168^th Advent

A man rich in faith once had a dream,
so far fetched…. or so it would seem;
But, this calling was so earnest
and the yearning so true,
Bhagavan sent His finest
to make his dream come true !

The rolling hills of Annapolis
Is far from the hustle of any metropolis;
It’s sprawling valley with serene beauty,
at once draws us to the peace of eternity.

We stand on the shoulders of so many devotees,
whose endless toil has given us this amazing opportunity.

A tree here, a swing there,
an addition here, and a relic there;
As we look around anywhere,
memories are teeming everywhere.

Every building and its contents
have been put together,
with diligence, grace, and utmost care!

The cottage, the books, and the prayer manuscripts,
help revive and renew us on our personal trip.

Humbled by their toil, sweat, and tears,
We all yearn to serve for the rest of our years.

We chanted, read, and hiked on trails;
Pondered in silence as words fade and fail…

Be still, says He,
in the silence everywhere;
His message, we hear
loud and clear!

Cooking, cleaning, mending, and fixing,
weeding, washing, painting, and planning;
Absorbed in the moment in each other’s company;
The power of satsangh was this journey’s epiphany!

Quoting names will stir our deep emotional debt..
instead let’s bask in the glory
of their legacy kept intact.

The trip up to the cave with other devotees,
put the fear of climbing big rocks for many at ease.
Once inside in its deep recess,
we all felt cramped, I must confess.
But as the candle was lit and the chanting began,
Our thoughts stood still as tears welled up and ran!

A night of solitude and heartfelt silence,
In the mountain cabin was an awesome experience !
Filled with books and pictures
in that blissful ambiance,
that cabin builds our spiritual resilience.

Back in the valley, inside the barn,
is a treasure trove of memories from the years gone.
The saws, the nails, some tools old and rusty,
reminds us of the work of yet so many…

The lovely spaces that housed
cow Saraswati and Lakshmi,
is now filled with hay and a whole lot of sweet memories!

A moment of silence at Shep’s site,
we bow to this canine’s spiritual insight.

Our hearts now leap with joy and glee,
when we think that our Annamalai valley,
has found its distant twin surely
out here in this Annapolis valley!

– Nirmala