Pangs

It's weird how in the last few weeks I have started to experience pangs of sorrow for things that my heart is missing in India. This didn't happen at first. It just hit me all of the sudden while walking through a farm market with my family. I suddenly realized I had forgotten our copy of the movie, "Elf." It just crashed into me, right there, smack in the middle of my chest.

Of all the many things material and non that we left behind, why in the world would it be our DVD of "Elf" that would burst the dam? It's not like we can't just get another copy here if we wanted it...
The second time I felt a pang occurred while I was driving a couple weeks ago. Out of the blue I realized I left my Bryn Mawr framed degree in my house in India. That's a little more understandable than "Elf" but still, it's just a piece of paper.
The big wammie of all pangs hit me earlier this week. I finished reading through the New Testament and turned to the Old Testament to start all over again. I opened to Genesis and it got me. I just missed my Bible Students so badly. I taught Old Testament Survey to three batches of students and it was a highlight of my life. It never mattered how I felt, depressed, tense, angry, but when I entered the classroom the negative emotions all went away. I just loved being there.

I now wonder what other pangs await me in the days to come.