Shishur Sevay

Christmas Eve 2011

 No, I was not really wishing for another child.  We were doing our community service today.  Two of the girls and a massi-childcare worker, and I went off to an orphanage run by a friend of mine, a woman who has become another Aunty to the girls.   Her dream is to be able to give her kids what we can give ours.  Her’s is a government sponsored home, which has resulted in her having more children than she can manage, while the government runs 10-11 months late in paying for the children.   What they do pay is not enough to maintain the children and she is expected to raise the remainder money.  Mine is the shoulder she leans on when it is very tough.  But right now, for the 30+ children in her care, she is the ONLY person in the world who cares. 

 

Kolkata is having a cold spell, one that is supposed to be the worst in 20 years.  I really should stop this babbling and defensive explanation.  The bottom line?  We brought home a little girl.  We were all taken by her, quiet, shy, and shivering.  She is with us for a visit until we can get the necessary approvals.  That’s really the only part that worries me, because I’ll have to deal with the government.  But, that’s my job. 

 

The two Shishur Sevay girls who went today will be going regularly.  The visit today really excited them in terms of their futures.  They want to go back.  They want to learn sign language to communicate with the children who do not hear.  They want to help Aunty take care of her children.  Over and over I see that the girls have so much to give, and that sometimes life is hard because you don’t feel like you are contributing.

 

We don’t yet know much about our new child.  She is about seven years old but looks more like 4.  She speaks in Bengali.  A plus is just that she speaks.  She has never been to school.  The girls asked, “Will you send her to Bengali medium or English?” I said, “English,” and they were thrilled.  We have come so far in this time.  It will be five years in February since they came.  I was sitting here writing, and looked out at all the girls, including our new one, and I thought to myself, “In five years you will be as difficult at they are!”  And then I smiled.  I’m feeling good.  We did the right thing.  I had a dream once, in the time I was thinking about forming Shishur Sevay.  In the dream I was sitting by a pond, thinking about Shishur Sevay and I wanted it to be “a place where a girl can bring her little sister.”  So here we are, a place of big sisters, little sisters, and some medium sisters too.  My life is really full of dreams come true.

 

 

Wishes of peace, happiness, and love to everyone in this celebratory spiritual, religious, secular, cosmic, and reflective time of year.