Amma

Last weekend I took my mother-in-law (a saint herself) to see Amma, the hugging saint. We drove through snow, sleet, and rain to get to Dearborn, MI. A trip that was supposed to take about 3 1/2 hours ended up taking 5. Although we saw many slide-offs along the way, we arrived safely.

Amma gives darshan -- a blessing -- in the form of a hug. She will sit for 12 to 24 hours at a time to give hugs to everyone who comes to see her. Luckily for us, she will allow first timers and older or sickly visitors to go ahead of others. Since my mother-in-law had never seen Amma before and has back and knee problems, they didn't make us wait our turn. We waited less than an hour before we received Darshan.

I was brave enough to ask for a "Baby Blessing" (as I call it). She simply touched my belly and gave me Prasad -- food blessed by the Guru. I use the word "brave" because #1 -- by asking for the blessing, I am revealing my faith and #2 -- I'm also putting my faith to the test.

Faith is something I have always struggled with -- to believe in something that can't be proven, well, I just never thought I'd be able to do that. To be honest, I'm even a little embarrased by it -- like people will think I'm simple-minded. Also what little faith I have is so weak and vulnerable, the slightest inconsistency could obliterate it.

I guess I figured it was worth the risk.