(not necessarily in that order)
Now for a bit of silliness…
Our last name translated into English means “dwarves”. So…”i tre Nani” is “The three dwarves”! Otherwise known as (from left to right) Ramesha/Fabio, (big brother) Fulvio, and (father) Silvio Nani.
Or maybe I should have titled it: “Bhagavati and the 3 Nanis” (I warned you this would be silly)! 😀
I woke up this morning wondering how, exactly, does one find strength in love?
I thought about it off and on all day and it seems to me that the real question lies in what kind of love are we relying on for our strength?
I have a hunch that lifetime after lifetime is spent trying to find strength in love of people, love of money and things, love of power, love of intelligence, love of physical health, and so on and so forth. But none of those is–in and of itself–a permanent, infinite love.
Not that I’m there yet (by any means!), but I believe we find strength in love only when we begin to have even a glimmer of an understanding that God IS love. That, in Truth, there is nothing BUT love. And that we are ONE with that Love, which is all there is.
So I propose we update the phrase to read “find your strength in Divine Love.”
My recent “recess” day seems to have joined forces with my “best self” insight, leading me to remember a favorite song from long, long ago. It was a time when I had gotten (way) off track and was intuitively using music to get myself back to center.
The song was The Greatest Love of All, as originally recorded by George Benson. Whitney Houston later made it an even bigger hit, but I always resonated more with the original version. And something I only just learned is that it was written for the soundtrack of a movie about Muhammad Ali.
I think these are some of the most powerful lyrics ever set to a popular song…
The Greatest Love of All
I believe the children are our future;
Teach them well and let them lead the way.
Show them all the beauty they possess inside.
Give them a sense of pride, to make it easier;
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we use to be.
Everybody’s searching for a hero;
People need someone to look up to.
I never found anyone who fulfilled my need.
A lonely place to be, and so I learned to depend on me.
I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow.
If I fail, if I succeed.
At least I lived as I believe.
No matter what they take from me,
They can’t take away my dignity.
Because the greatest love of all is happening to me.
I found the greatest love of all inside of me.
The greatest love of all is easy to achieve.
Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.
And if by chance that special place that you’ve been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love.
My two favorite lines?
Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.
Find your strength in love!
This past Tuesday we played tourist, exploring the panoramic views of Monte Generoso (5,581 ft in elevation).
Here’s Ramesha and his father, Silvio, on the train we took to reach the summit of the mountain; the cogwheel railway has been in operation for 125 years.
This interesting(!) structure is the Fiore di Pietra (Stone Flower), designed by famous Swiss architect, Mario Botta. It’s impressive, but seems rather out of place in that beautiful natural setting. Like Ramesha said, in New York City it would fit right in.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are these buildings, part of a farm located a stone’s throw from the Fiore di Pietra. I suppose you can guess which style I prefer… 🙂
Of course, we were really there to enjoy the view…
….which was stunning.
“My best self”. This phrase popped into my head as I was praying before meditation this morning. I’m not even entirely sure what the heck I was thinking of exactly.
What surprised me is that thoughts of “my best self” were all externally oriented. In other words, what came to mind were things that were measurable and visible: things that could be (and have been!) judged.
Then something radical occurred to me… what if I’ve had it backwards all these years? What if aiming to be “my best self” is all (and only) about how I feel inside? What if being “my best self” is a matter of self-acceptance, of self-forgiveness, of compassion for myself? What if it’s opening up to wholly receive God’s love and then learning to love myself as God loves me: unconditionally?
I mean, it makes sense that the more I’m in tune with and expressing the Divine, the more I’ll be my “best Self”. What do you think?
Today was a much-needed “recess” day. A stay at home kind of day. A day to sit at the patio table in the late morning, drinking coffee and listening to the birds and, later, the noon-time church bells.
I spent time on the computer, but it was mostly listening to/revisiting long ago “moments” of Whitney Houston (“…give me one moment in time…”) and Stephanie Mills (singing “Home” from the 1975 Broadway production of The Wiz).
Remembering long ago experiences and enjoying the musical energy (wow!). Going with the flow, getting my mind off “myself”, and finally starting to feel my own energy lifting again. What a relief!
Nothing has changed, yet everything feels different…because I feel different inside. And there’s my very own “teachable moment” for the week. 🙂
I seem to have hit a rough patch in the road, so to speak. Life is wonderful, but I’m not feeling entirely wonderful.
Partly it’s the usual dilemma of days crammed full of activities when we come to Lugano — especially after an absence of two years. All of the activities are lovely, of course; there’s just so many of them that it’s challenging to also rest.
It might also be that I’m having a hard time holding off awareness of the tasks and projects awaiting my attention. Makes it a little hard to completely relax. Sigh.
Oh, well. Tomorrow is another day!
Our little Airbnb is in the “nucleo” (or center) of the old village of Aldesago, located halfway up the side of Monte Brè. There isn’t much information out there about these little villages, but I think the buildings of the nucleo might date back to the 1300 or 1400’s.
The narrow streets aren’t one-way, as those of us accustomed to American roads might expect! When two cars from opposing directions meet, there’s a particular car etiquette that apparently dictates which one pulls over and allows the other to pass.
We’re far enough up the mountain that we would have a view of the lake…if it weren’t for the apartment building across the street. 🙂
As you can see, we look out on a rather uninspiring expanse of concrete, but when I walk out to the edge of the patio area, I can not only see the lake, but — when it’s clear enough — I can see the Monte Rosa massif… a glacier so high and far away that it’s snow-covered all year round.
And just for fun…Ramesha says “hi”!
What a blessing it is that, no matter where we are in the world, as long as we have an internet connection we can watch our “home” (Ananda Village) Sunday service in real time.
I love being able to see how choir is going, and especially how some of the “newer” members are fast becoming “regulars”.
Ananta’s talk was deeply inspiring, as usual. I was particularly struck by the phrase: “Everything that we do can be an altar to the Divine.”
I’m always aware that Sunday service is being live broadcast, but being away for so long gives me an opportunity to really appreciate the difference it makes for those who don’t live in community.
Today, together with dear friends Indra and Benedetta, we walked pretty much the entire Sentiero (Path) di Gandria.
Established on the north shore of Lake Lugano in the 14th century, Gandria has maintained its beauty and character for hundreds of years. It is inaccessible by car, consisting as it does of narrow streets and lots of stairs.
For some time I’ve been rehabilitating a slightly “bum” knee, so today feels like a real accomplishment. We walked and walked…and climbed and climbed…and walked some more. My knee help up amazingly well, but I am definitely pooped!
