Category: Ecuador/Peru

To My Dearest BTC Family Members,

WOW! Your amazing Service Vacation to Ecuador and Peru begins today, December 15th!!  I am certain that you’re all very excited for what this new journey will unfold (both internally and externally). I have no doubts that your service adventures will be a blessing to you and to ALL the beautiful souls that you will come in contact with. Touch every heart and love them unconditionally… give of yourself, give from your heart… receive with open arms and open heart… full of gratitude, joy, laughter, and childlike wonder! Remember that the seeds that you plant with every labor of love, will grow strong and blossom into beautiful trees of Hope. Those new trees will continuously branch out and produce sweet fruits for many to partake of… for many generations to come. We Hope for more peace, love, compassion, respect and understanding in our world. Thank you all for your sincere dedication to this worthy cause. You each inspire us and will also inspire our brothers and sisters in South America.

With lots of love, you all have been on my mind and in my heart so much this week. The feelings of excitement, pure joy and happiness continued to intensify with each passing day… it almost felt like I was going on this service vacation too!! I even panicked a bit about not being packed yet and even feared that my visa for the trip won’t arrive on time!! Then finally, reality got a hold of me, slapped some sense back into my head and reminded me that I’m not going to South America with all of you physically, but WE, your entire BTC Family- will be there with you in Spirit… just as you all will be here with us in Spirit… just as we were with Sonali in SriLanka and Manuri in SriLanka & Thailand, just as we were in India with Bharti (well, maybe not with Bharti? I think she’s had enough of us! :), just as we are currently with Nirali, Sheetal and our Manav Sadhna Family in India, just as we are with Lanie in Syria & Jordan, with Maushmi in Houston, with David in Kanses, with Nikkie in South Carolina, and with Holy Father Tarlok in (COLD!) Calgary, Canada. No matter where we are in different parts of the world, we are always together and connected as ONE FAMILY.

As I prepare to leave in a few weeks for my own service journey to Africa & India, you all will be with me too because…

I Carry You in My Heart
I carry your heart with me; I carry it in my heart
I am never without it
Anywhere I go, you go my dear
And whatever is done by only me, is your doing, my darling
I fear no fate, for you are my fate, my sweet
I want no world, for beautiful, you are my world, my true
Here is the deepest secret no one knows
Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
And the sky of the sky, of a tree called life
Which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide
It is the wonder that is keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart, I carry it in my heart

(My Favorite Poem By:  E.E. Cummings)

p.s. To our BTC Mother Bharti, I expect to read another inspiring, heartwarming, and tear-jerking poem from you: “We Did Not See Ecuador and Peru”.  :)
Journey Safely…

It is 5:30pm Friday and Mike and I are getting ready to leave for his employee Christmas party, where I plan to consume mucho vino with the intent of sedating all the butterflies rampaging in my stomach.  I am less anxious than I have been for the last week and more just plain excited to be setting off an adventure again after so many years.  I am truly blessed to have met the 15 other wonderful people who are journeying with me and am looking forward to knowing them all much more intimately in the coming days (there’s nothing like sharing a room with a stranger to force you into instant camaraderie – or else!)  Our flight leaves at 1:20 am, we have a lay over in El Salvador, but should be in Lima Peru just around this time tomorrow!  Send all your white light and blessings to surround our plane.  Be in touch soon…