Then came grace

            When I moved to the US as a young wife and mother 14 years ago. I was a bit apprehensive but I had imagined it would be no different from the first 2 times I had been here. Once when I was 14, sheltered by my parents-safe and secure. The next time when I was 24,I was at an educational institute that took care of all my needs and requirements. This time as we arrived in Indianapolis, I was in for a rude awakening. I was the caretaker. I was one of the 2 parents. I was the mother who with the father had to figure out living in another country with a baby. I hadn’t quite dwelt on that until I started living it. Gradually, it sunk in.

             It wasn’t as rosy as I had imagined. While my husband went to work at his new job in the new country, I was dealing with my son-who was 6 months old, figuring out what to feed him(Gerbers baby food), watching him sleep(in his crib), and when he was awake watching him watch kids’ shows on TV. It was a bit frightening when I thought the one of the Wiggles guys was cute!! and when I knew every truck and crane by name  in Bob the builder and when I was able to sing all Barney’s songs by heart. Sure enough, there were days that seemed to limit me to the four walls and got me to wonder if this was it. Where was my Jeremiah 29:11? Where was my dream of a career? There might have been a bit of panic, I am sure of it.

           Then came an interesting change of scenery. We went to church. The church that had a steeple which was visible from our window. Stepping beyond out comfort  zone of known people and stepping in that church of strangers was probably my saving grace. That same day, we were treated to lunch by a couple. That evening, a lady from the church showed up at my door to say hi. She noticed my empty apartment and made calls to her friends in church. In a week, our apartment was fully furnished down to a vacuum cleaner.

            I slowly started making friends in my church and joined MOPS(Mother of Preschoolers). I was alarmed to see many of the women at MOPS were Stay-at-home moms too but these ones were happy and jubilant! I was tired and in shock! I gazed in awe at them and their joy as I battled my 'newness' in motherhood and my 'newness' in this country.  I was buffeted by pangs of homesickness. I missed being familiar with everything and everyone. Then came grace in the form of 2 women, who became my buddies-who drove me places with my son, chuck-e-cheese's, the mall, chick-fil-a and had us over for play dates with their kids. One special lady, introduced me to the world of  Scrapbooking. One lady sought my help during her pregnancy to manage her daycare that she ran. And so it began.....life got better. I made more friends. We traded recipes and stories. Traded laughter and hand me downs. Slowly, my walls of loneliness began to crumble and soon enough I was involved in Bible studies, MOPS leadership, church choir, Sunday school  and my family became part of a wonderful small group at church.

            This was a far cry from the fears I had imposed on myself-that I was going to be cut off from civilization, I'd be all alone in this new country and be the sole caretaker of my son during the day. That church was indeed my saving grace. Saved me from loneliness and gloom, taught me to find joy in motherhood and unbeknownst to me, taught me to be a better wife.
             It happened again when we moved to Colorado. Another church, another MOPS, same story. A family invited us to their house that evening. And so the story goes. Deep friendships that have formed since that first day ten years ago.. Our sons are best friends and our daughters share the same birthday. We are one big family.
             Thanks to your open hearts and arms that made us comfortable. Thanks to trusting us enough to open your doors. Thanks to looking past the 'newness' in us and welcoming us, nevertheless. Thanks for being our friends. Thanks for taking that first step with us.

Stating the obvious about the election year

         I love those election campaign commercials! Said no one ever. So why do we put up with it? Just because the politicians are rich enough to buy airtime and have access to our phone numbers, why should we,the people, put up with it? Can't we do something to reject them? Pass a bill to block this power play? To see and hear the same commercials over and over again, droning out everything else, does seem a bit redundant. And no, watching it or hearing it one more time is not going to change my mind. No matter how I look at it, I am not voting for any of them. So I cry out.

            To be honest, I love the election year in the United States. Love watching the delegate count, Super Tuesdays coverages, every news anchor getting so heated up about every political issue on the plate, yet ignoring the rest of the world as if no one exists outside of the United States. As for myself,  if I could help it from here on out till November, I'd be content to watch just one channel (and ABC on Thursdays for Grey's).  Altho' by now I wish we knew who exactly the nominees were, but that's not happening anytime soon for at least one party. And so we await a contested convention. Seriously, can't wait.

           Sure, we find ourselves in a very bizarre election year.... where the youngest candidate is 45 and the oldest 74. That is not the bizarre part of it. The 'bizarreness' part is where one party is scrambling to stop the front runner. Not the other party's  front runner but its own. I have never heard that and I bet you haven't either. What do you call someone who feeds fear and hatred of minorities to the paranoid? The front runner of one party. The 'front runner' is not a politician they say, he is an 'outsider' which is why people love him. What do you call someone who, potentially, does win the election under a party banner and gets into the white house? A politician. I have also heard this particular candidate using absolute degrading words to define the other candidates (of the same party and of course, even worse words for the opposite side) and I have heard better from school kids and teenagers who get into a fight. To imagine this front runner being the next president  makes me realize I am not good with imagination.

            Like I said, even if I were to vote, I wouldn't know if I would want to. I hate guns and I hate abortions.  I don't get how one can be pro-gun and pro-life.  Someone said that it is comparing Apples to Oranges. Really? Is it? To me both represent death. I don't get how one can be pro-life and anti-refugee. On the other hand, I don't get how pro-choice means you can choose anything  you want to do or be. I don't get how one can deny climate change.  I don't get the uproar about a female president/ vice -president  in the United States, either. I come from India that has had a female President, a female Prime Minister and a female Chief minister and to top that the parliament has 33% allotted for women. No matter what you think of male chauvinism in India, we have had women in leadership and India is doing just fine. After all, are we all not created in God's image. Were we all not born of a woman?

            If everyone who says they will move to Canada if a woman or this bad mouthing front runner becomes President  were to keep their word, I envision an immigration crisis in the North for the first time.  And what are we gonna do, build a wall and have Canada pay for that?