Author: Bhagavati (Sharon) Nani

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Giving credit where credit is due

I don’t love how huge and all-pervasive Amazon is as a business, but tonight I’m feeling really grateful for their service.

I get so busy during the holiday season that I tend to forget little details like — “what the heck am I going to wear for the Christmas concert?!?”

It’s not like when I lived in San Francisco or Palo Alto or Los Angeles, with multiple options within minutes. I mean, we live in the boonies — thirty minutes outside of Nevada City!

Our “big” city is Grass Valley (where there’s JC Penny and a new — but very small — Target). Or we can drive an hour to Auburn (where there’s a big Target and a Ross Dress for Less). An hour and a half drive will get us to Roseville and big shopping malls, but I dislike shopping at malls in general and especially at Christmas time!

Besides, at this time of year I don’t have time to spend hours driving to stores, hoping they’ll have the style, color, and size I need. So, when I suddenly realized I had nothing to wear just over a week before the concert I turned to Amazon.

And as of today I have in hand three blouses and one black skirt, and I can relax knowing that at least one blouse is going to work well.

So, thanks, Amazon. I appreciate it.

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The power of service

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Ghandi

I’m continuing to reflect on Parvati’s Sunday talk, which is maybe why I keep seeing quotes that seem to relate.

The reading for the week’s topic was Living in the Presence of God (from Rays of the One Light by Swami Kriyananda), which starts with these words:

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 25, we read of a King – capitalized, for the reference is to God – who welcomes certain devotees to the divine consciousness, saying, “I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”

The elect asked him when it was they had served Him in these ways, and the King answered, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Listening to the reading a memory surfaced of hearing that scripture for the first time at Sunnyhills Methodist Church in Milpitas when I was just a little girl. I still find it profoundly moving today.

On Sunday I saw more clearly the difference between helping only the person as opposed to serving God through that person. Like what Mother Teresa said about each person being “Jesus in disguise.”

“I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper’s wounds I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?” — Mother Teresa

Each of us has to find our right way to serve. After all, we certainly don’t all have the exact same calling. But whatever we do, we need to do it in the full awareness that every person is a child of God, and that we are serving God through them.

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Practicing the presence of God

Brother Lawrence

“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.” — Claude Monet

This quote reminds of Nayaswami Parvati’s beautiful talk at Sunday service this morning.

She was sharing about Brother Lawrence, telling us that his way of practicing the presence of God was absolutely just love. He simply loved God!

He became a lay member in a monastery, but when he tried to tune into the dogma of the church (being a sinner; heaven and hell; etc.) it made him feel bad. So he just continued loving God instead!

He wasn’t educated and his service was very humble, but he was filled with deep wisdom and his spiritual life was dynamic.

Brother Lawrence died in 1691 but his insights and teachings continue to inspire us more than 300 years later.

Thinking of his life, I don’t think he would mind if I adapt the above quote by Claude Monet in his honor:

“Everyone discusses God and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.”

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Happy Hanukkah

I usually fall behind on things throughout the month of December, so — sure enough — Hanukkah started two days ago and I’m just now tuning in.

Of course, it’s such a heartbreaking time, with wars happening and Antisemitism on the rise and craziness in Congress…but I want to focus on goodness and love and….LIGHT!

So, Happy Hanukkah and if you feel to, check out Project Menorah as a way to combat Antisemitism.

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Light and easy

Here’s to feeling light and easy while enjoying a quiet, laid back evening.

A nice way to end an intense week…especially with a full weekend ahead, which will be followed by another big week.

It’s definitely that time of year!

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More and more satisfying

That’s how I’m feeling about our ensemble rehearsals!

We’re listening more to one another. We’re maintaining the energy and holding our pitch. We’re consistently conveying the meaning of the lyrics. We’re going deeper into the consciousness of every song.

Sometimes it feels like hard work, but at the same time, we’re having so much FUN!

This is one of the moments that I really, really love my job.

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Feeling needed

If you saw this while walking past a car, wouldn’t you see it as a message from the universe? I certainly did!

It’s nice to know I’m needed. 😉

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Clang, clang, clang!

Today I made the delightful discovery that Voctave has recorded “The Trolley Song” — one of my absolute most favorite songs of all time!

My first introduction to this song was on my Dad’s recording of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, featuring Paul Desmond on alto saxophone. I was in high school and saxophone was my main instrument at the time. So, Paul Desmond was basically my hero, but more than that was simply how the song made me feel. It’s just so buoyant and happy.

It wasn’t until many years later that I saw the movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and finally heard the original version of the song, sung by Judy Garland. I found it to be just as buoyant and happy as ever.

Which brings me back to Voctave. In addition to the buoyant and happy song itself, I love the over-the-top fun and creativity they brought to their version.

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Rediscovering Voctave

The first time we heard this group — back before they were called Voctave — was when we stumbled upon their Disney medley in 2015 or so. It was so incredibly amazing that we listened to it over and over again, and I still revisit it when I need a little something to pick me up (as I wrote about in this blog post).

Now I’ve rediscovered them yet again and am delighted to find that they’re still going strong.

I’ve never in my life heard a group with such perfection of timing, harmony, and interpretation. The arrangements are also out-of-this-world wonderful.

But when you add the depth of feeling and expressivity that they convey in every note…! Well, it just doesn’t get any better than this.