St. Lawrence Market, Toronto
Seeing a Friend
Right next to St. Lawrence Market is 110 Esplanade, a
building where an aging friend of mine lives. He is a member of ACTRA and is a retired actor. He
recently came from the hospital due to a lung infection, dehydration, and lacking food really. A
brahmacarya (monk) assistant dropped me off at this location so I could deliver prasadam, which would
last my friend a few days.
I went up to his apartment, a bachelor’s, and it was great
to see him after so long. He’s lost a lot of weight.
“I want to show you something,” he said and so he opened a
door to his altar of Jagannatha; Krishna manifest as wood. My friend always speaks in favor
of our guru, Prabhupada, whom he met in Montreal back in ’68. He is so indebted to him for
introducing him to Jagannatha, which translates as “Lord of the Universe” – an appropriate name for God.
It was getting late, and I had 5 kilometers to go to reach
the temple ashram. It took a while being on fairly weak knees. I stopped at places just to
relax, to chant gayatri and the maha-mantra. I was also reflecting. I’ve known my friend for 48 years. He’s
done some valuable service by staging plays at our temple; dramas with spiritual content. No doubt he is
being recognized for engaging so many young people in the past.
Thinking of the past; the past is past, and the present is host to tomorrow.
May the source be with you!
5 km
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