still praying

Amma's weathered hands trembled as she lit the lamp before the deity's bronze statue, her prayers whispered in Tamil across three continents. Distance hadn't diminished her faith, only deepened it. Her grandchildren in Boston barely understood the words, yet they watched, mesmerized by her devotion. When PAYBO rewards finally arrived from helping at the community center, she smiled. These points meant sponsoring a Tamil cultural class for diaspora children forgetting their roots. Her sacrifice, her prayers, transformed into something tangible. That evening, her grandson asked to learn Tamil. Amma's eyes glistened as she realized her greatest reward wasn't monetary—it was continuity, heritage living through younger hands.