the time is drawing near...14 days till mom and dad waterman step foot on indian soil. still seems unreal...dad said the other day he was trying to think of how to prepare himself for being in kolkata, and decided that it must be like living on the State Fair Midway...and actually, if you've ever been to the Indiana State Fair, its not a far off comparison...fried foods on the streetside, lights and flashing gadgets everywhere...noise and music from all directions...odd smells...weird rides...cotton candy, ok just kidding there's not really much cotton candy here...and people people people.
i live on the State Fair Midway...hmm

in other news, Thanksgiving last week was beautiful as always. though of course my heart ached to be at home with family and friends as well. Our extended Kolkata family joined forces to bring Kolkata one of the best Thanksgiving dinners to date at BK Paul...sarah made pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. we had stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, corn, cider, cookies, apple crisp and of course that traditional holiday bird...Tandoori Chicken...some things will just never be the same...but it was a great day of watching Elf and cooking and basking in the warmth that is our Kolkata community. Toss in a few Irish and Kiwis and we had ourselves a true celebration!
A few pictures to commemorate the evening...


Time is moving fast these days, we leave for our North American staff retreat on Tuesday...up up and away into the Gangtok mountain air (near the Chinese border, you think they'd let me in for a little peak...)
Then another week and the Waterman family tour begins...another few days and Sari Bari celebrations will be in full force (we already have a house full of new sparkly saris for each woman's Christmas gift, what a fun time to pick out each lady's sari to fit her personality!) And then i'm off to Scotland to finally see my little brother in the icy cold European air.
All this to say, as this season's flurry quickly fills my schedule, i find myself wanting to stop take a breath, remember, and see that though the busyness quickly fills my time, i mustn't forget the reflection of Emmanuel's gift. the Pressence of Peace. the stillness of Power. the Hope that all things will be made new. Its the reason I'm here, watching that very promise unfold each and every day, and it should be the reason i celebrate, stay busy, host party's...As this season comes upon us, lets not forget the Hope...beauty in ash, dreams out of rubble, mosaics in the crushed and cracked...all things being made new...
and until next time...happy celebrating!!!
you all have a peppermint latte and some christmas cookies on my behalf...