Susan LaffertyThe sand was slippery. Soft. Shifting as we plunged through it to our tents by the river.
Not just any river. The brilliant blue-green water rushing by this camp was the Ganga, otherwise known as the Ganges. Worshiped by millions of Hindus.
It’s 2013. I sit in the easy chair and contemplate upcoming travels. Across the ocean. Our way of life means moving back and forth.
And adjusting to changes between two different worlds. Parallel universes, really.
We are heading back into the intensity of culture and color and music that is South Asia. The constant calendar of religious festivals. The daily encounter with spiritual worship of every variety.
The relentless dust.
The candle flickers.
Just enough light to see the words.
While they were there in Bethlehem to register, “the time came for her to give birth” (Luke 2:6).
The time came.
On a short-term trip. In the midst of a temporary stay. Far from family and the familiar.