At the end of darshan last night, as Amma was stepping out of the hall, a young girl standing along Amma's walkway placed her head on Amma's shoulder. Amma held her and walked down with her, listening to what she had to say. As they walked down, the girl's voice grew in intensity, urging Amma to intervene in a lover's tiff that she was having with her husband. As everyone stood on tiptoes and chairs to see what had held Amma up, the girl continued talking to Amma, completely oblivious of her surroundings.

"He does not respect me any more... He is actually telling me what to do. When I was younger I had to listen to my father... now that I am married, I have to listen to my husband... When will this end?" the girl appeared distraught. Amma chuckled quietly as She listened to the outburst...Like a mother who seeks to bring peace between two kids fighting over a candy bar, she listened first. Then when the matter did not show any signs of abating on its own, she became serious.

Looking at the girl, she said, "You want your husband to be a 'husband' all the time. You need to understand one thing. A man and a woman take on four roles in a married relationship. Within that relationship, the man is a husband, a lover, a son and a father. Similarly, the woman is a wife, a lover, a daughter and a mother. If you expect your husband to be only a husband and respect you all the time, where is the space to share his inner feelings openly with you?" Leaving the couple and the silent crowd to contemplate this, Amma left the hall, touching and blessing outstretched hands on her path.

Present any situation to Amma and she is like a magician performing a hat trick....with a flick she pulls out the positive and displays it to you on a platter. As she always points out, "A beautiful lotus grows and blooms out of a pond of murky water. Similarly, if we encounter all situations in our lives with a positive attitude, our lives will also become meaningful and beautiful..."