Lord Krishna Made Me Do It...

[Guest guest]

It is Friday night. In America, the Shivratri will start tomorrow. I

pull into the front driveway of the Mission. I have one or two heavy

pieces to take inside, so I park in front instead of the back parking

lot. Ah, fate waits!!! As I pull in, I bear just a bit to the right

since there is another car parked to the left. I feel that familiar

bump of being on the curb. Oh, well, I will deal with it later.

 

The night goes by quickly. We are immersed in making garlands for Lord

Shiva and for Swami Chinmayananda and Lord Krishna. There will be

four pujas tomorrow, so there are many garlands to be stitched. As

part of the preparations, the huge

print of Lord Krishna has been moved from the wall. Later on, as I

put a vase of flowers in front of him, the man standing next to me

comments that the print, which has been put back on the wall, is

slightly crooked. He is clearly not going to mess with it.

 

I look up, the perfectionist in me wanting to straighten his Holy

image, but the pragmantic in me realizing that there is no way I will

try to readjust the huge glass frame which is easily as tall as me and

several times my width and set back away from my easy reach. I make a

mental note to mention it to someone to fix and move on to the next

task at hand. Caught up in other things, I forget and leave.

 

Later that eveing, when we are done, I go out to my minivan, get in,

and put it in reverse. Ooops, forgot about that curb I am on. I

play with the reverse and drive, engaged in the typical strategies we

all use to get off of the curb. To no avail. Suddenly, I feel a thump

beneath me. Sigh!!! It is late, I am tired and I want to go home. I

undo my seatbelt, open the door and get out of the van to assess the

situation. As I walk around to the right side of my car, I gasp as I

see that the entire right front end of the van is now resting clear

over, not a curb, but the retaining wall which I have just driven

over. My face blanches!!! The bottom of my van is resting on the

wall and the tire is hanging precariously over the side of the wall,

for All to see.

 

OM, gee, I mean, Oh, gee!!! Just when I thought I could fade a little

into the backround, my big fat white van is unceremoniously declaring

its presence right in the front of the Mission. And whose driving

does it declare? "How did I get there?" I think to myself. My face

now as red as the flowers in the garlands waiting inside for

tomorrow's celebration, I knock on the door to the Mission. I am

graciously given a Mission vehicle to drive home, to deal with my

fiasco tomorrow morning.

 

When I return the next day to figure out how to disengage my disaster,

don't you know, the people who are there ask me the inevitable

question, trying to keep the laughter out of their faces and their

voices... "How did you get there?" they ask OM, I mean, Um, " Lord

Krishna did it!" I claim. Yes, that's the ticket!!! I will blame it

on Lord Krishna. After all, I am the one who failed to straighten out

his portrait. And he is the consummate practical joker. So instead of

tilting the milk can, he tilted my big white van. So, my just reward

is that my van is now as crooked on the wall as his portait is

crooked on the wall.

 

The men gather outside to gallantly try to fix my mess. What is your

guess? Do you really think they are going to be able lift the white

behemoth up and over the wall? Not at all. After much ado, Triple

AAA comes to the rescue. One tow job later, I am now resting quietly

on the driveway, this time my rear right tire on top of the wall.

Why did they leave it there? Beats me...just know that I will not

put the car into reverse or I will end up with the other tire gashed

to the hilt on the side of the hill.

 

Lord Krishna...why did you do this to me? I just want to Be, quietly.

As the day wears on into night and I answer too many queries about my

driving and me, I think..."Oh well, at least they are not asking my

how I came to be a Hindu :-) Later, the next day, after a beautiful

and challenging Shivrati, I laugh as I remember my ditch driving part

of the day. Then I realize that Lord Krishna's joke had served such

a noble purpose for me, his love and mercy permeating with his sense

of humor.

 

Just two days earlier I had been forced to take certain actions in my

personal life (Lord Shiva made me do it :-), which were necessary but

very painful for me to do. Had this driving disaster not happened to

distract me, I might have been moved to tears over what was going on

around me in my life. So thank you, Lord Krishna, my Eternal Friend

:-) You, who almost always look away in the portraits depicting you,

not interested in attention, but always helping us All with your

loving presence. I promise tonight I will remember to get someone to

straighten you out.

 

Govinda Jaya,

Gopala jaya jaya

Radha Ramana Hari,

Govinda jaya jaya

 

 

Love,

Joyce

[Guest guest]

Dear Lady Joyce -

 

, "Lady Joyce" <ladyjoy@v...>

wrote:

> It is Friday night. In America, the Shivratri will start tomorrow.

I pull into the front driveway of the Mission. I have one or two

heavy pieces to take inside, so I park in front instead of the back

parking lot. Ah, fate waits!!! As I pull in, I bear just a bit to

the right since there is another car parked to the left. I feel that

familiar bump of being on the curb. Oh, well, I will deal with it

later.

>

> The night goes by quickly. We are immersed in making garlands for

Lord Shiva and for Swami Chinmayananda and Lord Krishna. There will

be four pujas tomorrow, so there are many garlands to be stitched.

As part of the preparations, the huge

> print of Lord Krishna has been moved from the wall. Later on, as I

put a vase of flowers in front of him, the man standing next to me

comments that the print, which has been put back on the wall, is

slightly crooked. He is clearly not going to mess with it.

>

> I look up, the perfectionist in me wanting to straighten his Holy

image, but the pragmantic in me realizing that there is no way I will

try to readjust the huge glass frame which is easily as tall as me

and several times my width and set back away from my easy reach. I

make a mental note to mention it to someone to fix and move on to the

next task at hand. Caught up in other things, I forget and leave.

>

> Later that eveing, when we are done, I go out to my minivan, get

in, and put it in reverse. Ooops, forgot about that curb I am on. I

play with the reverse and drive, engaged in the typical strategies we

all use to get off of the curb. To no avail. Suddenly, I feel a

thump beneath me. Sigh!!! It is late, I am tired and I want to go

home. I undo my seatbelt, open the door and get out of the van to

assess the situation. As I walk around to the right side of my car,

I gasp as I see that the entire right front end of the van is now

resting clear over, not a curb, but the retaining wall which I have

just driven over. My face blanches!!! The bottom of my van is

resting on the wall and the tire is hanging precariously over the

side of the wall, for All to see.

>

> OM, gee, I mean, Oh, gee!!! Just when I thought I could fade a

little into the backround, my big fat white van is unceremoniously

declaring its presence right in the front of the Mission. And whose

driving does it declare? "How did I get there?" I think to myself.

My face now as red as the flowers in the garlands waiting inside for

tomorrow's celebration, I knock on the door to the Mission. I am

graciously given a Mission vehicle to drive home, to deal with my

fiasco tomorrow morning.

>

> When I return the next day to figure out how to disengage my

disaster, don't you know, the people who are there ask me the

inevitable question, trying to keep the laughter out of their faces

and their voices... "How did you get there?" they ask OM, I mean,

Um, " Lord Krishna did it!" I claim. Yes, that's the ticket!!! I

will blame it on Lord Krishna. After all, I am the one who failed to

straighten out his portrait. And he is the consummate practical

joker. So instead of tilting the milk can, he tilted my big white

van. So, my just reward is that my van is now as crooked on the wall

as his portait is crooked on the wall.

>

> The men gather outside to gallantly try to fix my mess. What is

your guess? Do you really think they are going to be able lift the

white behemoth up and over the wall? Not at all. After much ado,

Triple AAA comes to the rescue. One tow job later, I am now resting

quietly on the driveway, this time my rear right tire on top of the

wall. Why did they leave it there? Beats me...just know that I will

not put the car into reverse or I will end up with the other tire

gashed to the hilt on the side of the hill.

>

> Lord Krishna...why did you do this to me? I just want to Be,

quietly. As the day wears on into night and I answer too many

queries about my driving and me, I think..."Oh well, at least they

are not asking my how I came to be a Hindu :-) Later, the next day,

after a beautiful and challenging Shivrati, I laugh as I remember my

ditch driving part of the day. Then I realize that Lord Krishna's

joke had served such a noble purpose for me, his love and mercy

permeating with his sense of humor.

>

> Just two days earlier I had been forced to take certain actions in

my personal life (Lord Shiva made me do it :-), which were necessary

but very painful for me to do. Had this driving disaster not

happened to distract me, I might have been moved to tears over what

was going on around me in my life.

 

 

Sweet Lady Joyce, your heart is so squarely in the right place, and

it is a big caring heart, at that! Had this driving disaster occurred

to me, I would have given up driving... Wait, I already did that

years ago.

 

Please know that in those moments when pain is not a stranger,

neither is love a stranger. But I think you know that.

 

love and peace,

joyce

 

 

 

> So thank you, Lord Krishna, my Eternal Friend :-) You, who almost

always look away in the portraits depicting you, not interested in

attention, but always helping us All with your loving presence. I

promise tonight I will remember to get someone to straighten you out.

>

> Govinda Jaya,

> Gopala jaya jaya

> Radha Ramana Hari,

> Govinda jaya jaya

>

>

> Love,

>

> Joyce