The Best Two Days!

Grrrr! I wrote a whole days story here already, but for some technical reason it didn't publish yesterday. So, here goes round 2!

Sunday: It was awesome, a perfectly wonderful day! (I couldn't have asked for a better day to live in God's love, except for maybe Monday. Which was so beautiful that I am almost sad now because I can not imagine a more fruitful day in Kolkata, and I still have so long to stay.)

Woke up at about 5:30, dressed, and walked to Mass at Mother House with my roommates. Received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time in India! Hooray for His gift of Self in nourishment for our bodies and souls!!! After Mass I sat with the statue of Mary and said a decade of my rosary and took care of my Green scapular intentions. I then went down to the common room for my Chai and bread treat. When I saw father Abello I asked him about when confessions were and received the answer "Right now if you are ready!" He is great. I had confession and a got a gooooood bit of formational instucting, and was pleased as a pretty bird when my roommate came looking for me after she had noticed my absence from our small group of 'Frenchies' who were about to leave for Prem Dan. I felt so loved. (It's the little things that get me, like not being left behind, or being asked if I want to try a bite of a friends funny looking food.) When walking to Prem Dan we passed a man, quite literally dressed in filthy, and I would like to emphasizer that again, FILTHY rags, who was digging rice out of what seemed to be a mixture of vomit and street filth. I was broken. I hurried to teh nearest shop and bought him a big bit of fluffy white bread, and when I gave it to him he kissed at my feet. We arrived at Prem Dan a little late, but were still greeted amiabily by the Massi's with "Good morning Aunties!" and proceeded around the back to start on the wonderfully huge piles of laundry and tubs of wash water which would occupy us for the following 2 hours. As I was so happy I couldn't contain my whistle, but the problem is that when I whistle I often hum along, and when I hum I often start to sing the best lyrics, and when I start to sing... Well, I can't be stopped! I was so happy that my happiness even infected the other workers. (It is very contagious stuff we work with here in Kolkata!) As I sang I took requests from all the volunteers and gifted God and them with songs from My Fair Lady, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, The Phantom of the Opera, The White Album, Sargent Peppers, The Little Mermaid, Cat Stevens, Mama Cass, and the list of Gospel hymns... O! the Joy that was mine to be the radio for the morning!
After washing we had Chai and during Chai break I had a lengthy discussion with one "Lisa" who was not Christian but had so many questions that I dare not list them all here for lack of verity as I can't remember them all, there were so many.
After Chai we prepared to feed the women and I had my feet kissed and was called Buddha by one woman and huged so tightly by another that I felt so big inside that I might break again. After Prem Dan we took a motor rickshaw home to our beloved Salvation Army and I snooze till early evening. Nothing extraordinary and worth recounting happened after that.

On Monday though I had a perfect day. However, as I am again out of time for my internet session I will tell you about Monday tomorrow, and about today as well, for today was a somewhat depressing day but worth telling about. As a teaser for your attention tomorrow I will say this much: I gave my skirt to a naked skeletal woman lying on the street today and had my first experience of Nirmal Hriday, aka Kalighat.