Ananda Family News

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Easter Sunday: Bunnies, Shrines, and Theater

On Sunday we had a full day of festivities to celebrate this joyfully holy day. Sunday service featured a special selection of extra music by the choir and soloists, which always helps to bring the story of the resurrection to life, as it were. After service, we had a quick "community portrait" photo shoot on the front steps of the church. What a big, happy family we make!


If your eyes happen to be closed in this photo, don't worry. We took several shots, and we have a volunteer who has valiantly offered to photoshop all the best versions together. Can true perfection be attained through technology? We shall see.

After service we moved to the community, where the weather was ideal for Easter brunch on the green. Many loving volunteer hours went into preparing and serving the excellent food (the soup alone I was ready to just eat all day). And, of course, the Easter Bunny herself made an appearance, delighting children of all ages. 


As we had so many people gathered at the community, it seemed an auspicious time to officially launch and dedicate a new community project: the creation of a shrine to Lahiri Mahasaya. A number of volunteers, including the current class of Sadhaka trainees, have been working on the plans for this and will start construction soon. We have a statue of him already, and a patch of ground has been cleared for a gazebo and some new landscaping. For the dedication ceremony, we brought the statue out on a table so we could sing to it an invocation, and shower it with rose petals and with our blessings and prayers. Keep watching that space for something beautiful!


And then, of course, what better way to round off a fun afternoon and stimulate the digestion of Easter Brunch than some good laughs from a P. G. Wodehouse play? An extra-large cast of 10 presented Uncle Fred Flits By, complete with Steven smoking an incense "cigar" and Craig taking on a second role as a parrot.


More photos of the day can be found here. Many thanks to everyone who made it so delightful, and Happy Easter to all!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Joy Singers of L.A. on Tour

[Karen shares the following note.]
Lauri and Bhagavati are both former Ananda Palo Alto buddies who, along with Peter and Ramesha, are now part of the new Ananda LA Joy Singers group. They performed for us on Sunday evening at Chela Bhavan, to a full house of friends and singers. A tough audience gave them rave reviews. They have an unusually lovely sound and a terrific blend.

They're planning to put together a CD, and you'll definitely want to get a copy. It will help them raise some money to get rolling, too. We'll keep you posted.

They are working on taking this music on the road, and welcome your ideas and contacts in Southern California where they can perform. Churches, schools, yoga centers, retreats -- if you have any contacts, please drop a note to Ramesha.

blueline

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