Riverdale Farm, Toronto
Saumeer
I try to reach a different destination every day, and today was Riverdale Farm (currently closed due to Covid 19). It’s my first visit to the area, and the park next to the barnyard is a mere 3.9 kilometres from my residence at the temple/ashram. My intent here was to meet up with Saumeer, whom I’ve known since he was a kid.
It feels strange, though. He’ll be fifty this month. In 1976, our guru, Prabhupada, came to town, and congratulated us on the purchase of the old Christian church which we converted into a temple. At the time, Saumeer was around—just a kid.
“Prabhupada was kind to me. He came forward and messed up my hair,” he recalled affectionately.
With Saumeer our chat was about life, staying on top of responsibilities and keeping alive with some practice of bhakti. He spoke sweetly about his wife (always a good thing), and his kids; one at ten years of age, and another at seven.
It was good to catch up with Saumeer this afternoon.
Then, in the evening, while sitting at the front steps of our ashram, someone cycled by. It was Vishnu, a young man from Delhi, who landed in Canada, and is now settled here. He looked up and asked, “ISKCON?”
“Yes!”
“I know it from back home. It’s good that I know you’re here, that way I can keep a spiritual connection….”
Our chat was so congenial. When Vishnu cycled off after saying: “My mother’s coming to Canada. She’ll be so happy that I can bring her here!” I thought, Vishnu will be the next generation’s Saumeer.
May the Source be with you!
4 km
No comments:
Post a Comment