There are a variety of ways of connecting with nature and one’s natural surroundings.
Some dear friends are doing it by establishing a bit of a farmstead at their home near Ananda Village. They’ve got eight chickens, three goats, and one miniature cow.
I had heard about their small cow, but I had no idea just how truly tiny it is. It’s not much bigger than the goats!
Another friend went out in nature to play her guitar. The wonderful thing about where we live is that the nature she’s in is right outside our apartment (she lives in the group house upstairs).
Last weekend was chock-full of activity; it was followed by an extra busy week; tomorrow is Sunday service; then this coming week we head down to Los Angeles for a weekend of programs.
So, when I realized I had no commitments on today’s calendar I promised myself I would leave it empty…and I did! In fact, I’m enjoying not having much of anything to share about the day.
I watered the garden. I sat on the patio. I read my book. I did some gentle exercise. I sat on the patio. I chatted with Ramesha. I read my book some more. I ate some good meals. I did dishes. I sat on the patio. We watched a show in the evening. And I’m on track to be in bed by 11:00pm.
What I particularly love about the AUM Guru Chant Vigil is the way it both unites and expands our Ananda family all around the world, while sharing blessings with the world at the same time.
Devotees participated from literally around the globe — Serbia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, and multiple locations in India and the USA.
Making things extra fun this year was the fact that a number Ananda members were visiting other communities when the time came to film the AUM Guru video.
So in one video there are Village residents chanting with the group from Ananda Chandigarh, while the Ananda Los Angeles group is supplemented by members of the Chandi Ashram house at Ananda Village who were in LA to visit Yogananda’s shrines.
Finally, I want to share my favorite comment that appeared in the Live Chat during the broadcast. A member of the Ananda Virtual Community wrote it. Basically she described the AUM Guru Chant Vigil as: “Ananda Sangha’s version of It’s a Small World after all” — and I think she’s absolutely right.
Each year when we do this, the world feels just a little bit smaller.
The idea for a chant vigil first came up in 2021. Still in the midst of the pandemic, we at Ananda were seeking ways to maintain and strengthen our sense of unity.
There were also wildfires nearby and traumatic things happening throughout the world, prompting a renewed commitment to focus on prayer while staying centered in awareness of God as our true reality.
Now here we are in 2024 and it’s our 4th annual 24-hour AUM (Om) Guru Chant Vigil!
It thrills me to know we’re spreading uplifted vibrations of light, love, and joy throughout the world (Lord knows this world needs it!). đ
I usually post a photo in commemoration of 9/11. But after I read the following essay I knew it was what I had to share.
It’s long. But I was sobbing by the time I reached the end.
I’m so grateful to Sean Dietrich for sharing his writing with the world.
It was the dogs. The dogs are what got me.
A few years ago we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and we saw a lot. Twisted steel girders. Baby-faced portraits of the deceased. Mutilated emergency vehicles.
But it was the dogs that wrecked me.
The dog exhibit is pretty small. Located in the far corner of the museum, with photographs of search and rescue dogs.
You see dogs nosing through rubble, wearing safety harnesses. You see them in their prime. Theyâre all deceased now. But they were spectacular.
There was Riley. Golden retriever. He was trained to find living people. But, he didnât find any. Instead, he recovered the remains of firefighters. Riley kept searching for a live survivor, but found none. Rileyâs morale tanked.
âI tried my best to tell Riley he was doing his job,â said his handler. âHe had no way to know that when firefighters and police officers came over to hug him, and for a split second you can see them crack a smileâthat Riley was succeeding at doing an altogether different job. He provided comfort. Or maybe he did know.â
There was Coby and Guiness. Black and yellow Labs. From California. Surfer dogs. They found dozens of human remains.
And Abigail. Golden Lab. Happy. Energetic. Committed. Big fan of bacon.
Sage. A border collie. Cheerful. Endless energy. Her first mission was searching the Pentagon wreckage after the attacks. She recovered the body of the terrorist who piloted American Airlines Flight 77.
Jenner. Black Lab. At age 9, he was one of the oldest dogs on the scene. Jennerâs handler, Ann Wichmann, remembers:
âIt was 12 to 15 stories high of rubble and twisted steel. My first thought was, âI can’t send Jenner into thatâŚâ At one point, [Jenner] disappeared down a hole under the rubble and I was like, âUgggggh!’ Such a heart-stopping moment…”
Trakr. German Shepherd. Tireless worker. Worked until he couldnât stand up anymore. Trakr found Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who was trapped for 27 hours among the debris. Genelle was as good as dead, until the cold nose poked through the mangled steel.
Apollo. German shepherd. An NYPD police dog. Coal-black muzzle. Liquid eyes. The first dog on the scene, only 15 minutes after the attacks. Apollo worked 18-hour days. Once, he was nearly killed in a fire during his search. But Apollo had been drenched in water and he was quick on his feet. No injuries.
Jake. Labrador. As a puppy, Jake was found on the side of the road in Dallas. Abandoned. Left for dead. Like trash. He had a dislocated hip and a broken leg. They made him a rescue dog.
Jake worked until his body threatened to collapse from exhaustion. After his shifts, local New York merchants saw his rescue-dog vest and treated him to free steak dinners in upscale Manhattan restaurants.
And, of course, there was Bretagne. Golden Retriever. Easygoing. Dutiful. Obsessed with food. Her owner and trainer, Denise Corliss, a firefighter from Harris County, Texas, brought Bretagne to Ground Zero while the rubble was still hot.
Bretagne went straight to work. She worked for 10 days solid. Ten agonizing days. Bretagne never quit. She napped onsite.
Denise recalls: â…There are images of Bretagne going to where she was directed to search, into the unknown, the chaotic environment. But even then, she knew who needed the comfort of a dog, and which firefighter needed to hold her close and stroke her fur.â
After 9/11, Bretagne also helped recovery efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Ivan. She retired at age 9.
Old age finally overtook her, she had a hard time using stairs, so Denise installed an above-ground pool to keep Bretagneâs joints limber.
In retirement, Bretagne became a reading dog at a local elementary school. First graders, too shy to read aloud, would read to a white-faced, elderly retriever who looked them in the eyes and smiled.
Bretagne visited students with special needs. She visited students with autism. She visited everyone.
She suffered kidney failure at age 16. She was put to sleep on June 7, 2016, and became the last of the 9/11 rescue dogs to end her earthly career.
Bretagne hobbled into the Cypress, Texas, animal hospital, one sunny Monday, only to discover the sidewalks and hallways were lined with firefighters, first responders, and rescue workers who saluted her.
Her remains were later escorted from the hospital, draped in an American flag.
It’s subtle, but for about the past week I’ve been aware of that infinitesimal yet distinct shift that announces the imminent arrival of autumn.
It’s the slightly cooler air, the slightly shorter days, the slight difference in the angle and intensity of the sunshine.
And I find myself remembering the back-to-school excitement of elementary and junior high school. Those were the days when we got new school clothes — practical and warm outfits made of wool, which were brutal to wear when the usual California heatwave arrived in early to mid-September.
I loved school, so I was usually ready for summer to end. I loved the colors of the foliage and the windy days of fall.
I love all these things still, although nowadays I get anxious about increased wildfire risk when the fall weather gets windy.
There’ve been a few times over the past ten years or so when I’ve found myself reflecting on my jazz band days and recalling key experiences from that time.
Near the end of my saxophone playing days there was an arrangement of the jazz standard “Bill Bailey” that I remember as being quite challenging. I’m not sure why it kept coming to mind periodically but I’ve wished I could revisit it in order to remember what made it so hard.
I tried to find it a few years ago with no luck, but for some reason it came to my mind again tonight and this time I found a video, performed by a jazz band of young musicians from Barcelona, Spain (of all places)!
Listening to it validated my memory of it being challenging, but let me tell you, these young folk nailed it!
And to top it all off, I even stumbled across the actual sheet music. Totally fun.
Well, I couldn’t help but dig a little deeper into the phenomenon that is the PS22 Chorus and (of course) the more I read and listened, the more intrigued I became, and the deeper I went into the rabbit hole.
One amazing thing I learned is that the teacher, Gregg Breinberg, founded the PS22 chorus way back in 2000! How did it take me so long to find them?!?
Here are a few words from an interview that blogger, Beth Hopkins, did with Mr. B (as his students call him) that I believe captures the essence of what makes this chorus so special:
“Not only are their voices beautiful; they are a delight to watch. Every single member of the Chorus dances and smiles, clapping their hands; their enthusiasm is reckless and palpable. As someone passionate about creative expression, whether mine or that of others, PS-22 Chorus inspires me. They are artists. They are completely engaged in their performances. And their cooperative spirit and unabashed joy is something we could all use.” — Beth Hopkins
I think many adult singers could learn a lot about making music from these young people.
I could go on and on, but instead I’ll just share the links to a few of the articles and a podcast about the chorus and Mr. B. There’s been a ton written about them over the past twenty-four years — especially when they were invited to sing for the Academy Awards ceremony in 2011 (one of the links below is a video of their live performance)!
I hope you enjoy discovering them as much as I have.
