I AM FINALLY HERE! NOW, WHERE IS THAT, EXACTLY?

I am in Durgapur, West Bengal, India.  Two and a half hours from Kolkata.  We're at the point where the Ganges River becomes the Hooghly and empties into the Bay of Bengal.  I feel blessed indeed that I knew where I was going, what it would look like, and the familiar faces I would see. 

It's hot and humid here, of course.  Did I say it was it was hot and humid?  Well, it is.  It's definitely hot and humid.  I'm so glad the St. Anne's choir gave me an autographed umbrella, because many women use them to protect themselves from the sun.  I certainly will.

I could write a lot about what the people here hope I will do in terms of music.  Many miss hearing choral singing. There is a huge Hindu festival now - Durga Pooja, and the students are on vacation for 2 weeks, so I have time to drink in the atmosphere, and prepare for Whatever leisurely.  I don't really mean leisurely; I really mean prayerfully.  That way, I am much more likely to be present 'in the moment.'

I love to sit in the shadows of the partially finished cathedral, meditating or reading, sometimes even doing needlework.  More about that later.

Be...
Be still...
Be still and know...
Be still and know that I am...
Be still and know that I am God.