes half shut, lost in mindless reverie I lay, when a distant rustling sound, disturbed my lazy afternoon, the one of many these days.

Looking up I see, a lone paper kite, tossing and turning in the sky, flying tethered to the end of a string, held remotely by a hand unseen.

His face brightly coloured and square, his tail a snapping streamer, fluttering with carefree abandon,the kite took delight in his freedom. The gentle breeze his companion, the wind beneath his wings .

He raced with the clouds, flew with the birds, his liberty knew no bounds and then he reached for the sun. He stretched and then he stretched again until there was a sharp and ripping sound.

Detached from the string, free from the remote hand unseen, the kite was ecstatic and soared to new heights . Until the wind changed its course and woe, the kite was tumbling down. No longer flamboyant, no longer flying high, he landed in a crumpled heap.

The little boy still holding the string ,rushed to save his kite. Looking on forlornly, he wondered, did he not craft him perfectly, to soar high ? Did he not guide him expertly, then why ? Was it not the boy’s folly to imagine, the kite in its flight would always remain,tethered to his string?

Much like the vagaries of our life, this. We nurture and watch our children grow. Giving them the best years of our lives, we hope to hold them close, forever . But too soon they break free, in search of their destiny.

Sometimes rising , sometimes failing, some to succeed, some to perish, while we watch on helplessly. But in faith we believe, though they stray far from us, their lives remain safe in the Hands of the Lord above.

We pray fervently, that in His love and mercy He will hold their future and guide them. That His grace will raise them, each time they fall, make them victors, not victims and when lost and lonely, His peace will lead them to a place of hope and tranquility,