Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Small is Big/Less is More

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Sometimes it's the small things that really excite. Taking to a trail means you have the opportunity to acknowledge what's around you. Today I came upon the Juniper bush. I asked Jay, my companion, to pick some of the seeds, which resemble wild blueberries. We brought them home, washed them, and added them as a delicious spice to acorn squash that Panchami prepared. We sourced any information on these seeds for adding them to our dish. They are qualified as being excellent for the urinary tract, stimulating the bladder and good for arthritis issues. This new discovery, small seeds, became a cause for great joy. Hence, small things can end up being a big deal.

At dinner time, Curtis and Rachael with their four year old daughter had a great lasagne meal with us. Prior to coming to the dinner table, Rachael, who has found comfort with Jesus in her life, inquired about the concepts of grace and salvation. With an open mind, she and Curtis listened to our take on it. I explained that like many concept adopted in the middle east, sometimes during Roman occupancy, some ideas arrived from the east. We had been talking about India's rich spiritual tradition and how the notion of guru, teacher, plays an important role. He is one who delivers the science of truth, being kind and gracious and agrees to absorb the sufferings of those who submit to him for guidance. Once accepting and assimilating that guidance, one is able to reach God's kingdom.

I found that the couple responded so well. Their attitude and willingness to listen was a fresh experience coming from Christian folks, at least for me. To be open to listen may be a small thing, but it can open the doors to large realities.

In the evening, a short drive to the local Hindu temple gave us the opportunity to speak to that community from 18.65 of the Gita regarding the conditions that lead to the kingdom of freedom. It was the simple philosophy of shrinking our materialism which I spoke of to a group of professionals. After the talk one woman remarked that she would commit herself to a more full devotional life and pay less attention to the distractions of the world. Less is more is what she learned.

15 Km