Essential Technology

The one thing I miss about Logos is the days when our schedules overlapped and I got to spend a few minutes visiting with Sandy.  When I told her goodbye on our last day together, we agreed we should try to stay in touch.  She has continued volunteering and I was naturally curious to know how the store under its new management was.

We decided to have lunch and she told me to pick a place, since she doesn't get downtown to eat all that much.  I don't either, other than my monthly lunches with Kathy, which are always at Cafe Italia.  I knew Sandy liked Thai food so I suggested Thai Nakorn, which is the restaurant Walt and I go to when we want Thai.  I knew that Sandy liked Thai food.

We made the arrangements by e-mail a week or so ago and confirmed it by email yesterday.  I mentioned to Walt that we were going to lunch there and he told me that the restaurant is not open for lunch during the week (his office is next door to it).

There is another Thai restaurant, Ketmoree, a couple of blocks away so I sent Sandy an e-mail last night to suggest we meet there instead.  By morning there was no reply.  Then I realized that e-mail was the only way I had to contact her, since I didn't know her phone number.

I called Susan (from Logos) and she gave me Sandy's home and cell phone numbers.  I called both of them and got the answering machine on both, so I left messages on both machines and then, since I now had her cell phone number, also sent a text message.

I realized, trying to find her, how much we rely on technology and how frustrating it is when you have all the right tools at your fingertips, but they don't work for you!

But she did finally call back and we were all set for Ketmoree.

The place was nearly empty when we arrived at 11;30, filled with people while we were eating and by the time we had finished talking and were ready to leave the place was empty again.  At one point, the waiter, hearing us discussing politics, came over to join the discussion with us.

It was so good to have the luxury of unlimited time to sit and talk with her.  Our chats at Logos were always so abbreviated.  I really enjoy her company.

I got the scoop in Logos, which seems to be doing well, but things have changed and ... I don't know ... it made me glad not to be there still.  I'm getting old and set in my ways and I don't adapt to change well, even little ones.  I hope the library is glad that they took over the shop.  They have signed a lease for a year anyway, so that gives them 12 months to work out the kinks.

When we finally said good bye, promising to do it again, I remembered that we were out of dog food, so I drove out to Target to load up on dog food and pick up a gazillion dollars worth of $1 junk to include in letters I send to the kids.  (Lemme tell you, this correspondence stuff is work!)

On the way home, I was like a tourist marveling at everything I saw.  Spring has sprung and the blossoms are just so gorgeous.  I even took a side trip through one of the subdivision to film a blossom bank.

When I got home, there was an e-mail from Compassion saying that all of the negotiations, the letters to congresscritters, begging the government, etc. have failed and Compassion India will close its doors on March 14.  

This will leave 147,000 babies and children currently served by Compassion without their services, which include things like a good meal, teaching hygiene habits, etc.  Apparently India feels that Compassion insists the kids become Christian, which the organization insists is not true, though they partner with local churches to use their facilities.

Compassion is not the only organization being denied access to the children, but any group which is spiritually based is being shut down.  Since India has 30% of the world's population of children in need of these services, this seems like an unnecessarily harsh decision on the part of the new Indian government (which came to power 2 years ago).

But perhaps India is dealing with its own version of a sociopath who does not know the meaning of the word "empathy" and who is not swayed by the feelings and needs of the people, merely sticking to his own agenda.

The world is changing and it's becoming not a pretty place.

I will miss my two Indian kids very much, especially Anjali, without whom I would never have become a Compassion sponsor in the first place.