Our time now in India is fast drawing to a close. This morning during our daily walk, Devi asked me, “What is your main takeaway from this trip?” Without hesitation I replied, “It is the sense that we haven’t been doing anything. God is doing it all.”

Each year as we prepare to go to Abbott Mount, two desires arise in my heart. One is a soul call: ”I want to feel God’s presence more deeply in meditation.” The other is much more mundane, yet it still pulls at me: “I’d love to catch a glimpse of the elusive red-billed blue magpie.”

At one point in the story, Krishna goes to talk to one side of the ongoing conflict in an attempt to prevent the upcoming battle. The author talks about different methods of dealing with conflict.

The days of divine protection in Brindaban are not over. For many years, abandoned and abused widows from throughout India have made their way there to seek the protection of Lord Krishna. It is estimated that eight thousand homeless, destitute “widow mothers” beg on the streets for their survival.

A friend sent us a fascinating article on the strong influence that gratitude and positive emotions have on us. They not only affect us personally, but also influence the world around us.

The group of thirty people broke up into pairs, laughing as they began to play “Camera,” one of Joseph Bharat Cornell’s Sharing Nature games.

Worries seemed to be my entire mental diet. As I sat trying to meditate one day, an image came powerfully to my mind. “Time is like a river on which you are floating. You can never occupy more than one place at any moment. Just focus your whole attention on where you are right now, and let the river take care of itself.”

So often we feel alone, unsupported, or unloved by an indifferent universe. We need reminders to show us that we are never alone, but are ever embraced by a loving, benevolent God.

The insight that came was this: I couldn’t control my restless mind at that moment, but there were many things that I could control.

A shadow of doubt began to creep into my mind: “Can we really do this? Is it beyond our capabilities?” Then I looked up at a photo of Master on the wall opposite me and felt a calm reassurance flowing from his eyes.