Where there is a Will…

“Hello, I’m Joice” was the beginning of the discovery of a gem of a woman, a friend! Joice met with me one day in Church, telling me of her desire to make a contribution towards the printing of new hymn books as the existing books wore their years of wear and tear on their covers as it were. “What a God-send” I thought! In the course of our interactions, I found there was precious more to this simple, shy, sweet-natured lady than meets the eye. 

Joice had retired fairly recently from the one and only Kodaikanal International School (KIS), an excellent teacher of Mathematics. Originally from Dindigul, Joice made Madurai her home and the Sacred Heart Church here, her place of worship. And it was on one such Sunday, after Mass, that acquaintance led to a deep bond of friendship between us.

Joice’s story may seem quite the run-of-the-mill kind: study, marriage, two adorable children, a job she loved! But no, those invisible twists and turns on life’s harsh road have their own story to tell, at times blindsiding the innocent traveller. Joice and Selvaraj met when they were M.Phil. scholars at St. Joseph’s College, Trichy, and well, nothing can trounce love that evolves from friendship, can it – that undulating wind that gently wafts the long-lasting fragrance of love! Selva, in Joice’s words is a “vibrant, intellectual, people-oriented person, gifted with the power of multitasking.” Taking their love to the next level, they approached their respective families for permission to marry and met with their first road block with only one ‘take diversion’ and that being, once married, her family made it more than clear that Joice and Selva were to have nothing to do with them. Sometimes, when life doesn’t offer you any options (or irrational options), you have to become the algorithm for your solutions! 

Ensconced in their indestructible love for each other, Joice and Selva made it down the aisle to altar, blessed and blissful in the presence of family and friends, and above all, God. Getting into the workforce took a few hard months, but they did receive their breakthrough. Selva got into the faculty of a reputed college in Madurai. Joice, whose entire schooling was in the regional medium, struggled with the English language. But her hard-nosed attitude and deep faith saw her clear her interview and get into the department of mathematics at the distinguished KIS where she and her students reveled in the realm of problem solving!

Life sure has a knack of tossing one into its deep end when least expected. And so it happened with Joice too. And swim against the strong currents she must! Giving up and sinking never occurred to her at any time – not when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, or when she lost the love and light of her life: Selva, her darling young husband!

Stay afloat with me as we plunge into these two abysmal depths of darkness that threatened to drown Joice’s love for life.  Having sought one of the best oncologists in Madurai to perform her surgery, Selva and the children rallied round Joice praying the Healing Hand upon her despite the travails and trauma of uncertainty. Thanks, is also due to her School that aided in Joice’s quick recovery by blessing her with six months of paid leave. On every visit to the hospital for her check-up, Joice never failed to spend time with the other patients, who, like her, were engaged in a fight for survival against the dreaded disease. She spoke to the patients’ relatives about how their love, support and understanding can work wonders in hastening the healing process. To the patients she spoke faith and courage and hope. All of which she had received, unconditionally, from her little God-given family and friends.

A healed and happy Joice waded back into her life, “stronger, both physically and spiritually” only to be dealt with another more atrocious blow – the sudden, swift and shocking demise of her Selva. As if battling and overcoming cancer wasn’t enough, Joice was now called to live life without her Life – Selva! We, who tend to accuse life of being unfair at times, must take a moment and think about those, like my Joice, who are dealt the worst hand by life! Singlehandedly, she saw to her daughter’s wedding, her son, off to other lands for higher studies, giving off the little she has to causes close to her heart.

Overcoming the surmounting problems that surround her like hungry sharks in the open sea of life, with her only weapon, her firm faith and total trust in God, Joice has surfaced, the strong survivor of her appalling circumstances. Slowly but surely Joice has begun rebuilding her life, diving into the deep ends with a courage and trust born out of faith, that no matter what life has in store, she would make it out each time, stronger, wiser and better equipped to make short-shrift of the rocks that life may hurl her way. To me, Joice is the proverbial Phoenix, that mythological bird, that reborn, rises from its ashes to live anew! Where there is a Will, I believe, God opens a Way.