Ups and downs

Though it’s a cliché, it’s true that life here is often a rollercoaster.  Today held both peaks and valleys.

It may sound insignificant, but I was feeling really tired of India after a terrible haircut experience for Hannah and myself (not being listened to, being stared at by all the stylists and the patrons in the salon at the mall, being overcharged by 3 times, and leaving with precisely the same hair problem we came in with) then haggling with a rickshaw driver and being overcharged by more than 300%.... being laughed at by the whole line of drivers, all unwilling to turn on the meter or agree on a fair price (even twice what Indians would pay).  It’s hard to feel like you’re always being taken advantage of and all people see is a white face = money.

I’m happy to report that the end of the day was a highlight of our time here.  Rani, who cleans for us and cares for Sarah in the evenings, invited us to her new home for dinner.  We were able to help her secure some affordable housing for a long period of time and she wanted to thank us for our assistance.  It was a sweet time of fellowship with her family—her widowed mother and three daughters.  We prayed blessings for her new home and enjoyed a delicious meal prepared just for us, with each of our favorite dishes and beverages.  Her mother wept with gratitude, I cried tears of amazement at God’s goodness to us and to others, and the children played happily around us.  It is a simple place but spacious by Indian standards, spotlessly clean and cheerfully painted and decorated. 

As I savor the evening in recounting it, the most salient part is the deep happiness I felt in spending the evening there.  Before we left, she showed us the rooftop where washing is done, shoes are stored and chilis are dried.  The sun was setting, palm trees waved, raucous temple music wafted in and out, trucks and rickshaws sputtered on the street, an occasional goat bleated and Sarah waved to the passersby staring (read: gaping) at us from 3 stories below.

Rani’s life has truly touched ours (see previous post) and I am grateful.  Her love for us and our children, especially Sarah, has been a great joy and comfort to us on this rollercoaster.  I will truly miss her presence in our lives..