Comforts of a Home

Sept. 29th, 2008 By the Grace and workings of the Universe my dear friend Sunder Kaur and her husband Hargobind just happen to arrive to India to visit with his parents for a week or so in Amritsar. They found out two weeks before we left that they were landing in India the day after we would! We joined them after our jaunt to the Taj Mahal. Hargobind's parents, Amar Jit and Param Jit (both have the same middle name) are retired doctors who we soon found out were well known all over Amritsar. They are both amazing, loving and talented people who we felt instantly at home with. Our week was wonderful. We enjoyed the early morning walk in the park with the Jits. I discovered the fox bat... I swear it was as big as a cat with wings. And get this there were at least 200 of them all in one tree hanging upside down with their bony wings wrapped around themselves screeching and settling down for a sleep. The people who walk there everyday said "that they had never noticed them before and that they probably just showed up... migrating fox bats?" We enjoyed new spectacle buying... three pairs of glasses for $40... not bad... Steve really likes his pairs. My pair look a little like something Elton John would wear but I like that they are rose colored and the only sunglasses I own with my prescription. We enjoyed the Golden Temple in all its glory. It was so awesome to see the bustling city outside and then rinse our feet and hands, walk in and be embraced with the calm of the temple. There are tons of people bathing in the pool of water that surrounds the temple and others just sitting enjoying the spectacle of a building covered in 24 karate gold. I am sad to say we did not go to the Lungar which is served throughout the day to anyone and everyone who wants or needs. We are talking hours of service from the community to keep thousands of visitors and local people fed every single day. Next time we will enjoy the food which I am sure is tasty because of the powerful vibration of the place. We had a chance to listen to the Kirtan playing inside the temple. Steve and Hargobind sat on the men's side and Sunder and I sat on the women's side. It was like a breath of fresh air listening and meditating in the cool center of this place of worship. Most of all I think we enjoyed the relaxing in a home. There was little struggle to do much of anything throughout the week, where as the couple days of India we had before this part of the trip was a constant job of adjusting and figuring everything out on our part. ..............................................................................................................................................................