(not necessarily in that order)
Tonight we made time for dinner with some dear friends.
We were three couples, who ate, shared, told stories, and ate some more.
But most of all, we laughed. There was so much joy in simply being together.
I feel extremely fortunate in my friends.
I just discovered a blog post from December 2021 in which I outlined my strategy for gathering stories about Swamiji and finally getting them written down. I made a chronological list and was excited to start looking for photos.
But then life took over, as usual.
No matter! I’m ready to try again, keeping in mind Swamiji’s quote: “I haven’t succeeded YET.”
This afternoon we had the great joy of spending time with one of our all-time favorite Ananda teachers and ministers — Nayaswami Dhyana.
Not only did she fill our consciousness to overflowing with inspiring and instructive stories of Swamiji, she sent us home with these beautiful roses.
What a blessing.
It’s been such a busy time that I haven’t made a lot of progress on my Swami stories project. However, it’s definitely been percolating in the back of mind.
I find memories surfacing as I sing a particular song or find another photo, and I’m doing my best to make notes so I’ll remember them when I start writing.
In the meantime, I’m seeing the truth that when you focus on something you attract more of it!
Completely out of the blue today, I received an message from a photographer friend saying she had just found a stash of photos from our Assisi wedding back in 2004.
I guess it could be “just a coincidence” (but I don’t think so). 😊
A good thing about my Swamiji stories project is that it will motivate me to find, organize, and scan the photos that go with the stories.
Stated another way, I’ll have to gather the photos that go with my stories of Swamiji!
The stories that came up during last night’s satsang with Jyotish and Devi rekindled my determination to capture in writing my various experiences and time spent with Swami Kriyananda over the years.
I’ve been saying I’m going to do it ever since he passed away in 2013, but it’s starting to grow in urgency.
So, in order to simply get started and move some energy, I’ve decided to devote some of my daily blog posts to this process.
The idea is to begin by outlining things chronologically, then gradually flesh out the different categories as I go along. We’ll see if this strategy enables me to finally make some progress.
Well, here goes nothin’! 😄
1. My first experiences of Ananda and the music
2. Becoming part of Ananda Palo Alto
3. My first “meetings” with Swamiji
4. Oratorio choir tour to Italy
5. Moving to Italy and then Switzerland
6. The one year leave-of-absence that’s lasted fifteen years
7. Ananda Village (1)
8. Los Angeles
9. Ananda Village (2)
The good: this morning’s workday was wonderful! The best part was spending time with dear friends (outdoors and safely masked, of course), sharing laughter and stories. But it was also great fun being in the fresh air, doing something that’s outside our regular flow, and helping to beautify the Expanding Light grounds.
The bad: my hands, especially the left, are really sore from pulling weeds all morning! So this is enough typing for tonight. 🖐😂