Growing Up

What you see here is beauty. On the left, one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know, and on the right, her equally remarkable (and sharp-witted) daughter.

Ashanthi and Mala told their story of growth and love on NPR's StoryCorp. You can hear it here. In just under two minutes: marriage, birth, death, growth and laughter. You may recognize Mala from my stories of Sri Lanka - it is she who guided our days and became "GrandMala" to our kids. It is she who said, "I can't move to the United States - there are too many people who need me here in Sri Lanka."

She is right. But only because Mala helps. In subtle and tirelessly consistent ways, she helps. A woman who was blinded in a bus explosion counts on Mala to take her to temple every week - it's a temple Mala doesn't go to herself. Then there is a woman who Mala is helping start a business. The woman was called home from her work in Dubai. On the way home from the airport, she saw photos of both of her young sons on the back of a bus. That's how she found out. When they had asked, the soldier next door had told her sons that he was burying a balloon. Curious, they dug the balloon up. Her six year old had pulled the pin.

I realized listening to Mala's story this morning that she feels a unique tie to these women. She talks about her husband's death (he left her with 3 children to raise on her own), this way: "That's when I started to live." Each person Mala helps is starting a new life out of the ashes of loss.