Thanksgiving 2008

It is Thanksgiving weekend year 2008. I realised I must give my thanks to Sai again on the morning of Thanksgiving.

I woke up with a start on Thursday at 5.45 AM. "Oh my God! It's Thanksgiving day (a day when all of USA closes down to celebrate)! And I don't have any petrol in my car. Will the gas stations be open today?" I was too tired to go and check it out right away so I went back to sleep.

It was Teju's star birthday so I wanted to take him to the temple that morning and we had been invited to dinner at Viji's place in Princeton that evening. And my gas indicator was at "E". When I went out at 8.30 AM to check out the gas stations I found that they were not only open, but the price of gas was at an all time low. $1.65 per gallon read the sign at Sunoco. I pulled up and handed my credit card to the attendant (another luxury we have in South Jersey) and asked him to fill her up. As I saw the tank fill up and the meter run up to $27.75, I felt a sense of happiness and gratitude. Not long ago, the price of gas was $4.00 per galllon and a full tank of gas used to cost almost $60. And that was when Appa and Amma were here in the US and I had to take them all over the North East by road!!!

I looked up at Baba who was perched on my dashboard and thanked him. I thought at that moment that I must write this.

It has been a little over a year since we came to the US. We did not feel the pain of gas prices in the first six months, when it lingered in the $2.67 to $3.00 range. And then when Appa and Amma were here the gas prices went through the roof but I did not mind it much becuase I did not have to send money to India. I had only one family to run.

Now, Appa and Amma are back in India and I have 2 families to feed. That moment I thanked God for 2 things. That the gas price is now at less than $30 a tank that I can save more money here (add to that working from home). And two, conversion is Rs 50 to a dollar so the money I save to send to India gets more mileage too... Isn't that actually 3 things???

I probably have a million things to thank Baba for today. Life has changed upside down. I work days and sleep nights (unlike the last 9 years). I have got more time with Tejas in one year than I got in his first six years. I am thankful Appa and Amma came to the US and I am thankful we got together to celebrate Amma's 60th birthday. I am thankful for this moment that I am able to sit and think nothing but thanking Baba. I can go on and on and I will keep writing till tomorrow morning. I pray to Baba that this moment will last forever.

Glory be to Sai. Peace be to all.