May 26th Seniors Program
Raman-ji was on a business tour to China and Pravin-ji had graciously stepped in to substitute for Raman-ji. He focused on the importance of sankalpA or vow - the intensity in one's intention towards any goal. On a daily basis, we make simple sankalpA-s like " I am going to have a cup of coffee/ tea in the morning", etc. The next level of sankalpA is when one takes it up further and decides, "I will spend few minutes with mySelf before I start my day with coffee/tea/computer". A further intense sankalpA is when one decides "I will have a quiet place at home where I can dedicate time for myself with no distractions from the outside world", choosing the same place and sticking to the same time every day. The ultimate sankalpA, Pravin-ji says is to decide "I will not get up from my place till I get confirmation from the Divine". As a follow up to the mini discourse on sankalpA, Pravin-ji shared his experiences. In between the discourse, we did anulome/vilome prAnAYAma. Thank you Pravin -ji for your time and willingness to share your insights with the group.
After our delicious lunch cooked by Poonam, we had a fun memory game. We had arranged 21 small items from toys to accessories. Each item was individually identified to the partcipants. The items were then covered and the particiapnts were given 3 (-4) minutes to jot down from their memory the 21 items. The winners were then given token prizes. Mrs. Pushpa Thakkar topped all of us with a maximum of writing down 19 items. Mrs. Susheela Nair came second with writing down 18 items, followed by four third place winners who remembered 17 items.
This Senior Program would not be possible without the help of our dedicated volunteer drivers; Mr. Shyam Oberoi, Ms. Anne who is 89 and drove Mrs. and Mr. Thakkar, and Hetal. We have rides available from Redmond Library, UW Cascadia campus and Canyon Park and Ride. Please send an email to seniorsgroup@htccwa.org, if you need a ride from any of these places. It will be on a first come first served basis since the seating capacity is limited.
Thank you to Poonam for cooking the delicious food, Thank you to Tikaram-ji for keeping the hall clean,
and in setting up the tables/chairs, to Devraj-ji for helping setup the tables and chairs and for his presence :-) and to the anonymous volunteers who contribute quietly and generously to our Seniors Program.
Hope you had a good time. Please mark your calendar for the upcoming first anniversary of the Seniors Program in June. We are in the midst of planning some events. If you would like to share your talents from singing songs to jokes to storytelling to anything else that strikes your fancy, please send us a note and we will have your program included in the event. We will be having music, some dance (hopefully) and other events. If you would like to showcase your culinary skills or quilting or any other art and craft items, send me a note as well, we will setup tables for you to showcase your work. Any other ideas from you?
There will be another mail on our first anniversary in a week's time. Please continue your prAnAyAmA and stay healthy. :-)
aff'ly
HTCC Seniors Program