a surrender - 30
(Continuing "a surrender," chapter four, "the anawim")
After a good rest with the Dominicans, I turned back east. There were long empty stretches of road again. More than once I felt pushed to the limit of what I could endure, weak and confused. And often I felt very alone. But there were some very bright moments during those weeks, as well.
In one town, a man rode up beside me on a bicycle and asked why I was walking. He was from India, his speech heavily accented. I told him I was a pilgrim. He immediately invited me to the motel he managed, right down the street. At the motel he asked me more questions. Then he explained, “I am not owner here. But I can give you good room; from God it comes through me to you. I like to help people who bring good into the world. This is you. Okay?” He told me to rest and then come back. Later, he and his wife asked me many questions about my walk, and about this country. They were only living here temporarily. They told me about India, their impressions of the U.S., and described how my walking was closer to Indian religious practices than to what they saw here. There were lots of pilgrims and monks and meditation in India, they said. At supper, his wife served me, the guest, before they ate: curry rice and vegetables, a spicy bean soup, and pickled mangoes. She was very humble, and shied away from my thanks. They were Hindu, I gathered. But the man seemed to have investigated other religions too, to find the truth. He spoke about God’s generosity and love, and I could see it. Their openness and humble kindness exceeded that of most Christians I'd met. They treated me like a brother.
Continued...