PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2023

A warm welcome to all of you. I hope and pray that all the members of our family all over the world are doing well and keeping in good health. The last four years have been very uncertain, dealing with COVID has changed all our lives. The pandemic was a very trying and painful experience for all of us. Many known and unknown people have passed away. Let us give thanks to God that we are all safe and it is a blessing to be alive today.

On a lighter note, I would like to start by thanking all of you for electing me as President for the last four years. I sincerely appreciate the faith you have in me and for letting me continue as President for four years. I am pleased to conclude that all of you are very fond of me. As the President I had the privilege of not having to do any work at all. Thank you to the Secretary, Joe Louis Manavalan who was kind enough to organize and coordinate all the aspects of the October 2023 -Manavalan Meet in Bangalore. Joe your hard work is sincerely recognized by all of us and especially by me.

As I age, I have come to realize that health is the only wealth I need at this stage in my life. From a very young age I have admired St. Teresa of Kolkata a lot and I am truly blessed to be her namesake. I would like to share a few thoughts about this humble saint and how she has influenced my life.

Many years ago, when I was younger, I had the privilege to see and listen to Mother Teresa speak when she visited Kothamangalam, Kerala in December 1981. Thousands had gathered in the small town of Kothamangalam to get a glimpse of Mother Teresa and nobody wanted to miss the chance to see this tiny, frail, amazing woman who was so well known and respected all around the world for her service to the poor and abandoned.

Mother Teresa spoke her first word that day and there was absolute silence in the crowd for the next 30 mins. Every person present there that day listened to her words and her message was very touching and inspirational. Seeing her and listening to her powerful message that day changed my life forever. I realized that day, that life goes by very quickly and each one of us has a limited amount of time on this earth.

My goal from that day was during the rest of my life to try and make a difference in a few people's lives in whatever small way that I can. I thought it might be challenging but I was surprised that all I had to do was to look around me and there were so many people who needed help. I am blessed that I was given the chance to help a few people in my own small way. Doing something for someone without expecting anything in return gave me a lot of peace and joy.

I would like to end this message with two quotes of St. Teresa of Kolkata that has inspired me. “There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do small things”. “Every act of love is a work of peace, no matter how small”. I am truly blessed to have all of you as a part of my family. God bless each one of you.

Teresa Antony (Baby) October 2023