Here and there…
I suppose it's no surprise that a piece of me is still in Kolkata… …but I'm kind of surprised with a thousand stories left to tell, today I've had few words. I suppose that will come with time, but for now, thank you for investing the...
Revelation
I'm standing in the shower while a perpetual army of water soldiers fights off the day's sweat and filth and emotion when I notice the shelf in front of me. I mentally tick off seven miniature bottles whose purpose is to clean, condition, soften and...
Date night
The Compassion Bloggers' India team will host a live chat with video feed Thursday night (tonight for y'all, tomorrow for us!) at 10:00 p.m. CST. If you're interested in what's been happening "in between the lines", please make...
Into the marrow
She will haunt me, this I know. "I am happy," she says, and she means it. Even if she did not speak those words, her countenance belies this simple truth: She is happy. Kiran invited us to her home today, a 4' x 6' shoebox in the...
What’s “not fair” to you…?
I loved sharing pictures with you from Wednesday's visit to a Compassion Child Survival Program, but please click over to 5 Minutes for Mom to read my thoughts in response. I hope you'll add your two cents–it's one of those posts that's...
Village people
Seeing my life flash before my eyes has become routine in Calcutta; after a 90-minute, harrowing, honk-accompanied bus-transferring-to-rickshaw ride, we reached our rural destination, one of Compassion International's Child Survival Programs. Because...
Universal language
A smile is the universal welcome.~Max Eastman The shortest distance between two peopleis a smile. If you smile at someone, they might smile back. Smiling is my favorite exercise. People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. ~Lee Mildon...
Pride and prejudice
Standing inside their doorway, him dressed in stoicism and a stained white tee, her draped in demureness and a cheerful pink sari, they invited us into their home. It was the first time I've ever been invited straight to someone's bedroom the moment...
Old men, little boys and Mama T
Though his head lay closest to me, it was his feet I noticed first. Extending beyond the frayed hem of an ancient pair of pants that draped skin and bone, his feet were filth-covered gnarls that hadn't seen shoes in years. His body was curled into...