When It Rains It Pours

The rainy season has started in Bangalore and when it rains....it pours!  The onset of the rains also means it's MANGO season!  Hallelujah!  What a beautifully amazing fruit!  No longer do I have the image of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden with an apple.  Way too boring.  I BET it was a mango!?!?  The serpant was smart & sneaky & he would have picked the most delicious & enticing fruit on the planet....Hands Down...THE MANGO!!!  The grocery stores are currently stocked to the brim with fresh mangos.  All sizes, shapes & varieties!  Our favorite is the alphonso mango! 

Mango aisle at the grocery store

The King of Fruit - Just Chillin'

Recently, during one of our late afternoon downpours, I found our gardener, Happy, and his two sons had stopped to seek shelter in our garage while the rain came blasting down outside. 

Our kids LOVE Happy and they equally love his boys.  None of them speak English so at times it can be challenging to communicate but we all seem to manage okay.  The children speak a universal language called, "Play" ;0)  They enjoy playing on the trampoline together, they ride bikes & also enjoy playing cricket together.  So, when I told our kids that Happy & the boys were in the garage they immediately all lept up to join them.  Rachel brought out cookies for them & Erica, Michael & David sat beside them to watch the rain come pouring down.

After awhile, I went outside to see what everyone was up to & this is when my heart was filled with emotion.  Maybe you know the feeling?  You "preach" at your kids, try to "teach" your kids and often wonder if anyone is actually LISTENING to you!?  Well, I felt like this was ONE moment in the midst of many doubtful ones where I felt like my kids had been listening to me.  We pray every night & thank God for blessing us with the opportunity to live in India, for our health, for our family, a roof over our heads & full tummies but then we also pray for the people of India.  The destitute, the sick, the poor, the lonely, the homeless and we pray that we might somehow make a difference while we are here. 

As I walked into the garage I was able to be a silent observer as I watched my kids helping Happy's kids try on rainboots and raincoats that were in the garage.  His boys would try on one pair and when they didn't fit Erica, Michael or David would bring over a different pair.  At first I assumed they were just all "gearing up" to go out and play in the rain together but somehow I could sense the mood was different, it wasn't their typical "play date"....no, they were actually HELPING these boys and they were GIVING AWAY their stuff! 

Oh man!  That whole "it's more blessed to give than receive" statement...It's so true!  As I watched my kids - I realized, "You know what?!  I've got TWO raincoats.  What do I need TWO coats for!?"  and so following the example of my children - I ran upstairs and grabbed one of my raincoats & brought it downstairs and gave my coat to Happy.  My heart was so full that day as I witnessed my kids thinking of the needs of others. 

Those two little boys headed out hand in hand with their Daddy,  off into the rainy evening, fully equipped to take on the rainy Bangalore weather that came their way & as I walked back inside the house my cup was full.  I pray that God will continue to soften my children's hearts (mine as well) and that they will not just occasionally but DAILY seek to find ways to give of themselves and put others needs before their own.

Rain Gear!

Let the rain fall - we're READY!

Michael in his jammies & the boys in their new rain gear!

Heading down the avenue - Dry & Cozy!