A Special Blessing

[Guest guest]

Sometimes when we share stories of special blessings, it helps

others. With deepest gratitude I share this story with you.

 

By now, with all my begging and pleading, my sharing stories about

the Circle of Love Letter Writing program, some of you may know that

I'm coordinating that seva. This blessing came at the MA Center,

just after the first announcement about the revived Cirlce of Love

letter writing program had been made and I showed everyone the

suggestion box where they could leave names of suggested recipients.

 

I was sitting in the hall thinking about how much I loved Amma and

asking her for help in this new seva. It felt like I was standing

behind Amma's right shoulder as she gave darshan to people at the MA

Center. Then, very naturally, I was no longer watching the scene

from outside Amma but from inside. I was looking out of her eyes,

feeling the movement of her strong arms as she pulled people to her

and hugged them, hearing her voice as she spoke into their ears.

Also it was as though I was watching whatever she saw. She would

look up at someone three or four people back in the line and I'd see

their story, what pain they were having in their lives right now,

and what was in the way of resolution. When families would come, I

could see the whole family dynamic. Then Amma's attention would

quickly go outside the hall where someone was having a communication

problem with a volunteer.

 

I could feel how our prayers come to Amma. While hugging and

speaking into people's ears, her atendtion would be pulled to

someone crying out to her. Sometimes they were in the hall but

sometimes they were in another country. She would acknowledge by

noticing the case and I would feel a wave of peace. I knew she'd

taken care of whatever that situation was.

 

This experience went on for a very long time, almost the entire

satsang, through the bhajans and everything. I saw how Amma saw

illnesses, known and yet to be diagnosed. I saw how she understood

where people were stuck in their personal and spiritual development

and what was needed to free them..

 

At the end of the experience, I knew that I could always return to

it."The end" was more like a puase. I knew that it was a treasure

of answers regarding how to handle situations that might come up as

I did the Circle of Love seva, and much more.

 

You know how you can say to yourself in truly stuck moments: what

would Amma do? Well, I ask myself that sometimes. This experience

was an entry into the answer to that question for me. I don't mean

that now I think I'm Amma or anything, or that I can do what she

does because I am very clear that I am not. The differences--

physical and mental-- are quite clear. Now I can give her

situations and problems that come to me with a family style

familiarity, even more than before. Just like you ask your parents

for advice, or ask your sister to take care of something for you, I

ask Her things and give Her the new letter recipients with their

problems and so on.

 

Also, some recipients have situations that all of us would agree are

dire. By comparison, others seem pretty lightweight. Thanks to

that experience of watching Amma during darshan I see that she

doesn't reject anyone because thwir problem is pretty lightweight.

For that person right now, it is a very big thing. They need

resolution of that lightweight problem so that they can get on with

spiritual growth.

 

Sometimes the letter writers are flakey. They don't write their

letters. I can remember that Amma hugged and loved the people not

doing any seva during her visit just as readily as the ones who zip

in for a quick hug in between seva shifts.

 

It has been a very handy attitude adjuster, that amazing exprience.

It will fill me with awe for years to come.

 

Jai Ma!

 

In Amma's love,

Aikya