Guiding Light of The Month

O Lord, how ardently do I call and implore Thy love! Grant that my aspiration may be intense enough to awaken the same aspiration everywhere: oh, may good- ness, justice and peace reign as supreme masters, may ignorant egoism be overcome, darkness be suddenly illu- minated by Thy pure Light; may the blind see, the deaf hear, may Thy law be proclaimed in every place and, in a constantly progressive union, in an ever more perfect harmony, may all, like one single being, stretch out their arms towards Thee to identify themselves with Thee and manifest Thee upon earth. - The Mother

Along the Way… Jul 2016 Morning Walk - A Review

On Sunday 3rd July, we went for a walk at Pasir Ris Park. There were only 3 people walking. Four of us went roller skating.

We roller skated uphill and downhill and oohed in delight.

We loved going downhill on our skates because we zoom down.

We then went to the mangroves where there were so many crabs. We learnt fascinating facts about mangroves like how horse shoe crabs are related to scorpions and spiders.

The brunch that followed was very tasty and delightful. We especially loved that everything there was home-made, even fizzy juice.

We are looking forward to the next walk.
-          Anjali and Sophia Curic
***

For a person living in Western Singapore, to reach Pasir Ris Park located in East Singapore promptly at 8 am was indeed a challenge especially in present times when MRT has curtailed its operating hours to start at 7 am instead of the usual 6 am. After facing such a challenge on a sultry Sunday and reaching the Meeting Point just in time, it was indeed refreshing to see our host Sanjay and his son Akash waiting for us.

The small group split into 2 – one group of 4 going for roller skating while the rest 3 started the walk. Contrary to my apprehension about searing heat, what I witnessed was ample cover from mature trees and cool breeze blowing in from the shoreline.

 It was a very enjoyable walk for me discussing with our young Akash (Secondary 1 Student in Singapore) about the Singapore School Admission systems and the education system in some special schools.

Charming and tranquil, Pasir Ris Park (meaning “narrow beach”) is indeed a great walk venue with its idyllic seaside setting (which surprisingly is a long beach though “narrow”).

With multiple trails and an excellent Mangrove Boardwalk, visitors can explore the beauty of the mangrove forest and get close to its inhabitants.

One cannot help but admire how nature in the form of Mangrove forests acts as a buffer between land and sea thus helping to halt erosion of the coast by breaking the strong forces of waves; it is also a haven for crabs which have excavated innumerous burrows for inhabitation in the mangrove.

It is a treat to watch crabs running for cover to reach the burrows once they get disturbed by human movements.

“Love of Nature is usually the sign of a pure and healthy being uncorrupted by modern civilisation. It is in the silence of a peaceful mind that one can best commune with Nature.”
The Mother 13 Nov 1969, Pg 401, Vol 16, CWM

The three-storey Bird Watching Tower located within the mangrove forest allows bird enthusiasts to observe birds in their natural surroundings and to enjoy the vast expanse of the sea before us.

Additionally it is a joy to see families with young kids having uninterrupted fun at the playground, one of the largest in Singapore and enjoying the thrill of navigating one’s way through the maze in the Maze Garden there.

-          S.Ramanathan


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