The Big “C” and Patience
Denver, Colorado
The Marriage of the couple went on at a casual pace. The bride (Vicki) came a little late. Isn’t that traditional? The bridegroom (Jagannath Puri Dhama) was patient. Maybe that’s not so traditional. Rings were exchanged. Flower garlands too. And sitting positions. The Brahmin priest, Sankirtan, from D.C. presided over. Short speeches were delivered. The theme of those speeches was the big “C” – commitment.
Kirtan followed. I had the honour to lead the chanting. Young Prashant from Baltimore thumped on drum. He was spectacular. The reception dinner was scrumptious. I had the pleasure to meet and make new friends after which a small group took to verse memorization from the Gita 11:5, a chapter that’s usually neglected when it comes to verse memory.
By evening it was time to walk to put the day to a closure. Tusta and I and another member of the community took one block over from Cherry St., the location of the temple and marriage. The street is Colfax, replete with retail strips, restaurants, tatoo joints and bars. People were happy to see us. Outside one banquet hall women were dressed in long frilly lemon-coloured dresses with their male companions in smart dark suits. It was a wedding reception from what I could gather. They were lined up. The party saw us coming. I remarked how great they all looked. They reciprocated with kind words.
I mentioned to Tusta how important it is for us to be out in our best dressed and in dhoti and kurta (our robes). He agreed.
One message mentioned at the earlier wedding was the point about patience. And here’s what Ralph Waldo Emerson said regarding this great virtue.
“Adapt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
8 KM
No comments:
Post a Comment