This is a flip article to the one I wrote earlier when I visited India. This time it was my parents who were visiting us. Back then I was a guest, now I am a host.

Week1: My parents land safely in SFO and are home. We are so excited to have them over. Their jet lag is weaning slowly. Sometimes Shreeya goes and gives mom food upstairs which she enjoys to eat while looking at the beautiful golf course view outside. Both mom and dad come down on time for morning tea and breakfast. Mom then walks in our backyard before heading for shower. It’s her own little routine that she is setting up for herself. Dad is a bit slow lingering in the bed perhaps longer than usual , enjoying the free time and relaxation. Its like the honeymoon aura when you know that your vacation has just started and you are feeling the warmth of the place. When I went to India my initial days were spent getting up early , sweeping in mom’s backyard , listening to the birds and waiting for her to call me for tea. My parents are doing the same here admiring the art pieces , lounging in different parts of the house, watching the kids come and go.

Week2: By now my parents have settled in a routine. They call my brother in Thailand in the morning after breakfast and then make some India phone calls to friends and relatives . My attempt is to give them balanced and wholesome meals. Mom especially likes Thai , Chinese , Italian food so for dinner our menu is versatile. Afternoon tea used to be our leisure time when we would finish work and huddle around the dining table with savory snacks usually talking to my sister about my nieces, work , day to day activities and life in New York, Long Island. This was the period of anticipation and exploring the Dublin vibes and connecting to local friends. We invited Chitra Mavshi and her family for dinner and my parents were so happy to meet them. Connecting with fellow travelers and sharing their experiences would give them great joy. In India I felt the same bonding with my nieces, uncle , aunts , friends, cousins, visiting them felt like a celebration.

Week3: We wanted to venture out and show them some cool places . We did some local trips like San Francisco, Livermore . The more interesting ones were when we went to LA and Vegas. Mom cannot walk much so we used a wheel chair especially when we had to cover longer distances. They were really enjoying the warm weather of California and the beautiful views of LA and Vegas. We also looked at few colleges on our way UCLA , UC Santa Barbara and USC for my daughter who will be graduating soon. With age any trip is tiring but my parents still kept up with my demands like come out of the car, walk little bit, don’t eat junk food , stay away from phone. Now when I look back I feel bad .. my mom and dad let me be when I visited without any nagging instructions , then why was I so intimidating. Tides turn, you parent the ones by whom u were parented. But always remember “The way you treat your parents is like the story you write but your children read it to tell you.” I get nostalgic about my visit to India out of all the hustle, the day trips, the vacations and shopping the quiet moments when I sat on the swing in our porch , or read the local newspaper with a cup of tea or looked outside the window and saw some old faces those are the images which are so vivid and clear like the unsung notes in between a composition , filling the heart with more melody. Likewise I ponder if my parents memorable moments would be the morning breakfast , afternoon naps, the one time when Arya listened to them about clothing style and Shreeya promised to come home on time.

Week4: My parents stay in CA was almost coming to an end as they were preparing to travel to east coast to my sisters place. My dad had already advised Shreeya and Arya about our culture , values , respect and upbringing which my kids agreed and promised to assimilate small portions of it in their lifestyle. It was really hard to say goodbye to them, the days had just flown by so quickly. It was a memorable summer for all of us and I wished if they could have stayed just a bit longer.

So here we are 6 months after my parents left for India.. the picture of my mom sitting in our guest bedroom , holding the stairs going back and forth , is so clear as if they are right here. My dad walking though our neighborhood , watching cricket with Ganesh, enjoying his whiskey pegs in the comfort of their daughters house is more than a memory , flipped in time but everlasting and eternal.

This time around we experienced their idiosyncrasies like mom’s attraction to the phone, their biases among their kids, playful cravings for ice cream or drinks , fear of getting sick in a foreign country, the weight of aging , facing Covid , dwindling confidence..yet what stood out clearly is that a parents love is whole no matter how many times divided.

As usual my parents worry about us although we are grownups , now they even worry about the grandkids. I wonder if they could ever let go their fears and insecurities. They have done their share of hard work now it’s our turn to anchor the boat.