I was overwhelmed with sadness during a morning walk. Our upstairs neighbor has become a dear friend. We go walking most mornings, and she has given up some of her free time to teach me Hindi. Beyond learning Hindi, she has become my "insider" to Indian life and culture. We talk about many things. Her husband lives in America right now, and she actually spent 5 years there with her daughter. One morning I asked, "Did you ever have a meal at an American's home?" No. 5 years. She never set foot inside another American's home. She spent time with other Indian families, but never an American. She has opened up her life to me, to us. Why couldn't my fellow country men do the same? This is a challenge. Think about the foreign born people in your spheres of influence. Are you welcoming a stranger? I was almost brought to tears to think of no one open up their home to her, to her family. Do I come from such an ethnocentric place that so many live like this? Please take this challenge seriously. We have a responsibility to display hospitality and friendship. My life here would have not been the same without these women who have done exactly this.
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