Thoughts from here...

After much anticipation, I have a arrived.
It has been raining, but today the sun began to shine - a very hot sun.

Bangalore is a crowded city, with broken sidewalks and neverending traffic. Asha Niketan is a lovely oasis that exists within the chaos.
The people are good, kind and patient, and slowly I am figuring out the daily routine.
The recent events in Mumbai have been unnerving, especially as a foreign national; but it is all quite a distance away, and I am safe. 100 million thank you's for your thoughts, prayers and notes of concern. Of course, we continue to pray for those in Mumbai.

Ashita (an assistant from Delhi) took me clothes shopping yesterday, so now I don't stand out as much. Not surprisingly however, I continue to be stared at, and two of the young men at the house played a game today by finding all of the white people in the newspaper and showing them to me!

It's hard to believe that I've made it to India - almost dreamlike.

Love from Bangalore...

"And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T. S. Elliot

Tomorrow, at 13h50 I will fly to Bangalore India.

Even just writing it makes me stop and wonder how I made it to this place in my life.

If you've met me over the past few months, you've heard how India has always been one of my dreams.
In Girl Guides, when it came time to dress up as someone from a World Centre, I always chose Sangam, the World Centre in India.
I've owned a sari since I was 12 (a beautiful red one),

I took veena lessons while I was in university and I even tracked down an Indian woman to give a group of friends and me a lesson in Indian cooking before I left Kingston.
I can't tell you exactly what enchants me about the country. Perhaps it is that there is so much about it that to me is unknown.
Certainly, I've always been drawn to the colour, the music, the food and the overwhelming history that the country holds.
And in some way, I hope that living abroad, looking at the stars from a different angle, will help me on my journey.

And here is my challenge.
Tomorrow I leave Canada with no expectations, only an open heart.

In India, I found a race of mortals living upon the Earth, but not adhering to it, inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing everything, but possessed by nothing
Apollonius Tyanaeus quotes (Neo-Pythagorean)

“When we light a candle at midnight, we say to the darkness ' I beg to differ'”*

It seems so often in life that in order to truly understand and appreciate the 'light' in our lives, we must also see some 'darkness'. It is only by contrast that we know the two are different, and it is only by living through times of frustration, sorrow and loss that we are able to truly honour love, joy and times of celebration.

It would be somewhat remiss to not acknowledge the pain of the last year, particularly at Korban House where I have shared life for the past 2. The sudden and harsh leaving of Robert, the sadness of Michael's illness and death, and the grief of Angela's sudden death that continues to linger in my life.

However, in this season of celebration I would like to share some of the light that has helped shed the darkness from our home. Her name is Coralee.

In truth, Coralee should be writing this article; she is an intelligent, well-spoken young woman who is well aware of herself and the people around her. I am thankful that she has allowed me the privilege to tell some of her story and to try to explain what she means in my life.

Coralee has been a part of L'Arche Cape Breton for a number of years - working at The Ark Store while she was in high school and after graduation. She is originally (and proudly) from Washabuck, the daughter of Leo and Edie and sister of Lindsay. She also has a large extended family, something you realize the moment you leave the house and are met by an onslaught of greetings from people who know and love Coralee.

Coralee moved to Korban House the day after I returned from a two month 'leave of absence' from the community. We both faced challenges; she, that of leaving home for the first time and me, that of welcoming someone new into my home and into my heart.

“No, this is how it works,

you peer inside yourself

you take the things you like

and try to love the things you took

and then you take that love you made

and stick it into some one else's heart

pumping someone else's blood

and walking arm in arm

you hope it don't get harmed

but even if it does

you'll just do it all again”**

And so our relationship began, slowly, tentatively, we got to know each other. I learned that Coralee loves a good joke, hates to be misunderstood or disregarded, and, more than anything is an incredible teacher in the importance of 'just being together'. She is fiercely independent, loves a good cup of tea and will never forget an important date, appointment or the need to check the answering machine when we get home. In return, Coralee learned how important it is for me to have someone ask 'How are you?' (and she does it on a regular basis), she learned that I have a fiery temper, a passion for honest laughter and warm hugs and that I love to sing and dance in silly places. And we learned our commonalities - we both come from loving families who found it difficult for us to leave home. We love to talk about our parents, and return home whenever possible. We also learned that it was through that love that we have been able to become independent women - open to new people and new relationships.

In a short period of time, Coralee has truly brought life and light to Korban House. You can hear it in the loud laughter of Buddy Payne as he reaches down the table to tease Coralee at supper time. You can see it in Rod's calm as Coralee speaks openly and sincerely with him about music and asking how his day went. You can feel it in the house, that just a few months ago felt so empty and so terribly lonely, and is now slowly being filled with the warmth and glow of a home that truly welcomes people, and shows new members of our home what it means to share in the celebration of life together.

*Graffiti on Queen St. W wall as quoted by Mary Jo Leddy

**Regina Spektor 'On the Radio'