as i am…

I love every word of this poem/prayer and hope that you do too!

as i bow my head in prayer each morning i praise the thousand forms of the goddess
– she who encompasses all aspects of creation
as i step from my building onto the sand each day i ask forgiveness of mother earth
– she bears my weight and steadies my feet
as i glance to the ocean every day i wonder at the vastness of creation
– it is puzzling that we differentiate the waves from the water
as i begin my labors each day i strive to offer the best of myself
– the purest aspects that are the hardest to find
as i speak to my father, who follows Christ, i am grateful
– he embraces the universality of the search for God
as i read the news about the middle east, prayers spontaneously erupt from my mind
– the people in that region are but human, and…

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Rain, Rain and More Rain

It is 6:00 a.m. on December 31 as I start to write this post and it is pouring. When it rains here it can really rain. The fact that there are a lot of metal roofs in the ashram probably enhances the sound, but it would be loud even without them. It is still very dark outside but I can see the puddles forming.

Every time I think it can’t rain harder, it does. I love the sound, and the coolness it brings with it. I think this is what it must be like to be here during the monsoons, although then the rain probably lasts much longer. I’ve been in Amritapuri during the latter part of the monsoons and know how hard it can be to get laundry dry because of the rain. Continue reading “Rain, Rain and More Rain” →

Recycling: A Model for the World

There have been recycling efforts of one kind or another at Amma’s Amritapuri ashram since 1999. Over the years, the program has enlarged and become more refined. The Recycling Center moved to its current location in 2012 and is a model for all of India and the world. Continue reading “Recycling: A Model for the World” →

Weekly Photo Challenge: Warmth

Warmth for me is being in Amma’s arms, any place, any time, for as long as possible! I feel especially warm inside if I am being held when she is laughing.

Submitted for Weekly Photo Challenge: Warmth

Instructions: Whether you live on my side of the planet or in the Southern Hemisphere, enjoying real heat on the beach or in your yard, show us your take on warmth. You can go from the literal (saunas! scarves! steaming cups of tea!) to the figurative (the embrace of family members coming together for the holidays, the look of affection on your pet’s face, or even just a photo with a particularly warm color palette, no matter its subject matter).

Clarification: I am Graced to have this photo but it is not one I personally took. I happened to be in Amma’s arms when she was watching a play during her Boston programs many years ago.

Only For This I Pray

As I planned my reminiscing post, I remembered a song that I created in the late 90’s. I wrote the words first and then asked my friend Meera to translate them into Malayalam, Amma’s language. Once I had the words, I worked on the tune. I sung it for Amma both in English and Malayalam. (FYI, Amma means Mother.)

This is the song. Please pardon any pronuncation errors!

amma ende karangal ennum ninne sevikkatte
amma ende manass˘ mantrathāl nirayename
amma ende vākkukal ennum ninne pukazhthette
ende hridayam ānandam kond˘ nrittamādatte

ende sneham prakāshamāyi ennenum thilangatte
amma ende vishvāsam valarnnu kondirikkatte
ennenum ammayepole āyi varename
amma itinnu vendi mātram nyan prārthikkyunnu

Mother, may my hands be in service, my mind fill with mantra
May my voice forever sing your praise, my heart dance with joy
May my love shine ever brighter, my faith ever grow
Mother, may each day I become more like you, only for this I pray
Only for this I pray

Weekly Photo Challenge: Yellow

This has been a week of learning to let go of plans. It occurred to me that this photo challenge is another opportunity to respond to that lesson. I had “planned” to create a post similar to Red, Red and More Red and A Pop of Color for the Yellow challenge. I even took some pictures for it, but I’m now realizing that the “perfect” response to the challenge is one of the first photos I took!

Submitted for Weekly Photo Challenge: Yellow

Challenge Description: This holiday season, we’re throwing you a photo challenge color curveball. Many of us around the world are ensconced in the holiday season. You may be surrounded with blue and silver if you’re celebrating Hanukkah; black, red, and green, if you’re celebrating Kwanzaa; or festooned with reds and greens if Christmas is coming to your house. With this week’s challenge, show us what yellow means to you.

Reminiscing- 1990 to 2014

I have come to Amma’s ashram in Amritapuri, India almost every year since January 1990. While to me it often feels like nothing has changed during that time, it is also obvious that so much is different.

When I first met Amma she was 35 years old. Now she is 61.

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I arrived soon after the main part of the temple had been finished; the top floors were not complete. I remember participating in brick and gravel seva. We would form human chains and pass the bricks to the top floors, one at a time. We would also carry bags of gravel where ever they needed to go. I remember thinking that part of me would remain in Amritapuri when I left India because of all the bricks I had touched. This is a picture of the temple as it looks today. Continue reading “Reminiscing- 1990 to 2014” →

Living and Learning in Amritapuri- Dec 24 -25, 2014

December 24

The play was as wonderful as I knew it would be. The audience was spellbound and tears flowed freely. Several days before, Amma told us that she would end darshan early so she could watch it with us. That was such a gift. It also meant that the play was on the main stage so everyone could see it well. Continue reading “Living and Learning in Amritapuri- Dec 24 -25, 2014” →

Wordless Wednesday

Living and Learning in Amritapuri- Dec 24, 2014

Play

I have been spending most of my time on play related activities. As most of you know, I worked on sewing the costumes for a while and then switched to backdrops. I did not attend many play practices early on because there were so many different groups rehearsing throughout the day. I eventually asked Chaitanya which would be the best ones for me to attend. I went often enough to know that it was a powerful play, one that brought up so many emotions in me, mostly tears of one sort or another but also plenty of laughter. During one practice, I was crying and looked to the right and left of me and saw that all of the people nearby were crying as well. This play hits deep. (For those of you who don’t know, it is about the life of St. Francis of Assisi.) Continue reading “Living and Learning in Amritapuri- Dec 24, 2014” →