About Me
I'm joining Service Space because ... is a vortex for kindness and generosity. Hope to be of service :-)
A good day to me is when ... I wake up near loved ones
My hero in life is ...all kind people...small and large acts of kindness
My favorite book is ...not one but many..all the ones that make me laugh, bring knowledge, awaken my mind & spirit
One thing I'm grateful for is ... My family & friends' love; specially- my husband. So blessed with all the great hugs, laughter and care.
Bonnie Rose: Beyond Impermanence
Mar 27, 2020, 1 comments, 10 smiles
[Below are Bonnie's reflections from our "How Does A Heart Of Service Respond?" conversation last week.]
It's so great to see everybody -- so many familiar faces and some new faces that I haven't seen yet. And like Reverend Heng Sure, I am a preacher, so just, you know, virtually slap me or wave if I go on too long. I'll do my best to keep it short though.
So in listening to all of you speak, one of the things that struck me was an earlier statement about ordinary people becoming sacred and then Preeta referenced it later. And what struck me about that is that it seems to me like it's not only ordinary people becoming sacred, but it's sacred people becoming ordinary, as well, at the same time. And it's like sacred people becoming ordinary, to me, means that we're being drawn down into our commonality and into our ... Read Full Story
Tilden Park Kindness Day In Berkeley
Nov 10, 2019, 1 comments, 21 smiles
Today, Sunday, we began our day spreading kindness at a hike near Lake Anza in Tilden Park with Tim Huang, Tim’s mom visiting from Long Beach (California), my sweetie Anand, and new to Oakland and Awakin Circles “Sneha” (also Tim’s Stanford Univ friend). Tim’s happy ukulele and him singing “good morning, you are all loved” at the Ashby BART Station perk up our hearts with pure joy & laughter. Lake Anza's gleaming beauty and fall colors welcomed Tim, Tim’s mom and Sneha for the first time in their lives. It was a gorgeous Fall Day.
The fun-kindness signs made by Tim’s mom and Sneha, spread joy to over 40 humans ( including joggers, mountain bikers, and hikers of all ages) and 15 dogs.
Majestic redwood trees surrounded the path so WE had to hug one…it took 4 of us stretching our arms out to hug Mrs. Redwood.
Families' energies shifted to laughter and ... Read Full Story
Karma Kitchen Reflections From Coordinators
Nov 17, 2018, 2 comments, 9 smiles
Recently, a journalist wrote with some questions about Karma Kitchen. A bunch of volunteers reflected on them -- and here's a few of the many inspired reflections it spurred, from KK coordinators around the globe -- in Poland, India, Romania, Japan, Austria, Michigan, California, and beyond!
What inspires you personally about volunteering at Karma Kitchen?
"Karma Kitchen really appears to me as an expedient means to unfold people's inherent human qualities." [Jasky, Poland/France]
"The field, that is created - when volunteers come together for an agenda-less service, when volunteers lead with love, when the focus is on the process and not the outcome, the unfolding of magic when everyone is leading with intrinsic motivation to serve.:) this field draws me to karma kitchen to volunteer. It may be physically tiring but mentally very soothing and joyous experience for me. Every Karma kitchen will create enough stories of micro-moments of transformation, deep relationships, love ... Read Full Story
At The Intersection Of Kindness Ave & Joyous Way! :)
Oct 02, 2018, 5 comments, 24 smiles
Last Friday, a crew of us convened a couple hours north of San Francisco, at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, for Kindness Circles with the Girls and Boys Schools -- which are literally named the Instilling Goodness and Developing Virtue Schools (IGDVS)!
By the intersection of Kindness Ave and Joyous Way (yes, their streets are really named that :)) -- we pulled up around 7:30 AM to one of the buildings of the Girls' School. One student was already there setting up a projector, as we unloaded various materials and goodies for the circle -- including tasty treats that Sandy, Helen, and Helen's daughter Ellie had spent hours baking the day before!
As we set up, the students filed in -- bright smiles on their faces, recognizing some of us from previous visits.
We circled up, and began with a minute of silence -- which Audrey framed as just "taking a minute ... Read Full Story
Karma Kitchens Across The Globe!
Jul 20, 2018, 7 smiles
Dear Karma Kitchen Friends, thank you for your ongoing support in nurturing the spirit of generosity at Karma Kitchen!
Next Sunday, July 29th, we're on in Berkeley! Do swing by for lunch if you're local. Or, if you'd like to volunteer from 10AM-4PM, we do have a few spots open.
In the last month, we've been witness to some remarkable stories at Karma Kitchens around the globe. In Nepal, Sushil reports the first KK Kathmandu, where guests were wowed by the big-hearted volunteers, who "were all physically disabled, myself included". At KK Dubai, Sehr calls it a "massive heart surgery" -- with stories of a celebrity chef volunteering, CNN filming, and the theme: "It's Cool To Be Kind"! In Toronto, Thu hosted KK in the Park, with a future city council member tweeting: "Unforgettable." (and she's at it again tomorrow!)
In NYC, Ebony wondered, "Can New Yorkers open their hearts?" And discovered, why, ... Read Full Story
Complete And Delicious Success! #goodpeople
Jun 17, 2018, 3 comments, 21 smiles
Few leaked photos of Karma Kitchen Toronto yesterday, that we couldn't wait to share ...
Banh Mi sandwiches and Vietnamese colesaw! Oooh. We can imagine who the expert chef might've been.
A local city council candidate tweeted: "Congratulations @servicespace @connectwiththu on the inaugural #karmakitchenpicnic at the #mossparkmarket in #mosspark. Fantastic #FreshThinkingTO idea for connecting our diverse communities. A complete and delicious success! #goodpeople"
And one volunteer's grade 6 son, Atna, was a rockstar yesterday! He cracked open all the supplies and went to work writing the sidewalk chalk greetings in all languages. He even came up with a scavenger hunt game where he hid the letters PEACE around the park, made clues and rallied all the kids together to go find the letters. At the end of the day, he wanted to return the letters for the next time, and I asked if he wanted to keep them to play again with his friends. :) He did.
Big hugs to all! :)
Sometimes It Takes Nine Years
Mar 01, 2018, 4 comments, 18 smiles
[Last Sunday, during the opening circle of Karma Kitchen volunteer orientation, an unsuspecting guest lingered around the periphery. It was our head Chef, Dhruva. "Would you have a few minutes to join us?" He sat and heard everyone's introductions and stories. At one piont, he tells us, "Actually, can I share a story?" Below is what he shared.]
I've been connected to Karma Kitchen for 9 years. I know exactly, because my son was in 2nd grade when Karma Kitchen started.
I always wanted to engage my son in such service, but he wasn't very fond of Karma Kitchen. It took away his father for two hours, on his favorite play day -- Sunday!
Years went by. I kept volunteering on Sundays, and my son kept growing older.
Last summer, I needed a little help with the restaurant so I asked him to spend some of his days working with me.
One fine day, we ... Read Full Story
Karma Kitchen On NBC!
Nov 08, 2017, 2 comments, 20 smiles
A beautiful story on NBC, about Karma Kitchen DC on November 7! Go Krishna! Some excerpts below ...
Krishna Desar explained that the program aims to move people from transaction to trust, scarcity to abundance, and isolation to community.
To encourage the transition toward building a community, guests are given the option to either sit at a larger community table where they can interact with others or take a seat at one of the personal tables.
“We’re so hungry to connect to each other,” 50-year-old Kristin Pedemonti, a volunteer coordinator at Karma Kitchen D.C., said. “In a place like D.C. where there’s often so much power-hungry energy — this is just the opposite of that.”
For Jess Anderson, 23, and Leo Guillemin, 27, who often go to the Himalayan Heritage restaurant, it was both surprising and exciting to be welcomed by Karma Kitchen volunteers on a cold Sunday afternoon last month that NBC News ... Read Full Story
