To srini about ways to show love and gratitude to Maa and Swamiji

[Guest guest]

srini asked:

>> ...How can we offer our gratitude to these two wonderful souls?

What are concrete ways >> for us to demonstrate our thankfulness? How

can we complete the circle? We receive,

>> how do we give back to Them so that the circle of love remains fresh and complete

>> always.

Wow! Dear srini ... this is very similar to the question that Swamiji

posted to the group: "Can you define what it means to be a true

devotee?" ... only from the other side of the coin. What a great

question. I can think of a few very simple answers.

If you have an altar (mine is very simple, dresser top, because I live

in trailer), with a picture of Shree Maa and Swami on it, showing

thankfulness could be as simple as putting fresh flowers in a vase

and offering them to our beloved gurus.

When you get up in the morning, pause for a moment before your

pictures and lovingly bow and offer pranams.

When there is something like our Valentine's messages to Maa and

Swamiji, made possible through Nanda's loving attention, take part in

it. This was so wonderful because we could send valentine messages for

Nanda to put on a card, which she left with two bouquets of flowers at

the Devi Mandir altar Valentine's day morning.

Emulate Maa and Swamiji ~ what wonderful roll models, and I believe

that part of the guru/disciple relationship is that the gurus provide

the highest model, and how better to thank them than emulate them.

Since you have met them, you will have a sense of what this might

mean.

Participate in group sankalpas like our current Earth Mother Sankalpa

(EMS) and our prayer group seva.

Talk to them. This may sound a little strange, but I do it quite

often, sometimes out loud and sometimes in my heart. Sometimes I just

say hello; sometimes I say thank you; sometimes I tell them my

troubles (which, of course they already know); sometimes I thank them

for the wonderful opportunity to be in relationship with them.

There are so many ways ... Here, I will share something with you that

Swamiji wrote to the whole group. It was a message to the prayer

clug, and it held such meaning for me that I printed it out and taped

it to my wall:

Prayer, worship and meditation

refer to different intensities of absorption in Divine communion.

In prayer we seek

for a specific outcome or resolution to our actions.

In worship we demonstrate

respect and appreciation for the privilege to be in the Divine Presence.

In meditation we remove

all distinctions between ourselves and the Divine and become One.

Is this not so very beautiful. These are also ways we can show our

love and appreciation to Maa and Swamiji.

Thank you for asking such a wonderful question. Jai Maa , Jai Swamiji ~ Linda