Interfaith Prayer Service for Ebola Relief in West Africa

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend this Interfaith Prayer service for Ebola Relief in Bethesda - a city in Maryland. Bethesda is about an hour or more from where I am living in the town of Poolesville - but still part of the same county (Montgomery County). (A County is the equivalent of a Shire). As part of the service Gonpo and I (Gonpo is one one of our wonderful monks) chanted a prayer for healing (he's got a strong deep voice). My lighter voice held. Phewwwww. Many others made an offering of Prayer or Poetry or Song - like the cadent Call to Prayer by Brother Rooknudeen Ali in the picture below. In between Alhaji Pap Susso playing on his beautiful 21 stringed Kora - an instrument that he traced all the way back to the 13th century. Reverend Joan Beilstein from the Episcopal (ie Anglican) Church read her moving original poem about the epidemic - and many others including Rabbi Batya Steinlauf spoke. The most inspiring speaker for me was Dr. Kolap Abimbola (third picture down) who really conveyed how decimating Ebola was for the West African community. He described how there was so much cultural obligation and requirement to have extended funeral rites for the dead - but this in turn increased exponentially - the risk of infection and death from Ebola.

And here's some more pictures of those who presented

And here is the Senior Health Care Officer Speaking about how they were monitoring those that had returned to the County from West Africa or had moved there - but that they were also dealing with discrimination against those recently from West Africa - in terms of housing or schooling...

And here's a few of Gonpo and the rest of us - including one of us flashing our 'Stop Ebola Now' bracelets!

Afterwards the local West African community offered us a feast. I dived into the fried plantains (similar to bananas but more earthy in taste). As one of the visiting Islamic chaplains conveyed to me - they have to be just so - not too green and not too ripe! And then fried just so. I had to keep trying one to check that they were just so! This was a lighter moment in an event about something that is so decimating to many in the world right now.

And if you're interested here's the program!

What I get up to at the Kunzang Palyul Choling Temple!

I thought you would  like a few piccies of me hanging out with my community at the temple - more or less - and proof that I do cook and clean although for most of my life these skills have been in abeyance up until NOW! Miracles really do happen.

Here's me with my friend Jampal who is three times taller than moi!

And here's Jampal taking a picture of Ani Megan, myself, Lobsang and Dechen. It was an auspicious day to be out at the Stupa - but boy was it cold - hence my shoulders are located close to my ears.

So lets hop back inside where it's warmer. Here I am cooking a lovely warming dal soup for a wonderful visiting teacher - Khenpo Tenzin Norgey!

And now for the real miracle...I have the opportunity to clean crystals at the temple which contributes to the beautiful clear energy in the meditation, prayer/practice space. I really enjoyed the fact that my cleaning gloves matched my socks!

And here's me at a group practice with sister Nun's and another wonderful monk called Tashi Dawa - although I don't think he expected this photo to be taken - hence his expression. I am sitting next to Ani Sangye and Ani Atara is in the background.

And here's another occasion where I got caught by the camera of Ani Palmo. Ani Dawa is the blur of activity behind me. All these photos are around a food offering practice (Tsog) on behalf of all beings.

And here's one of me with my scaly mate as they would say in Australia - translated as - good friend - Ani Zing! We are out fundraising at a local shopping centre. Anyway hope that gives you a bit of a picture...what will I get up to next...who knows!

Voting in America

When we vote in Australia we have Federal and State elections...and Local Concil. But if you're American you are voting for everyone and their doglet - all at the same time - from representatives in the Houses of Congress and Senate through to Local Councillors, Circuit Court Judges, Education Board members, Sheriffs and Financial managers (a la Comptroller)! And you're also voting for a whole array of constitutional amendments which Australians would have a fainting spell about - not being inclined favourably towards any constitutional amendments . It's a sea of choice! And a sea of names.  I was particularly taken with the name of a local councillor called Chuck Stump. He had that salt of the earth type of feel about him. Well that's what he looked like in the local newspaper! Check these candidates signs out!

And if you're a Spanish speaker you're in luck because all the voting materials are translated into Spanish.

I bumped into Ani Atara outside a polling booth. She was in a real quandary about who to pick. It's not quite a question of spoilt for choice - but more a question of an avalanche of choice.

And in the bigger congressional and senate pool of candidates the Republicans were picking winners from their own team - and that worked - because Republicans got into both houses with a majority.  Here's their sign...in red...it's a stand out. But what is a vote for change really where there are only two main parties? That's something American and Australian political systems have in common.

Well if the word 'change' is a stretch of interpretation...Ani Atara at least had a choice and she could rejoice in that...

And I could wear my lumberjack hat and pretend that I was a foreign correspondent preparing for winter.  Except I'm not pretending about the winter thing. Today it was 17 degrees below freezing (farenheit). I really needed those ear flaps.

Happenings around Halloween

Halloween has just past, and the door ways between this reality and the next have been officially closed for another year. Here Halloween starts a full month before the 31st of October- in fact most of the town of Poolesville is Halloween themed for the whole month of October. Last night I got to offer CANDY (the Australian translation service translates this as LOLLIES and lots of them) to the minions of fairies and werewolves - including a boy dressed as the 'Scream' which apparently had leapt off  Edward Munch's oil painting onto this young boys shoulders inspiring him to wander the streets of Poooooolesssvillleee ending up on our doorstep uttering the words that many had said before him 'tick or treat!' Ani Dara got into the spirit of Halloween providing the candy 'treats' and dressing up as a minion herself!

A week or so earlier I found myself in a sea of pumpkins outside the local dentist who apparently, along with other 'outlets', buys back the excess CANDY and ships it to California where it is shipped to overseas American service men and women.

There was little excess CANDY to send back to Australia - or New Zealand - I'm so sorry. I do have to report a consignment of NZ gold bullion - Whittakers 33% (better than Cadbury's) Cocoa Creamy Milk - that was received the day after Halloween fortunately - and I can't send that back either!

Anyway back to Halloween. Ani Dara inspired us all to make a Prayer Crow for the Poolesville Scarecrow competition. Here's some of the creative team at work and a happy prayer crow result - or should it be meditation crow.

And then of course there was the Scarecrow COMPETITION that Prayer Crow was up against! Truly scary.

As an icebreaker - or should I say pumpkinbreaker- our prayer crow team went on a 1 mile fundraising walk as part of the WUMCO Fall festival. WUMCO stands for Western Upper Montgomery County Help Inc - an NGO - started locally by Jane, Fred and Beulah - for those who needed food and clothing in the area. Here we are walking and somewhere there's a picture of my foot and you'll see Zac having to to take a breather at the quarter-way mark. Our team was Ani Atara, Ani Dara, Ani Alyce Louise, Atira (with her stately hound Brenna), Zac, Kunhla and moi. It was a beautiful blue sky day. And at the end of our strenuous-not walk we ended up next to our friend Prayer Crow for a parting picture after which debate ensued about whether Prayer Crow was a he or a she - which stands testimony to her universal nature :)

And finally, here is my pumpkin that ushered in the minions of trick and treaters to our door step. I call her pumpkin with two teeth!

And the memorable comment of the night goes to the young fairy who asked me what I was dressed up as.

Well I wasn't dressed as a pumpkin!