M&Ms

A few days ago, I received a Christmas present. Yes, it was over two months too late, but nothing ever happens on time in India. So I simply enjoyed Christmas all over again!

My Christmas package contained many exciting things, but the ones that really got my attention were the tiny, round, candy-coated chocolates that come in all sorts of bright colors. That's right - my box was full of M&Ms! Hurray for that and goodbye to any plans of giving up sweets for Lent.

I've revised the plan so that I am now giving up all sweets besides M&Ms. I know that makes it a bit too easy, but I'm trying to celebrate Lent (the season of sacrifice) and Christmas (the season of excess) at the same time. And to make up for my own relapse into chocoholism, I decided I could stand to share a bit of the candy. So yesterday, I took a purse-full of fun-size M&M packets into the dalit colony and handed them out to all of the children I met. Even my baby, Goudem, wanted to taste these small treasures.

As I watched my chocolate melt in the mouths of these children, I decided that, as good as it would have tasted in my own mouth, the feeling I was experiencing was even better. With wide eyes and big smiles, the little boys and girls devoured the candies. Then they ran to tell all their friends that Charlotte-Auntie had goodies in her purse, and more kids came running, asking with their open hands if they could have some too.

I passed my candy out happily, asking, over and over, one of the only Malayalam questions I know: "Ishtamanno?" Do you like it? "Ahh! Ahh!" Yes, yes, they all replie, as they nodded, Indian style, smile, and ran away with chocolate-covered hands!