Why you?

"I've always wondered how you come to join the Vedanta Society," the graceful lady from India remarked with some hesitation. I sensed her question was more in the second person plural than in the singular; she had wondered about all of us Westerners in the group.
It quietly amused me, because I had wondered so often about these--our members from India. One doesn't usually ask such questions but as we sat by the lake in a rustic shelter, roughly akin to a gazebo, it seemed entirely appropriate. There is something about being on retreat, especially in the midst of the beauty of the North Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains, that invites a feeling of mutuality and trust.
I knew hers was not an idle question but arose out of genuine curiosity. Settled in America's famous "Bible Belt", she was keenly aware that Christianity was actively, noisily and devotedly promoted, attesting to its firm roots and great strength among an overwhelming majority of the people. What, then, would attract some of us to a different viewpoint?
For my part, over almost a decade of study, listening and reading, had grown in understanding of the wide range of options that Hinduism opens up for the aspirant. This has been pretty "heady stuff" for those of us nurtured in a more restrictive, narrower discipline. It has served the purpose for the bhakti nature to deepen the meaning of worship and faith, and for those of us with other needs, it has been like a rush of fresh air in a stifling room. Nowhere in our Western churches is allowance made for non-dualistic approaches.