Sreejit (my son), Chaitanya (my daughter) and Akshay (Chaitanya’s husband) came to the U.S. this summer to visit family, work and be part of Amma’s North American tour staff. Usually, they return to India immediately after the tour but this year their dad (my ex-husband) asked them to take him on a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. It was a trip that Al, Sreejit and I had taken in 1976. Sreejit was still in a backpack at that time. This particular trip was an important part of Al’s “Bucket List” and he wanted all of us, including me, to participate.
Sreejit, Chaitanya and Akshay picked up their dad the day after they returned from Amma’s tour and they headed to Yellowstone. I joined them in the Tetons two days later.
The Grand Tetons were exquisite. Their beauty was muted by smoke from the fires in Washington, Oregon and California but they were still majestic. It was easy to imagine what they would look like in their full glory.
We had a wonderful trip and many experiences. Most important to me though was the time we spent together.!
As we drove through Yellowstone on our way back to Seattle, we had two last surprises. After we passed this particular deer, we discovered there was another adult deer and three youngsters behind the trees. The young deer were playing; running away from their parents, through the forest and then back to their parents again, all at top speed! It was so much fun to watch them. And clearly being that close to the bison was amazing.
I’m so glad that Al brought us all together in this way. It is a memory that will last a lifetime for each of us.
*****
Living, Learning and Letting Go 