“Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun But you have to know how.” — Dr. Seuss In years past, Halloween is not a holiday I typically celebrated. As a child, I visited a few houses, came home, counted out a handful of Smarties and Snickers, and changed out of my costume. In my teenage years, my mom assigned me to door duty and I handed out candy to kids dressed as [...]
October 2011
to live in this world you must be able to do three things to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go – Mary Oliver The first time my daughter attended pre-school a bubble of tears formed on her face as she said, “Momma, please don’t leave me. I want to stay with you.” I remember walking away [...]
The sparkler exuded different rays of blues, greens, and yellows. It was my first attempt at holding an actual firework in the palm of my hand. Very afraid of the sparks, I remember my Uncle in India telling me that it was a rite of passage for all children to celebrate Diwali by lighting a sparkler and swinging it around until the rays dimmed. Years later, my memory reflects on this snippet from my life. Fourteen years old. In India. [...]
His feet walk barefoot on the gray gravel of the streets of Dwarka, India. He feels the crumbs of the revelry of last night. Glancing down, he feels a ribbon slither in between his toes. The crunch of the badam seeds and peanuts graze the streets like they aren’t trash but have a special place on the cement. The walk to school is almost two miles. It becomes easier because he repeats the following significant sentences: The capital of New [...]
My daughter is Indian. I forget this sometimes. Our primary language at home is English. When I speak Gujarati, she laughs, and says, “What language are you speaking? That sounds like what Nani’s says (her reference to my mom).” When we watch a show or sitcom and a reference to India is made, I tell her that is where she is from, not convinced myself if I am saying the right thing. Despite my reservations, I’ve always said I am [...]
Last week marked two years in this space. Two years. It is amazing to me. This blogging adventure started as a way to channnel my grief about my father. There are days when the sadness outweighs the goodness.The grief is always there. It doesn’t disappear. But because I write about my father and grief, I honor and keep him alive. And that reminds me of all the beauty in my own world, despite the lingering echo of sadness. It gives [...]
This past weekend I attended my twenty year high school reunion. As a part of the festivities, the reunion committee organized a meet and greet at the high school with our principal. On Saturday morning, I drove from my former childhood home on Bosque Street to Garland High School. During the short drive, I thought about random memories of high school: sitting on the steps outside the school waiting for my Dad to pick me up, the graduation party my [...]
