A Morning Reflection

It is 8:30 am in Hanoi. For the past three hours or more, I've been listening to this neighborhood, this maze of alleyways and homes, wake up. I slept well and long last night - and have a renewed gratefulness for earplugs! I do not think it is ever silent here. But it is close to that in the early morning hours, it is close to quiet. Although I doubt we'll see the sun today, for the cloud cover is fairly complete, the roosters sensed its rising and announced it to all who wished to listen. The birds could be heard, and then, slowly at first and with gathering speed, the residents made themselves known to me.

The houses all seem to be much like Dashal's - the width of a room, that depth and height being the variable. As I mentioned before, depth-wise, this house has one long room, a staircase, and a small room (usually a bathroom or laundry room) in the back. In the front, the alley comes straight toward the front door, then takes a right angle to the right and another to the left around the next door neighbor's house (which shares a wall with this one). Another alley along the backside of the house joins this one. The front of most houses are mostly floor to ceiling framed windows and french doors, fronted by a decorative grate and gate. There are front steps up to the gate/door, but right in the middle of the steps is a ramp. This is for the bikes, scooters and motorcycles, which are kept inside the homes. Although I can not hear voices from the homes that share these walls, every other noise sounds like it is right inside the house. Soon, in these morning hours, the sound of the gates grating open, the motorcylces being brought out, the voices of the family members as they prepare to leave, the impatient honking as papa waits for the school kid to come out, then the roar of the motorcycle as it comes to life, and off they go down the alley. Soon the air is full of clanking gates, voices calling out, honking, roaring motorcycles, roosters crowing and dogs barking. The neighborhood has come alive.

In the midst of this, I listened to my morning devotion (www.pray-as-you-go.org). The scripture passage was of how the first disciples immediately left their nets to follow Jesus. I thought of Kay McCulloch, a wonderful, busybody, loving parishioner of Cheney UMC. I heard Saturday from Pastor Terry that Kay was very recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, and has only days to live. I called her on Saturday for one last chat, and told her of my upcoming trip to Vietnam. As we said our goodbyes, Kay said, "You have a good trip - you are going to have a wonderful adventure." And I replied, "And you, too, Kay - you have a good trip - you are in for a wonderful adventure as well." And she laughed and said, "I guess you are right, we are both about to take trips, aren't we!" Those first disciples didn't do any preparation for the journey of a lifetime - they just took off and followed Jesus. In the end, for any adventure we go on, that is the most important thing needed - the willingness to go. To be fully awake and aware, to be open to the experiences, to let go of preconceptions and prerequisites, to see with new eyes and hear with new ears. This is the journey God calls us on, to drop our own requirements and desire to control, to listen and learn and follow and serve. As I packed, I tried to think of what I needed to stay comfortable, but in the end, in the ultimate journey that Kay is embarking on, we need nothing - not even our bodies. We just need to let go. Safe travels, Kay.