A trip to Saboo

“Saboo, Saboo, Saboo,” chimed Padma. “Yes, please come.” We all piled into the car for a Sunday drive to visit Padma’s mother who lives in Saboo and works in the fields tending to the acres of gardens for the guest house family. Saboo is a small village that lies on the outskirts of Leh. It was like stepping back into time. We parked the car and walked to the homestead down narrow passageways, past the bubbling creek and climbing over makeshift stonewalls. Padma’s mother was delighted to see us and greeted us with milk tea in the family’s rustic home built from clay blocks and small trees. She stoked the fire using a hand pump and proceeded to the garden to pick fresh pea pods to include in our lunch. I helped to prepare our simple meal, shucking the peas and molding round discs of dough with my thumbs for a traditional Ladakhi dish called ‘Skew’. I felt so content sitting on the dirt floor as part of the family contributing in my own small way. We communicated with our smiles and laughter, knowing in our hearts what we were saying to one another. Lunch tasted delicious and it was wonderful to see Padma so happy to be with her mother for an afternoon.

When I decided to sponsor Padma two years ago, it was a great relief to her mother. Working in the fields she makes just enough money to live day-to-day and struggled to pay for the annual school admission fees. Needless to say, she was extremely grateful that I took on the responsibility of providing $240 per year for Padma’s education. As we were leaving Saboo to return to Leh, Padma’s mother grabbed my hand and placed a silver ring with a small topaz stone in my palm. The ring was scratched and worn and likely one of her few possessions. I wear this ring proudly and think of Padma’s mother … I think of how giving just a little can profoundly touch the lives of so many and at the same time reciprocate in ways that fuels the soul and warms the heart.