Cinnamon Raisin Toast ~ Mmmmm The kitchen here has started including some really amazing bakery-made cinnamon raisin bread in the large selection of breads available at breakfast. I go for it whenever I see...

My first memories of the word “surrender” relate to old cowboy movies, when someone had a gun pointed at them, and they had to “surrender” against their will. Therefore, I have built-in resistance to...

Sing along now . . . Row Row Row your boat, gently down the stream.Merrily Merrily Merrily MerrilyLife is but a dream! This is my favorite nursery rhyme. It has both wisdom and practical...

This week, astrology inspired an elaborate fire ceremony in the “Homa” building. It’s a beautiful small stone building created for the purpose of performing fire ceremonies on special occasions. This occasion had something to do with...

My mom used to like to occasionally play solitaire on her computer during the years after my dad had passed away. There are lots of solitaire card games out there, but she liked the...

Is that a new word? Who ever heard of a deathday? It was my brother’s birthday this week. It’s been two years now since he went to Heaven. We were very close. I’ve been feeling the...

Deepavali is the annual Festival of Lights. People light many little wick lamps and celebrate the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. The highlight this week was the Deepavali...

The sanctuary attached to the main lecture hall has a large (5 feet tall) black granite deity statue inside. Outside, there is a spire that indicates to everyone where the sanctuary is. Elaborate daily...

There’s a beautiful song by Kathy Zavada about letting go . . . “As the leaves fall, I let go.  Let go, let God. As the wind blows, I let go. Let go, let...

Have you heard of the “Butterfly Effect“?  The poor butterfly is blamed for contributing to the formation of hurricanes, etc. The purpose of the theory was actually to explain why weather patterns are impossible...

I’ve been taking more nature photos lately. The responses that these photos inspire when I show them to people are so beautiful. It’s like all their troubles are forgotten in an instant. They experience...

Honestly, I wasn’t so interested in going to India. I was quite happy to stay in the US to practice yoga, study, chant and meditate. Nonetheless, Sant Keshavadas, the guru who gave me the name...

Remember the road trip I was on which led me to the door of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam? I had flown to Chicago to meet friends and family after my brother suddenly went to heaven,...

As I have been recently marveling at how I ended up in Pennsylvania (described in my previous email), I realized that how I ended up at Mount Shasta is also pretty wondrous. In brief,...

I got a text message from Evelyn, who I’ve met a few times in Mount Shasta, but who is presently in New Jersey. She asked me if I’d be going to see Ammachi in...

They say, “When one door closes, another one opens.” All my life, I have been close to my parents and brother. We never missed a Christmas together all through the years, all four of...

I had decided not to bring my harmonium to Pennsylvania this year since I noticed last year that there was a nice looking harmonium right there in the Temple that I could use for...