For yesterday's Awakin Circle, we received two RSVP's that surprised us: Vandana and Sarita. They were the daughters of Ganoba, an inspiring elder who passed away the day before. The very day after their father's passing, they wanted to join an Awakin Circle! It was a way for the daughters to be held by a collective space that their father had great reverence for. As Sarita noted, "He was the happiest when he was here and would often be telling stories about it."

Seeing their attendance, we spontaneously changed the format. To open, Mia read Harshida's blog about Ganoba's passing and Sarita sang a beautiful song. Then both the daughters reflected on the wisdom they picked up from their father (and mother). "Never once did we see in him a fear of death," they said. John closed it out powerfully with a retelling of his connection with Ganoba: "He was like a mountain. The rivers of circumstances flowed through, but he stayed rooted in his values."

Ultimately, Ganoba repeatedly underscored the role of in-depth, personal experience in our inner journey. To view things holistically and in integration with things within and without. That if we authentically participate in our becoming with joy, humor and both self-reliantly and yet within community, we move toward oneness. That we must dance between paradoxes -- we are perfect and whole exactly as we are, and yet a part of that perfection is to be constantly evolving towards our ever present and ever changing potential.

In between the stories, we read a couple comments -- from the many he had posted over the years, with his two-finger typing. :)  Like this: 
 

"For the last 30 years or so I have lived without a destination, physically and metaphorically. I have lived moment to moment, taken life as it happened and responded to it intuitively. This has allowed me to experiment and to experience deeply. A lot of physical and intellectual baggage has fallen by the way. I can now feel and express myself much more easily, sometimes even gracefully. I can now play many roles and switch easily from one to the other. I smile at life more often. I often cry like a child. Almost nothing shocks me. My senses have really come alive. There are no strangers any more. The whole universe appears like a symphony. I have no need to visit the so called holy places. All is holy, sacred and auspicious."

On the last Wednesday that he was able to join physically, he shared this poignant reflection:


Two of the ServiceSpace interns, Priyal and Vishesh, came together to hand-craft a gorgeous eCard for the family:



We concluded with a few moments of silent gratitude, after a prayer. The room was filled with a palpable celebration of impermanence.