Muir ( pronounced as Meeyer ) Woods is located at the foot of Mount Tamalpais.Mill Valley is also close to Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods .The Forest is very old and the trees are very very tall ,giant trees . The oldest of these giants is at least 1000 years old. We counted the concentric circles of rings on a tree which had fallen. We just could not count the rings! There were so many of them. Each ring denotes a year! The World's tallest tree is also here. We tried our best to locate it but could not succeed .The Woods are spread over more than 550 acres and there are several trails leading you to several other places in the forest .People go trekking on these rocky foot paths, which stretch for 4 to 5 miles at least .We went to Muir Woods on 10 May (Sat). There was so much of a crowd that we found it difficult to park our car.
It was wonderful going around. It was so pleasant. Remembered Swami every where.Marvelled at the mystery of His Creation and was in ecstasy throughout .They have small restaurants and curio shops (curios made out of wood) also inside the Forest. Very well maintained indeed. Nature was seen in all its resplendent grandeur. Thoroughly enjoyed the visit. The Woods are named in honour of John Muir a 19th Century conservationist.
From Muir Woods went to Sausalito to help Supriya and her husband load a Walkeron to their vehicle. Imagine no manpower available to load the heavy contraption. Supriya a colleague of Sai in his office is a very chirpy personality and is a very cheerful person indeed. Husband on the contrary a quieter mature person .Had coffee in Starbucks coffee on the way back.
Went for Narayan Seva to Leavenworth Street in San Francisco town on 11 May (Sun) at about 7.30 in the morning along with Sai. We distributed 500 sandwiches to the poor and needy .Some more persons (devotees as well as philanthropists) had come to the same place and we went around the streets distributing breakfast packets consisting of sandwiches and a banana each. This service Group consists only of Indians, who are doing this every Sunday .They sometimes also distribute Soup to the Narayanas.
For me a very major myth was broken that day. The myth that poverty does not exist in the US. There are poor people here too. And they are not only poor but also many of them are drug addicts. Although they are not in torn and tattered clothes, they wear dirty warm clothing, some of them having slept on the pavements the night before in the cold. Many of them carrying their whole world with them in their knapsack. It was a pitiable sight.
As per the San Francisco Chronicle more than 35.5 million (3.55 crores) Americans
12% of the US population and 17% of children do not have enough food, according to the Department of Agriculture. To meet the growing demand one food bank has installed a commercial kitchen to turn perishables left over from restaurants and hotels into frozen dinners to accommodate the hungry. And in one state a law has been passed that makes it easier for restaurants to donate left over food to homeless shelters.
I was reminded about Grama Seva. We all have a notion that there is only poverty in our villages, which is not true. There are rich people, middle class people, lower class people, and all types of people in the village. Similarly in the US also we have all types of people. But the systems here are so strong that once a person falls out of the system he can never hope to re-join the system again. We also gave the packets in a Senior Citizens Canteen meant for poor senior Citizens where they serve breakfast at subsidized rates .The Govt has made some provision although some of those who come there cannot afford even that .Remembered Swami intensely throughout the distribution and had to control my tears at many places. We were back home by 10 a.m.
Went to Stephanie's place in Petaluma. She has a nice small room which is self sufficient .Petaluma is a small town tucked away into the countryside and is quite distant from San Francisco. The countryside is green and it looks as though you are in an English county. Went to the horse ranch next door and also saw the 3 horses, one owned by Stephanie and two by her mother Betty .The horses are healthy, one of them is of Arabic descent. Enjoyed being in the company of the horses just like Swami enjoys being with animals. After all the all pervading Divinity exists in them too. From there we went to a Pizza corner and had some pizzas.
It was also Mother's Day a day when throughout the country mothers are remembered and gifts are given to her by her grateful children. They also have a Father's Day some time next month .What a wonderful concept. These people in the US are literally following Swami's dictum and what our scriptures say Mathru Devo Bhava Pithru Devo Bhava - Mother is God and Father is God. Sai & Stephanie had purchased a sweat suit for Latha as well as some beautiful clothes .In the US all important days are celebrated on weekends and so Mother's day occurs on the 3rd Sunday of every year !
Attended the Bhajan at Harsha's place the entire Group chanted Gayatri Mantra 108 times .Part of a mission to chant Gayatri one lakh eight thousand times before a fixed date.
Went for Narayan Seva to Leavenworth Street in San Francisco town on 11 May (Sun) at about 7.30 in the morning along with Sai. We distributed 500 sandwiches to the poor and needy .Some more persons (devotees as well as philanthropists) had come to the same place and we went around the streets distributing breakfast packets consisting of sandwiches and a banana each. This service Group consists only of Indians, who are doing this every Sunday .They sometimes also distribute Soup to the Narayanas.
For me a very major myth was broken that day. The myth that poverty does not exist in the US. There are poor people here too. And they are not only poor but also many of them are drug addicts. Although they are not in torn and tattered clothes, they wear dirty warm clothing, some of them having slept on the pavements the night before in the cold. Many of them carrying their whole world with them in their knapsack. It was a pitiable sight.
As per the San Francisco Chronicle more than 35.5 million (3.55 crores) Americans
12% of the US population and 17% of children do not have enough food, according to the Department of Agriculture. To meet the growing demand one food bank has installed a commercial kitchen to turn perishables left over from restaurants and hotels into frozen dinners to accommodate the hungry. And in one state a law has been passed that makes it easier for restaurants to donate left over food to homeless shelters.
I was reminded about Grama Seva. We all have a notion that there is only poverty in our villages, which is not true. There are rich people, middle class people, lower class people, and all types of people in the village. Similarly in the US also we have all types of people. But the systems here are so strong that once a person falls out of the system he can never hope to re-join the system again. We also gave the packets in a Senior Citizens Canteen meant for poor senior Citizens where they serve breakfast at subsidized rates .The Govt has made some provision although some of those who come there cannot afford even that .Remembered Swami intensely throughout the distribution and had to control my tears at many places. We were back home by 10 a.m.
Went to Stephanie's place in Petaluma. She has a nice small room which is self sufficient .Petaluma is a small town tucked away into the countryside and is quite distant from San Francisco. The countryside is green and it looks as though you are in an English county. Went to the horse ranch next door and also saw the 3 horses, one owned by Stephanie and two by her mother Betty .The horses are healthy, one of them is of Arabic descent. Enjoyed being in the company of the horses just like Swami enjoys being with animals. After all the all pervading Divinity exists in them too. From there we went to a Pizza corner and had some pizzas.
It was also Mother's Day a day when throughout the country mothers are remembered and gifts are given to her by her grateful children. They also have a Father's Day some time next month .What a wonderful concept. These people in the US are literally following Swami's dictum and what our scriptures say Mathru Devo Bhava Pithru Devo Bhava - Mother is God and Father is God. Sai & Stephanie had purchased a sweat suit for Latha as well as some beautiful clothes .In the US all important days are celebrated on weekends and so Mother's day occurs on the 3rd Sunday of every year !
Attended the Bhajan at Harsha's place the entire Group chanted Gayatri Mantra 108 times .Part of a mission to chant Gayatri one lakh eight thousand times before a fixed date.
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