Happy Thai New Year!*

            Here in Thailand, it is school vacation, and the older boys are working construction and saving money to buy clothes and sunglasses and get their ears pierced (They are cleaning up the House of Hope construction site). The girls are miffed that they do not have jobs so yesterday they began painting. I expect there will be more paint on them than on the walls surrounding the House of Hope. Their shekels will go straight to the cosmetics counter at the Lotus department store. It is vacation. so some of the boys have their hair dyed red, and one of the boys at St. Patrick's has an ear infection. It looks like some one drove a ten-penny nail right thru his ear. The girls are growing at a frightening pace, and are morphing from sweet, affectionate little things into surly, hostile, impatient, moody big witches. Last week I had to buy brooms and took the occasion to hand them out and bid the wenches to practice flying. I thought it quite funny, but they sure took umbrage!

            Someone explained to the kids the April Fool opportunities. They, of course, took it to heart, and spent the day lying to themselves and everyone they met. Most of the jokes were outlandish, and some were gross ("E.T. just died, etc"). They do have a big trip coming up, but I am not sure where they will go. We just could not afford their yearly trip to the ocean. There are so many of them, and bus rental went way up, thanks to the fuel prices, and this year we would have had to rent a third bus. The kids were disappointed, but understood. I told them I would go home this summer, and take that opportunity to raise enough money to rent three big buses next year. A majority of them do not want me to leave and go home, and they immediately begged me to stay and they would do without the trip. As I get older, and that trip gets longer and more difficult, especially with long lines because of security and paranoia of the Homeland Security people in the U.S., I think they might have the right idea.

            April 12- 16 is Thai New Year, called Songkran, where people do merit; drink, throw water, drink, play cards, drink, fight and do a lot of throwing up. Roads are crowded with people with barrels of water on the back of their pick ups. Some people decry the use of all that water and some aspects of the holiday, but it is a time for the people to enjoy. Usually, their lives are hard and in relentless pursuit of money for food and utilities just to survive. They deserve a break and fun.

            So, Happy New Year, and may the Lord bless you and yours in this Songkran season!  

Fr. Mike

* Thai New Year is the 13th of April of every year.

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