THESE SMALL THINGS

 
Baba returned to Mahabaleshwar from this tour before Christmas [1950]. How well I remember that Christmas! We went into the jungles that surrounded our villa and dug up a small evergreen tree to place on the living room table. Mehera and Mani, with Meheru assisting, made all its paper decorations. Mani insisted I make an angel for the top of the tree.

The tree looked beautiful and I can still see that sweet, gentle smile on Baba's face as he stood by it on Christmas morning.

Rano and Naja made their contribution — a table decoration. It was a wonderful cottage made out of cookies, icing and sugar. A face peered from one of its windows. It was lit up from inside by some quite simple contrivance, for we could not buy materials. Up the lane to the little house trotted, I believe on the snow, a deer.

There in the middle of the jungle, Baba had this wonderful surprise — a Christmas tree and a wintry Christmas cottage! It is these small things which bring that not-so-frequent smile to Baba's face when suffering is acute.