Sunday 2 January 2011

Friday, December 31st, 2010

A baby and the new year

Scarborough, Ontario

She sat there rather uncomfortable. I mentioned to her husband sitting next to her, “us guys could never understand the pain these ladies go through.” She is eight and a half months pregnant and looking beautiful in her own type of way.

She remarked, “ I’ve been known as a phys. Ed guru for years , always conscious of my looks, but recently being very hungry and trying to feed the baby and I don’t seem to care.” The Three of us, minus the unborn, discussed how parenting is all about giving, all about sacrifice and that the experience is setting themselves up for their spiritual life. The husband, a very successful tattoo artist, indicated he was trying to be a good support during these last few months, when again, the baby started making his moves. As we continued over a little chat at the back of the temple room it crossed my mind, “ Hhmmmmmm! Perhaps the baby’s trying to walk. I could have another future walking companion. “

I had to bow out of the most exhilarating event of the year, the new Years kirtan, chanting at Toronto’s old city hall. With health condition what it is (the hernia) I opted for a home program at a Bengali’s home. It was our community youth that took the reigns of the New Years smashing and bashing chanting which was received with tremendous approval. A protective phalanx of police broke into smiles of delight when they realized the explosive passion of chanters had more of a subduing effect on the crowd rather than stirring up a form of rowdiness. The “smashing” and “bashing” adjectives were merely a poetic way of challenging Maya (illusion) that were to come for 2011.

You can be guaranteed that the world and the individual will be threatened by the devil just like any other year. As our guru, Srila Prabhupada, once wrote in a letter to Brian Marvin aka Shukavak of Scarborough, Ontario “history is eternal”. And he added, “history repeats itself. “

We just need to be prepared for the attacks when they arise.

Happy New Year!

0 KM

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