(not necessarily in that order)
…are the many photos from our trip to Europe that I haven’t yet found the time to organize and share!
I was reminded of the fact when I stumbled on this photo of the house where Ramesha was living when I first moved to Switzerland.
We hadn’t been in that neighborhood in maybe ten years, but it sure brought back lots of memories.
I was really struck by this photo and quote that Ramesha posted to Facebook today:
LOVE NEUTRALIZES FEAR…
“All doubt, despair, and fear become insignificant once the intention of life becomes love.” –Rumi
It got me reflecting on what is the intention of my life? And I realized that there truly can be only one correct answer: LOVE.
I wonder what would change, what would feel different if each morning I were to affirm that “the intention of my life is love.”
The intention of my life is love. ❤
For today’s adventure we joined Fulvio in making pizzoccheri for lunch. It was great fun and turned out delicious.
The other day we visited one of Ramesha’s oldest and most important friends.
When he was seven years old, he started attending yoga classes with his mother, and Adelia was the yoga teacher. She eventually became a close family friend and it was from her that he borrowed Autobiography of a Yogi (in Italian, of course) when he was thirteen years old.
An key moment in finding his spiritual path in this lifetime.
Today felt like our first real visit to Lugano itself.
We parked at our usual autosilo (parking garage); made a stop at the bank; and walked to a pizzeria near the lake. There we had our first real pizzas (le prime pizze!) of this trip and they were delicious.
Then we walked down Via Nassa and along the lake to Parco Ciani, where we met up with Ramesha’s sister, Manu. We got gelato, then went for a walk along the lake. An altogether lovely afternoon in centro Lugano.
Today’s photo is of Ramesha and his brother, Fulvio, whose birthday was today.
For the first time in seventeen years we’re actually in Switzerland and able to celebrate Fulvio’s birthday in person. We all went out to dinner as a family, eating great food and having a whole lot of fun.
In fact, I haven’t laughed so much in a long time.
I leave for my weeklong ayurvedic retreat tomorrow and will miss Ramesha’s actual birthday next week.
So, tonight we had a simple celebration at home — just the two of us. No candles (the photo is just for fun), but a deliciously healthy pasta dinner followed by a super chocolatey cupcake for dessert.
It’s bittersweet, because this is the first time in nineteen years that I won’t be celebrating with him on his special day. But it’s for a good cause!
It didn’t occur to me while I was in the store, but these cookies really are perfect for Ramesha and me–not because we’re sweethearts, but because we’re also vanilla and chocolate! 😊
In fact, the cookies brought to mind how we described ourselves when we first toured as the Harmony Duo back in 2006:
Bhagavati (Sharon) and Ramesha (Fabio) Nani are professional musicians who formed The Harmony Duo soon after their marriage. At that time they realized that—being of different races, from different countries and cultures, speaking different languages, but sharing spirituality and a deep love for music—harmony was, and is, the foundation of their life together.
Their programs affirm and celebrate the underlying harmony of all races, nations and cultures. Although written by a single composer, the pieces reflect a diversity of countries, centuries, and moods. Throughout them all, however, one feels the universal thread of joy and inspiration.
So, yeah–we pretty much embody the principle of “harmony in diversity” and that’s why I got such a kick out of my unconscious cookie selection.
A friend came up to me after Sunday service today to share a request. She said how much she’s enjoyed reading about how I first came to Ananda, met Swamiji, and got involved in the music. But she wished I would write something about how I met Ramesha!
Well, as it turns out, I’ve already done so, although it starts things off sort of in the middle, so I’ll have to backtrack a bit tomorrow (or the next day).
Anyway, below is the story of the first concert Ramesha and I played together, which was really the start of “us”. I wrote it for our 15th anniversary and updated it just the other day (you can go HERE if you’re interested in hearing the recording of that concert).
Once upon a time a flutist-turned-singer from San Francisco moved to Italy to be part of a singing group. She met many wonderful people while she was there, including a young violinist-guitarist-singer from Lugano (Switzerland). They were acquaintances, who–over the course of a year–became good friends.
It was 2003. Sharon (the flutist/singer) was hoping to go on pilgrimage to India and decided to organize a concert to help raise money for the trip. Fabio (the violinist/guitarist/singer), wanted an opportunity to get to know her better, and was already planning to spend that very week at Ananda Assisi (where she lived). This gave Sharon the great idea to ask Fabio if he would join her on the concert, which he did. They had one day to rehearse, of which perhaps one-fourth was dedicated to the music, while the other three-quarters was spent talking..and laughing…and talking some more!
This is a recording of that concert, which was amazingly well-received, though truly, the music seemed almost besides the point. More important was the birth of a collaboration which led, a day later, to an official “first date”, followed within the year by a wedding and the forming of The Harmony Duo.
Now known as Bhagavati (Sharon) and Ramesha (Fabio) Nani, they’ll soon be celebrating the 19th anniversary of their marriage, and are still laughing and talking and making music together as music ministers and co-directors of Ananda Music Worldwide.
P.S. Bhagavati’s music duties in Assisi kept her from going on the pilgrimage to India that year, but when they reached their 15th anniversary (four years ago already!) they decided to once again make this CD available (on a donation basis) to celebrate that pivotal event in their relationship. And now they’re offering it again, in support of Bhagavati’s health goals. They hope you enjoy it!