India Revisted

Sitting down to write about this past week in India is like trying to wipe finger smudges from our sliding glass door. The more I clean, the more smudges I see and I realize that after I am done, the smudges will return before the day is done. I could never give this India experience justice and no matter how hard I try, I will miss details that would give the story clarity...but I will try as it helps me to process as well. It has been two years since I have left India and returning to the familiar places, familiar sights and smells and sounds was definitely surreal...


We left for Chicago at 10:30 am on the 27th of August, flew out at 5:30 pm, landed at 5:30-ish p.m. on the 28th, grabbed a quick meal and some Ambien at the local chemist (phamacy) and headed to the train station. We left the train station at 11:30 p.m. arrived in Dehradun at 5:30 a.m. the 29th and drove about an hour to our house. We arrived at our house at approx. 8:30 a.m. and started unpacking our stored items. By 6:00 p.m. we had to have 9 boxes packed for home...


I found myself lingering on items; fingering them carefully as I played back memories of their importance in our family...thinking of the times they represented. How was I to just leave it or give it away? But we had a and a house-full stuff and I could not take it all home...

Some of the items were crawling with termites or filled with cockroaches, some had been destroyed by mildew or other such nasty things. All of it smelled of absence.

So for three days, we opened our doors and the masses came in to pay a few rupees for all that they could carry out. Some were even wanting to rip mirrors, and curtain rods off the walls as well as water heaters. It truly felt like the plague of locusts who strip the land clean. I am not complaining really as we need to get rid of everything...it was just such a strange feeling...perhaps a feeling of loss.


We ate meals in various homes, had chai in others, participated in a farewell assembly and functions at the hospital. The humid air was pregnant with water and found ourselves dripping with sweat. A quick bucket bath only relieved us of the sweating for those few moments. The minute our clothes were back on, they were once again wet...I found it difficult to concentrate, to eat and to sleep. I believe we averaged about four hours of sleep a night. I had forgotten about the power cuts, the barking dogs and the night watchman's whistle.


But I had also had forgotten how gracious our dear Indian friends could be and how much they loved Jeff and our family. I forgot how difficult some of their lives are and how they deal with their hardships with great dignity. I forgot how much I respected so many of them.

I am thankful that both Jeff and I felt great confirmation of our decision that our time in that little home was finished for now. But even so, it was difficult to say goodbye in more of a final way to those we had grown to appreciate and love.

I will write more about our trip, but will close for now. I have so much to be thankful for and so much to praise my Lord for. Indeed my heart is full.