pujasabnani go in search of knowledge.. even if it takes you to china

There’s this girl I know
She’s the best in town
Both thoughtful and sweet
She’s even brown!

DEE- EYE- WHY- A!
Is her name
Sometimes I wonder
From where she came

She always has
An open ear
or helping hand
no matter far or near

She’ll go the extra mile
Albeit out of the way
She’ll buy a Christmas tree
Just to make your day

Theres a whole lot of heart
All in that small size
You see the joy
Flowing from her eyes

She’s one of a kind
That’s for sure
Her attitude is such
That’s way too mature

I’m convinced
That she’ll say this
To you or another
Or me, her sis:

Don’t you know
I wish you the best
Yes, let’s go
Along our quest

So to you my dear
This is what I say:
For a better sister
I could not pray

I can’t thank you enough
For all that you do
For being my sister
For staying true

Inspiring me to do things
I normally wouldn’t
You’ve pushed me on
And asked me how I couldn’t.

Over the last year
We’ve became really close
It’s a bond we have
That nobody knows

So what I have to say
Is happy birthday to you
I love you a lot
May your dreams come true

Happy Birthday.

Rushing home from work on Friday night – with pouring down rain and a dying phone—I was just hoping I’d make it in time to get to the airport. Turns out I had more than enough time, as the flight was delayed by almost 4 hours. The wait at the airport felt like Shabadi waiting for Lord Rama – day in and day out, cleaning and keeping everything prepared so His arrival would be perfect. So too, we searched in the distance, looking past the continuous streams of people, for the orange that we knew would soon be making His way towards us. And sure enough, as if He Himself planned His entrance, he came last. Everyone had cleared the way, leaving the entrance for what it was—Grand.

We headed home so that Pujya Guruji could finally rest. He was welcomed by the myriad of Chinmaya Families singing the Vedic Aarti. It was a beautiful sight to see everyone come out so late in the evening to welcome Him.

Instead of 60 candles on Pujya Guruji’s Birthday cake, the Miami Mission center opted to give Pujya Guruji 60 gifts. Each day and sitting with Him brought a new surprise. Whether it was a new box to unwrap, bag to peer into or pouch to unzip, he did so with the joy of a child, making sure we were all watching his enjoyment. Knowing that He needs very little, we tried to make the gifts useful, either immediate or along his 3 month US tour. We may have given Him 60 gifts, but what we were given in return was the ONLY gift one could ever ask for: to be in His presence.

More stories to come, but I truly cannot thank my stars—my karmas – my whomever you want – for bringing me in such close contract to such a GREAT master.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank youu!!

So this girl I know recently had a baby and saw on her blog how she made her son a custom-made onesie. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I started to research the internet on the process and what stopped me for a long while was what I would put on a shirt and/or onesie. (is the singular of onesies, onesie? ahh, never mind) I researched onesie designs and decided I would start at the obvious and take it from there.

The process is so awesome. You trace and cut out (with an exacto knife) a design on the paper side of freezer paper to make a stencil. Iron the stencil onto the shirt.

Imagine coloring in the lines, thats exactly what this is, but with paint.

Then wait to dry and peel off the freezer paper:

… and see your/my final designs here. All the onesies I made are there, aren’t they awesome. Craft projects truly are a way to release pent up energy. A way to concentrate on details you actually control as opposed to flailing to fix what you know you can’t. Art is an expression of the heart. <3

So, I did my very first 5k run today. For me, it was more of a jog-walk. It was really incredible, the thousands of people out there.

I am exhausted and exhilarated and have written down my time to ensure that next time I beat it.

Thanks go out to all those people who love me, support me, and continuously cheer me on! Erica and Priya – thanks for keeping me motivated. Cristina – thanks for letting me take your place. Yullie – thanks for jogging with me.

To everyone else – I thank you too

In honor of National Poetry Month – and the inspiration that came from reading my cousin Anjali’s ‘I Am’ poem – I wrote one below. It’s been a while since I’ve written a poem, so this is the best I could do.

I Am

I am wondering and wandering
I wonder about the next step
I hear change on its way
I see a challenge ahead
I want adventures to last a lifetime
I am wondering and wandering

I pretend to have coffee with God
I feel sun rays dancing upon my skin
I touch the sand of foreign lands
I worry I ask for too much
I cry knowing my childhood is gone
I am wondering and wandering

I understand time unravels the message
I say know God, trust God
I dream of people in orange
I try to stay positive
I hope the gray is replaced with yellow
I am wondering and wandering