It has been a whirlwind 24 hours in Mumbai. We landed and got in close to 1 am. We crashed and woke up to a nice chai and powa breakfast at Sameer’s (our brother in law) house. The girls crashed out until close to 10am. When Shalini woke up the first thing she said was “Gosh- why is there so much honking?”. We took our first outing to, of course, get Indian snacks and sweets! We piled up on goodies and had an awesome lunch at Copper Chimney with the Mehtas! They showed us such a fabulous time! We ate until we couldn’t eat any more.. the desi way! Next, we showed the girls the Gateway to India and had a coffee at the Taj Hotel. We knew if we headed back at this time, we would likely just pass out from jet lag and fatigue.. so we decided to just stay out! We hit Phoenix Mall and thought maybe the kids would last 20 – 30 minutes. Well…. 3 hours later… some shopping for clothes,
We all had such a fabulous time in Mumbai, that for a while, it seemed like this was another fun India trip. The morning came, the reality of what our trips purpose was, sunk in, and we started crazily packing and getting ready for the next and most important part of our journey. We hustled to the airport and were so proud that we were actually early for our domestic connection to Aurangabad. Of course, our flight ended up being almost 3 hours late! That’s a long time to sit in the airport. Luckily the girls busted out their homework and journals. We reflected on the fact, that this would be the last time we would be flying together as a party of 5. As I sat there in Gate 42B, staring at the sign labeled Aurangabad, hearing Marathi all around me (not quite understanding it!), a flood of emotions washed over me. Excitement and anticipation were definitely there- especially when I would see a parent with a little girl walking by. I would wonder, will that be us? I also would have feelings of nervousness, queasiness in my stomach and worry how it will be take her away from all she has known and loved. We have prepared our girls that her love for us will grow and we need to be patient, open and a safe place for her. We warned them that although we are so ready to give her love, she will not understand what is going on. That our little one has already started from a tragic loss, and then this will again, another raw experience for her relive to be taken away from the caretakers she calls “Aya” for mother. I have so many more questions racing through my head and heart a million at a time… “What will I feel when I first see her?”… “Will it be like it was with my other 3 girls?”… “What if there isn’t this amazing cosmic connection at first sight?”.. And then I realized that, I don’t need to ask these questions- I just need to sit with what I am feeling. I am so grateful at this very moment that Tarak and the girls are with me, as I feel as though I might burst from emotion. I know the answers to all of these questions lies deep in my heart.. and all of the answers lead to “It just will be the way it is meant to be”.
Once we land into Aurangabad, we have hired a driver that will be taking us straight to Buldana. I can not believe we will be soon in her city! We will not arrive to Buldana until quite late.. probably close to midnight. We are supposed to go to the ashram in the morning around 10:30am. I have dreamed about this moment for so long and here it is just hours ahead. I know tomorrow will be a very emotional day and I just want us all to rest and be ready for the day we have been waiting for.
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