When I was a child, my grandparents traveled frequently. They would come home from trips to all sorts of places that I had only heard about in the news, if that. And they would bring presents for their grandchildren. Being the only girl grandchild, I received some very interesting presents - a tribal headdress from Bali, a burqa from Afghanistan. And from India, I got stories.
I remember, as a child of 7 or 8, looking through the book just given to me by my grandparents. It was very colorful, and it had wonderful tales from Indian mythology. The tales were foreign, the pictures of Lakshmi and other goddesses strange. But it held a beauty and strength in femininity that invaded my soul. I learned from those women how to be powerful.
I attribute to that book a good deal of my interest in learning about religion. Though it clearly represented a set of beliefs that were vastly different than my own Christian belief, that book and the tales told to me by my grandparents about their time in India, were formative.
So today the Teenlet and I embark on an adventure that is almost 40 years in the making. Wish us well. I already know two important things I've forgotten, but we are here at the beginning of our journey and will press on without. I will keep you posted. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers for safe travel.
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