Dropping Like Flies

Sometimes it seems there is a period of death.  I had a day like that on Monday.  We got the unexpected news that a friend had been found dead.  He was bipolar and had struggled for many years with his illness.  Recently his wife miscarried their first baby and then they were filing for divorce.  He also had stopped taking his medicine and had lost his job.  He ended his life on Valentines Day.

Mental illness is such a horrible illness.  At times our friend was doing so well.  Life was great and he was hopeful.  But then as it is with bipolar, things turned.  How many times he went through that cycle.

Then after we found this out about our friend, I read our emails and read another story of death.  A lady I met recently had just finalized an adoption of a girl they had been parenting for 6 years.  Her husband was away in America looking for work as she was here waiting for the adoption to finalize.  He decided to come on Valentines Day and surprise her.  He got sick on the air plane and continued to throw up uncontrollably when he arrived.  Then he got a bloody nose that wouldn't stop.  He was hospitalized and died the next day.  Something about diabetes.  He was just 32 years old.  He leaves a wife and three young kids.

Then a young lady I know decided to have an abortion.  I prayed that this would not happen, but it did.  I feel so sorry for her and the baby that she has lost.


God gives and takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Back in Delhi

We were only away a week, but it is hard to get back into life.  My first full day felt like culture shock all over again. 

The day started out with me having chai, but something in the chai makes my throat close up and I gag and vomit.  

The first thing the girls at the home said to me after "hello" was, "What is on your chin?"  Well it was a pimple of course.  And it seems that my sweet Indian friends love to point that out to me.  Never have I had a pimple in India without it being pointed out.  I had tried to cover it with make-up but apparently it was very obvious.  In America we just ignore people's flaws.

Then I had to go out to go to Bible study (which I really enjoy).  But there were no shared autos.  So I waited and waited and waited and finally walked.  The walk is about 15 minutes to get to the metro station and the whole time I am feeling like any minute I could get sideswiped by a car down the jam packed road.

And then I got all sweaty.  It isn't hot out or anything.  But I put on the wrong deoderant and it didn't do it's job.  So I was frustrated.  Although the sweat had nothing to do with India so that isn't part of culture shock.

The pollution is so bad right now that I think my glasses are dirty.  It drives me crazy.  And not only can't I see clearly but I imagine my lungs filling with the pollution and then I start to feel like I can't breath.  Then I start hyperventalating and breath in more of the toxins, before I fall to the floor dead.

So the recap of my day is vomit, pimple, sweat, and toxins.  Welcome back to Delhi!