me after Holi festival
Bala, Mimi, me
Since we were living in the San Francisco Bay Area last year we spent some time at the MA Center throughout the year. We stepped it up in the spring and even stayed on the premises a few nights. Shawn attended a kids retreat there and we did some volunteer work. Annabel's favorite experience was wandering the hills with her guitar and playing music. She also loved bringing some of her friends to meet Amma. Shawn's favorite experience (besides playing hours of basketball daily) was helping water the newly planted trees that lined the road. He and a bunch of kids, using a wheelbarrow, gathered water in buckets from a local stream. "We were using nature to take care of nature!" he exclaimed. When we went back a month later he was very excited to see how much the trees had grown.
The weekend before Amma's arrival I helped my friend create a tent space for teens and preteens. We donated our badminton set. The kids loved having a place to go during Amma's programs, both a respite from the day's heat, and a place of their own. A day before Amma arrived, I was astonished to see a group of people so quickly create a beautiful solid shade structure near the main temple that later provided comfort for so many people who came to see Amma.
We spent a week in San Ramon with Amma doing seva, hanging out with friends, and attending Amma's talks and meditations. Oh yes, and getting hugged by Amma. Very nice indeed.
