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Our Daughter on Loan

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:50:22 +0100

Dear friends, this past month I became a mother. A friend from high school sent me her daughter—then 17—to visit my husband and me in India for a month. We were thrilled. We worked hard to prepare our old Indian house, so that it would be in good working order for our new youngster. We put in a new bathroom, complete with a western toilet, sink and shower area. We touched up the paint, and brightened our living room with a new table cloth.

During all of this preparation, I didn’t think about what it would be like for her. It’s something hard to imagine, an American teenager spending time and living as a local Indian girl. How would she do it? Wouldn’t it be culturally shocking? I had sent a few letters to our new daughter Emily and to her family regarding some of the cultural mores and customs. To our surprise, she arrived with two nearly empty suitcases, toiletries, and a month’s supply of bathroom tissue! She was ready to wear a sari or salwar kamiz. I took her shopping for clothes and to the tailor in the first few days, and her time here in Kerala began.

My routine changed, as all new mother’s routines do. Suddenly I became protective, and wanted to shield her from anyone who looked at her in a “funny” way. I carried a bigger umbrella to take care of the “space” issue in the market place—that people had to step around us, because we were like a huge molecule, safe within our own little world.

On her 18^th birthday, we took Emily to see the end of India, where three bodies of water merge: the Arabian Sea, The Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. It was too windy for the candle, but we went through the motions anyway, and she made her wish and cut her birthday cake. We also went to see Medicine Hill, a very special place for Siddha Vaidya doctors and practitioners. It was too late in the day to climb up, but at least she could see the last mountain in India.

Our friends took us to their church, and Emily and I experienced worship both in English and in Malayalam. I felt so much love there, especially while people were singing. I had never known that church could be like this. I noticed some things about myself, about the way I am with people: somewhat guarded. And I noticed that I was this way with my newly turned 18-year-old-daughter.

These kinds of experiences give us so much to learn from. We are each other’s teachers in this lifelong school of mastery. I struggled inside with the old negative thoughts that came from my childhood, and from the parenting that I received. I finally had to give them away to God. I sat down and got very quiet, quiet enough to notice that I was holding my breath a lot during the day, and that I had a muscle twitching in my shoulder blade, and a slight headache. I didn’t talk about these things, because I know that these are opportunities for observance only. It is during this time when we are about to have a change in our life, maybe through an insight or an actual physical healing. God is so generous to us this way, by offering us these cleansing gifts—the physical responses that we notice after we give away the old negative thoughts, beliefs, or habits—and then comes our insight, or the gift.

I love this about our generous God. We have the freedom to seek love, peace, and harmony within our hearts. And then our heart grows and expands in many ways. I couldn’t call Emily a “daughter on loan” anymore. She is a daughter now. Our family and hearts have just expanded.

Pasta and Indian Fish or Shrimp Curry

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:46:39 +0100

Let's Cook today! We are making a fusion food. Fusion food means that we are integrating two different cuisines, or fusing them together. A food hybrid of sorts. Today we are cooking "Indo-Italian!" The following recipe is my favorite food to make when I begin to feel the "rice fatigue" of Indian food. I love rice, but sometimes eating rice two or three times a day for a Westerner can be too much. Today's fusion food is Pasta with Fish or Prawn Curry, which is a very rich and thick coconut sauce, not too hot to taste for most people. And I am feeling happy. Ahhh....

First please clear your mind of all worries in the kitchen, because it can transfer to the food. You are in the kitchen-temple creating sacred food for your your body (and also for your family's and friend's sacred bodies.) After all, we are all divine.

We begin with the fish curry recipe. I understand that there are potentially people from 45 different countries reading this post, and so I will do my best to make it understandable for everyone. I have converted US measurement to metric, but if you require a different form of measurement, I have listed a few favorite converter sites for you.

Fish or Prawn Curry

1 lb. | 1/2 kilo fresh fish or prawns, cleaned.
1 tsp. US | 5 ml coriander powder
4 whole dried red chili peppers
1/2 tsp. US | 2 ml turmeric
1 medium size onion sliced (1/2 for masala mix, 1/2 for frying.)
1 cup | 250 ml. freshly grated coconut *
1 cup | 250 ml coconut milk
4 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp. US | .5 ml fenugreek
1 cup US | 250 ml water
1 Tbs. US | 15 ml coconut oil
10 fresh curry leaves (or 1/8 tsp US | .5 ml curry powder)
1 tsp. US | 5 ml tamarind soaked in 1 cup | 250 ml water
salt to taste

*If you live in a country where there are no coconut trees, the next best alternative is to find fresh-frozen coconut at an Indian supermarket, or dry, unsweetened. If dry, soak 3/4 cup US | 177 Ml dry, shredded coconut in warm filtered water for an hour or two before cooking. Drain and squeeze out well before using.

Preparation

Grate coconut, and extract milk. (Please disregard if you have ready-made coconut and canned coconut milk, ) Soak the tamarind in 1 cup | 250 ml water. (Soak for at least 10 minutes. Squish between fingers and strain. You want to keep the strained water for later. Strain the juice from it when you add it to grind the toasted masala mix.)

Toasting the Masala Mix

In a wok over a low to medium flame, toast the coriander, red chili, turmeric, 1/2 sliced onion and garlic. You will know when it is ready to grind, because the red chilies will be light brown. Cool for 5 minutes. In a grinder (or blender,) grind into a creamy paste, adding a little of the water from the 1 cup water. Save the rest for the end. This paste should have the texture of toothpaste.

Frying Sequence

Brown 1/2 sliced onion and curry leaves/powder in coconut oil, add the grated coconut. Fry until dark brown, stirring briskly.

Lower flame to medium, and add masala paste, coconut milk, salt, and the remaining water.

For Fish: As soon as the mixture begins to boil, add your favorite white fish. Simmer until the fish is tender. Add tamarind juice in the end, as soon as the mixture comes to a boil again, stir gently and turn off.

For Prawns: Simmer mixture for five minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Add peeled and cleaned prawns, and the remaining tamarind water. As soon as the sauce comes to a slow simmer, add prawns in and cook for no more than three minutes (this will avoid rubbery prawns.)

Special note, Too much tamarind in the coconut milk will make the sauce curdle, so be sure to measure correctly. It is for this reason that we add tamarind to the sauce in the end.
Because I don't have access to good pasta here in India, I make my own, usually just after the fish curry, or during. This is a pretty good recipe, but I usually like to sprinkle in just a little bit of water, and I also let my dough "rest" for a while before I roll it out.

http://italianfood.about.com/od/pastarecipesandsauces/a/blr0001.htm
Pasta

8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup | 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound | 340 grams uncooked fettuccine pasta
Grated aciago or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup US | 60 ml Fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnish

Either make your own pasta, or buy fresh pasta, or find a nice dry pasta. Cook pasta to your liking. I like a slightly undercooked pasta. Strain, rinse, and drain well in a colander.

In a slightly hot wok, add olive oil and garlic. Saute until golden brown, and add the drained pasta, slowly turning over so that all pasta is saturated in garlic and oil.

In a large food platter, place the pasta first, then pour the fish/prawn curry over the pasta, and garnish with chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) and grated cheese. Serves 4

Conversion Charts

American to Metric and British
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/convert/measurements.html

Chinese, Japanese, Russian measurements and converters:
http://www.online-unit-converter.com/capacity-and-volume/

Happy New Year!

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:53:59 +0100

For the Holy Days

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:09:27 +0100

Sending you so much Love and Cheer for the whole year! May you love and be loved. May you feel love and harmony in your hearts, and peace within yourself. All the best to you, your friends, and your family. Greetings from India!

Seven Ways to Stay Constant with God: How to Develop Spiritual Strength

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:09:17 +0100

Spiritual strength and maturity come from developing good habits during our daily living. This may sound funny to you—it did to me—that we have a “spiritual routine” during the day. Some of my very disciplined Muslim friends get on their knees five times a day to honor divine beliefs, their religious path. This constant observance of our creator, our “unseen” helpers and guides, angels, or whomever you call on for divine guidance, cause a change in us. Developing spiritual strength and staying constant with God is like exercising a muscle. This is what development is. We become stronger and wiser through lessons, that all people and situations we come into contact with are our teachers and our exams.

What is spiritual strength? Physical strength and conditioning coach Karsten Jensen defines spiritual strength as, “Inner strength caused by beliefs about God/The Creator/Life that are enabling or disabling you to live your purpose/a life of fulfillment.” We can already be living a fulfilling life, but when we hone in on our spiritual/religious practice a little more, life gets all the sweeter. And this is what I want to share with you today.

My spiritual conditioning was very undisciplined. Although I fought to keep the Good inside of me throughout my life, given certain circumstances I had allowed negative influences to control me—I gave up, in a certain way—and my spiritual strength, what Good that was left inside of me just slipped away. Over time, not only did my spiritual conditioning become impaired, but also my health. If I had known what I know today, I'd have arrived at this juncture much sooner. Spiritual strength is about having beautiful life experiences that cannot be explained with words, and feeling humbled by its power and teachings. Spiritual strength is having a confidence in knowing that you are on the right path, and that you are moving in the right direction. Spiritual strength is about being healthy in body, mind, and soul.

In a previous blog, I had written about our bodies being full of water—that we are literal conduits of God, or God's Storage Units, as I call ourselves. When we consider that we are “on loan,” and are just storage units, our perspective changes. Maybe we will take better care of ourselves, our thoughts. We might choose better foods to eat. Maybe we will move our bodies a little more. Our cells rejoice with movement and good feelings. We also do better with an organized life style. When we are organized with God, everything else comes into the right place. Do you ever hear of “being in the right place at the right time?”

When you think of your family relationships for a moment, what does the picture look like? Are there maybe a few things that you would do differently to improve them? Do you take action to show your family how much you appreciate them? Do you pick up the phone or write an email? The husband of a friend of mine just cut, transported and stacked two cords of wood for his sister-in-law, helping her get ready for winter ( 1 cord=128 cubic feet or 3.62 cubic meters). This is such a great act of love. This man is exercising God's love. Staying in action is the first motivator to keep God flowing in your body. Keep doing good deeds.

Our spiritual life is similar. When we receive a positive thought, immediately we feel happy. When we take notice of God's creations, people included, we get immediate responses, both from people, and for ourselves. And so when we are in action, we are “practicing” our spiritual exercises. It's like a workout. The endorphines will flow more freely. Feelings of love and good hope will take you over. Negative thoughts will be forgotten. This really works. As a good friend says, “God is action.” So take action, and try out these simple spiritual-building activities:

Develop a regular prayer habit. Pray at least two times a day. Don't know how to pray? I didn't until just a year and a half ago—at least—I didn't know how to formally pray. A prayer opens up a dialog with God, to communicate with God or saints, or with your guides, helpers, angels, and with the divine realm, the all-knowing substance of the universe. It usually has a formal beginning. For example, “I'd like to ask for the divine connection,” or “Dear God,” or “Please Jesus,” or “Dear Heavenly Father,” or “Oh Great Healing Spirit.” Other faiths have specific rites, such as the Muslim religion reciting “The Opening” while in a specific body posture. Prayer is practiced in many different ways, some religions being very methodical about it. Sometimes to pray means to sit quietly (after asking for your divine inspiration) in an open posture and feel the healing spirit of God come inside of you, or the practice of Yoga Nidra brings your body into complete stillness. Find a quiet location for your prayer. Of course, if you live in a city or in India, where sound is part of your day, then make that become part of your prayer. Set aside a specific time for prayer, and be firm with your schedule. There may be forces that have an investment in keeping you from receiving spiritual guidance, so be aware of that too: that the phone will ring just as you sit down to pray, the doorbell, the neighbor starts up his lawnmower, your spouse starts to get romantic. Be strict with your prayer time, because this is your moment, this is your appointment with God. An early morning prayer will give you time to start your day off with a lot of energy and spiritual power. Bedtime prayer will allow you to review your day, and to pray for people and situations at work or for people with whom you interacted. Of course you may pray at any time. Often I talk to God while I am busy in the middle of the day. “I'm with you, God” I tell him. Or with my special guide, I say “Thank You for all of the good.” They know what your intentions are, but it is also important to follow through with the good deeds. Sometimes the mind likes to cling to old habits, beliefs, and fears, but when you show good intention, God knows what you are working with. If you keep your prayer requests positive, you may have great results. A prayer request such as, “And I pray for Aunt Dillie, who has cancer...” does not help Aunt Dillie. It implies that the cancer is hers to keep. By asking for your auntie in a negative way, we cause a “staying pattern” which keeps us all from the healing possibilities, because you mentioned that the cancer is Aunt Dillie's. Just ask for Aunt Dillie's “complete healing in body and soul;” God and his helpers know what Aunt Dillie's struggle is. You may notice a sense of peace and calm come inside once you begin a regular prayer practice. Your day might become less complex. Work might become more enjoyable. Your spouse might seem even sweeter. Your realm of possibility opens up with prayer, and your heart's wishes will also come true.

Start observing your thoughts about the people around you. Look for God inside of your neighbors; don't judge them when you see something that may not look like God. Most of us have done something equally wrong, if not worse through inaction (laziness,) unconscious negative thoughts, or focusing on pain, gossip, death, fear, poverty, sadness, self indulgence, self-pity, and the list goes on. I speak for myself. While I was thinking that I had a lot of “Good” inside of me, I focused on many of the above thoughts. As a spiritual teacher once told me, “Notice what people have to “go through” (or deal with) when you are around.” This one-line statement gave me such profound insight. It had never occurred to me, that self-serving beliefs and thoughts were not shared by the people I was around—that these thoughts did not come from God—and that I was affecting people in a negative way. The themes that I mention above do not come from the good, and are designed to throw us off of our balance with life and with God. Also, notice that when you mention your neighbors in your prayers in a positive light (ie. “and I ask for the Jones' wellbeing, that their children do well in school,”) situations changes without having to “talk” about issues that might cause discomfort and pain.

Go outside as much as possible. Let the sunshine give your light-sensitive pineal gland—a hormone regulating gland in the endocrine system—natural sun rays. Take your meals outside, eat in the park, make your own lunch and have a picnic, walk with your beloved at sunset. Make a habit of this. Notice the seasons, sounds, sights, sounds, and the feel of the breeze, the wind, smell your surroundings. God designed you to receive pleasure through your senses. Nature is pleasing.

Talk to the animals. Try this: Assume that animals know and understand you. OK. This may sound a little silly. But play along with me for a few weeks. You will see results. Begin with your own pet. Just give him a cheerful acknowledgment, and ask him a personal question. In most cases, they will answer you, and look surprised that you have “become a part of their world.” Animals know and respond to humans the way humans interact with them. When you are nice and respectful (ie. acknowledging in a positive manner that they do exist, and have thought forms and feelings,) they are friendly. If you intend no harm, like I did when I stepped on a poisonous snake on two different occasions, they don't bother you. Just the other day I found ants setting up a household in my plastic sugar container. I quietly observed them for a few days, and avoided them when I took spoonfuls out to sweeten my hot drinks. “Will you please find a home somewhere else?” was my question to them yesterday. Today I went to sweeten my hot drink, and they had moved away. When you let the animals into your world, they share their secrets with you. They also respond to kind requests. Of course, use your best judgment in the circumstances and conditions. Stray urban animals, in most cases, are in need of love and a home, and sometimes act desperate. You might want to start with your own pets or creatures living inside your home.

Read your sacred scripture at least once a day. This doesn't have to be a big undertaking, like reading Matthew, Mark and Luke, or the Ahavah book of the Torah. I like to use my sacred books, aside from systematically reading them cover to cover, as an oracle. I will quietly hold the book in my hands for a brief moment, and ask God and my special guide, “What do I need to learn for today?” When I open the book, the first paragraph that catches my eye is the one that God and my guide have chosen for me. It works every time. All day long, I stay vigilant for the reference back to the quote in my special little book; then I appreciate how “coincidence” brings about healthy changes in my life.

Reduce the distractions (TV, Radio, Internet, newspaper) that make you “blank out” for unknown periods of time, all the while it is giving you questionable messages. A number of years ago, I had fallen into a deep music hole. That's right. I listened to a top 10 pop music radio channel, with crazy lyrics and all. I did pay attention to the lyrics and changed the channel when I heard songs that did not reinforce happiness. One night, desperate for a change in my life, I asked with all my heart, “Please God, remove the distractions” and I went to sleep. The next morning I got up and turned on my stereo. It didn't work. Hmmm...I thought that maybe God didn't like that I listen to so much music. After breakfast, I went down to my car to drive to work, and noticed that someone had entered my locked car and stole my car stereo, and a few other items. Hmmm...God really wanted to stress the point. I hadn't been so interested in pop music; I had fallen into an addiction with the need for manufactured sound or information. The same applies with the television, internet, and news media. When you reduce these activities, you reduce the manufactured stimuli. This causes a pause or silence in the brain. A reduction of brain stimulation. This silence, or gap of intellectual input gives rise to new opportunities to deepen your relationship with God, family, friends, and neighbors. You also don't have to take in the negative messages or images that these media transmit.

Spend more time with your family and friends. Some of my best lifetime experiences were with my family. Likewise, some of my worst experiences were also with my family. Just let that second sentence go, and give all of those memories back to God, who will take care of them for you. God only wants you to be happy. God wants you to enjoy the good things in life, especially happy times with your people, and great health. I just returned from a visit to North America, and I loved being with my family. In fact, I didn't spare much time for friends, since it had been so long since I had seen my family. My family had asked me what I wanted to “do” during my visit. “I just want to sit and do nothing. I don't want to drive very far. I want to be in nature.” And that's what we did; we mostly sat; we took nature walks; we cooked together; or we ate excessive amounts of ice cream. :-) Sure, “things” come up, but when you are focused on being with God while you are with your family, you are protected. You may have some thoughts that will try to ruin your experience, because maybe that is what the behavioral pattern has been for you in the past. Let it go. Just ask God to please speak for you until you know what to say. Give this time with your family the attention and love that it deserves. When your heart opens up to your loved ones this way, new patterns and thoughts are sent from God. From these new thoughts, you can build the foundation to healthier relationships.

Developing a spiritual routine means that you maintain a vigilant focus on these seven points daily. You observe your thoughts and words. Even things that might have “bothered” you in the past will become non-issue, or not a problem. These are only a few simple tools. With practice, you will notice how great life is, even sweeter than you already know; you will see how much more depth there is inside of you than you ever knew before. This is the God connection that I speak of, where you begin to notice who is really living inside of your body, and how it “out-pictures” in 3 dimensional reality. After all, your storage unit—because your job is to store and practice as much God as possible while you are here on Earth—needs maintenance and exercise. Action causes the fun to begin, lessons are learned. Humility comes with spiritual maturity. We don't have to make loud announcements about our small steps forward, our “breakthroughs.” This is what brings about spiritual strength, that we rely on God to understand how we interact with life and living things during our short stay on this beautiful planet Earth. We use these tools to exercise our relationships, which in turn gives us the conditioning, the stamina, confidence, and strength to ask for and receive God's blessings, good health and wisdom.

God's Presence, God's Present

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:47:26 +0100

The other day I forgave someone for something that caused a deep sadness inside of my heart, a lingering pain, even though we had had an “everything is fine now” status for years. Afterwards, I noticed a considerable change. I was more relaxed, and felt happier (even still) than I have been. We can have an intellectual knowing of forgiveness, but when it comes down to it, the feelings and the thoughts that come from the heart are the main substance of our existence. I'd pretended that things were “fine” for a long time, in hope that I would eventually believe it. But the action of forgiveness of self and others most definitely tips the scales for the good.

Now maybe some of you think that this sounds too religious. I'm not very religious, actually. In fact, I don't belong to just one religion. Recently I read Mahatma Gandhi's quote “God has no religion.” This was comforting. I'm not against religion, I just wasn't raised with one. Along the way, I've learned about God through nature, since I grew up in the country, and was in nature a lot of the time. Sometimes I think that religion can divide us from each other, like having a strong and steadfast pride of one's belief or nationality. Although, here in Southern India I've been accepted by people of all religions. I'm so humbled.

Do you remember from childhood what it is like to look into the eyes of an animal and observe the divine spirit? Have you ever had that experience? I have since I was little, and thought that everyone believed the same way that I did: that each animal has a soul complete with emotions and thoughts. What I didn't realize until I was in my mid-twenties, was that these kinds of experiences put me out on the end of a limb in certain social circles. So I stopped talking about this. But times have changed, and I feel free to make my own statements about God's presence.

Sometimes I think that animals are closer to God than humans. Their brains don't worry, or fret, or obsess, or intellectualize, as much as ours. When animals are not domestic, they live according the rhythms of nature, of seasons, and of food and water availability, or predator threat. When domesticated, they live according to their adopted humans, sometimes taking on habits and behaviors of their human “parents,” their socializing and domesticating role models. Wild animals don't have an opinion about God, they just do as God intended. They don't hesitate to think that maybe now might be a great opportunity to take out a life insurance policy first. They receive their cue, trust their fate, and jump in with four paws and claws, or slither, or hop, or gallop, or swing. Their whole body is attuned with God.

I could only wish to be like a wild animal. To trust my instincts and the messages that I receive from God. The best way to be close to God is to forget everything that you've learned in a book. Don't even believe what I'm writing. It's useless. The deeper you go inside of yourself, the more information you will learn. You will find a whole universe there. You will feel God within your body. When this happens, our prayers and questions are answered quickly, sometimes instantly. God and his divine helpers guide us to each step of the path, regardless of the terrain or circumstance. Our hearts grow and attune to our surroundings.

Spiritual power and maturity come from knowing oneself on the inside. Once we have the spiritual guidance, a God-force that we trust and believe in, then life makes so much more sense. Knowing becomes instant. We listen to our thoughts and throw out the thoughts that border on questionably “not good.” With this vigilance, we are able to take an honest look into the depths of our hearts, even parts that have been closed off for years, or parts that had been carrying some sort of resentment for some reason. This I know. And I've understood now, how sometimes relationships play certain roles in our lives for personally understanding the variety of dynamics and events of a bigger cosmic picture. Say, it's like reading a movie script. Only now, you don't have to play the villain, the victim, the double or the stunt man. You can be yourself. This is God's present.

God's Storage Units

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:48:19 +0100

When the world is spinning around me with all of its hurricane-like symptoms, I remain calm. Sometimes I sit in the eye of the storm here in India, and God keeps me safe. I sing a song, recite spiritual text, and keep the other elements far away from my heart. I don't think about the “not good.” They are just symptoms. This is the kind of world that I live in, where all challenges and burdens turn around for the Good. Everything is good in my world. Even friends and family who are having pain. Their situations will turn for the good; this I am certain. And my days are filled only with the good. And I only stand by the good. I am in awe of this teaching, this awareness. Nothing else will pass by or through me. I am strict about this. This is how people keep their spiritual power; I'm just a storage unit for God, and this is how God works inside of me. Sometimes we even take our storage units to the park to eat ice cream together. Of course, my husband and I have to hold the cones for God. God just wants us to be happy.

You probably know what it feels like to sit on a beach with many crashing waves, or to sit near the base of a huge water fall. You feel the fresh mist on your face, the power of the water. You feel awe or wonder. An experience like this doe not go away very quickly. Likewise, the same feeling occurs with people who are truly happy. You remember them with a deep fondness, and a rush of happiness flows over you, or maybe even through you. To your heart. Why is this? Why are these two examples so similar to each other, yet so different in context? I think that it has to do with the God force present in both.

We humans are literally conductors of energy, being filled with mostly water. We are conducive to what we choose to bring in to our bodies: happy, or not happy. It is that simple. When we focus on the “not happy,” whether you know it or not, we share this with friends, family, and co-workers in the form of sickness, gossip, sad stories and flat-out curses. I know all about this, and you may too.

When you think of yourself as one of God's many storage units, well then you wouldn't want to be storing garbage in the same storage unit with God, right? God decides to take up residence with you after you invite him. You throw away as much trash as possible. The more trash gone, the more room for God. It's a process, but God doesn't mind as long as you are making an effort and aren't a huge offender of the same things every time. It really does work this way. When you store the Good inside of your heart, life becomes less like a storm, and more like an exhilarating waterfall, or wave.

Grace

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:49:15 +0100

In 1995, the summer before my first trip to India with my university, I drove across America by myself. I was driving my grandmother's six cylinder Buick, pulling a six-foot trailer packed with my “life,” as I was planning on living in North Carolina, USA, forever. I love my country, the land, the people. They are truly unique. The idea of permanently living in North Carolina, however, shortly changed a few months later, when I traversed Indian soils. “You know, Susan, they say that once you set foot in India, you are never the same,” my sister told me before I left. I wondered how this would be true.

My first impressions of India centered around Ahmadabad, Gujarat, and Mahatma Gandhi's ashram. I cried every day, for a week. On my first ever rickshaw ride, tears streamed down my face as we rounded the Gandhi statue. My heart was opening up to a new spiritual life, to new possibilities, to radical change. I didn't know what was happening to me, but God certainly spoke to me in a different way than I had known previously.

Sometimes our relationship with God expands when we are exposed to different cultures, different people. I certainly felt a another kind of freedom inside. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others,” Gandhi says. And it is true. When we are busy serving and helping humanity, all of the “little things that bother us” fade into the background, because God is so great.

And I pondered this the other day as I sat in our local resident association meeting, our neighbor's monthly gathering. On this day they were giving out awards to the children of our neighborhood who had participated in the Onam drawing contest. Earlier that week, my husband and I had stopped in at our neighbor's house to see the children in action. We didn't “have” to drop by, but we did, because that's what good neighbors do. They take an interest, which serves the community in some good way. Later, at the resident's association meeting we sat in the living room. This was my mother in law's community of 50 years, and I felt her presence here. We were gathered, Muslims, Hindus and Christians. The president opened the meeting, calling for a silent prayer. My heart was so touched to feel this community's pulse. That they had asked me to pass out the awards, was such an honor. Inwardly I wanted to burst out with joy, with tears. Only after I returned home, upon reflecting with my husband, did I really express my emotions. And with much grace, Mother India embraces me.

Sweeping

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:34:17 +0100

Today I swept the yard early. It had just rained the night before. More bright yellow leaves from the star fruit tree behind our house have fallen with the water, and the wet sandy path around the house is sprinkled with purple jacaranda flowers and neem leaves. The familiar tropical scent when it rains fills me up with joy.

The sound of sweeping is the first thing that you hear early in the mornings in India. It is like a sacred movement of energy, putting one's life into order, and setting things straight for the rest of the day. My coconut leaf spine broom rhythmically scratches the soil as a hen scratches for worms and bugs.

I am reminded of my mother-in-law Amma, who, even on the day before she went home to God, swept the same paths and the sides of the house. She worked so hard keep this house clean, to maintain order and freshness. She was such a strong woman, devout in her faith and belief in God. “Simple and humble. That is the good way,” she'd tell me with conviction in her eyes.

Today I smile at her. This is how we live. Simply. My “to do” list is long. I have been doing a lot of organizing here in the house, since my return from the west. On top of daily maintenance, I have to “scratch” away at other things that need attention, such as organizing shelves, clothing, and the office, building and maintaining websites. Today I shall make fresh star fruit juice after completing most of my tasks. This is my reward for keeping it simple and humble.

God's Kitchen

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:34:34 +0100

Today I was cooking in God's kitchen. I cook every day. This is no ordinary kitchen, it's God's kitchen. Everything in it belongs to God, and humans have the job to apprentice with God. This kitchen is like a laboratory. It is here that we create the sweet sauce of life. In this creation we are offered free will to make whatever we please, and that includes quite a menu. With God as lead Chef in this kitchen and guardian angels as assistants, we have all kinds of tools to create at will: how we conduct our relationships with our family, neighbors, friends, and how we determine our experiences in this life. “But what if you're missing a tool?” someone asks. Ahh, my little muffin. It is not like this. Not only is this is a state of the art kitchen, but it also applies ancient technology. We have the experience of many millennia at our fingertips in cookbooks! We practice cooking, and we perfect the dishes. If we make mistakes, we try it again. And again. And again, until we get it right. Then we move on to a new dish.

Yesterday when I was about to make a phone call, I asked God to speak for me, because I didn't trust myself to say the right words. Suddenly I had forgotten what it was that was in my mind to say, and sweet words came out of my mouth. Everything turned out well, and we were both happy.

These are the blessings in life, that God promotes goodness among our relationships, if you ask. If the dishes that we serve don't get good reviews, we ask God to choose a better recipe for us. And the most simple of it all, is that we just rely on our guardian angels and ask God for help.