Soulful Journeys Within

Most of the stuff we think of when we think of Halloween – the candy, the outlandish costumes, the scariness – has a long history.About 2,000 years ago, the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. They celebrated their New Year's on Nov. 1, a day they saw as a demarcation line between summer and winter. The last day of the year, (their version of New Year's Eve), was marked with the festival of Samhain (Sah-ween), their biggest and most significant holiday. The thinking was that during that night, the souls of everybody who died during the previous year traveled into the otherworld.These souls, in the form of ghosts, fairies and spirits, could be mischievous and play tricks on the living. Their presence, the Celts believed, made it easier for their priests, or druids, to make predictions about the coming year. Here's how some of their traditions became ours: RELIGION Halloween, Celt-style, was adapted more than 1,000 years ago by the Cath...

Patricia Klindienst is a master gardener and an award-winning scholar and teacher. She lives in Guilford, Connecticut, and teaches creative writing each summer at Yale University. Excerpted from The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic America, by Patricia Klindienst. Copyright © 2006 by Patricia Klindienst. ----------------------------------------------------------- A California gardener used the farming wisdom of her native India to create a suburban paradise that restored her soil--and sustains her soul. “I told my father, ‘I will be poorer in America, but my conscience will be free.’” I write the words on a paper napkin and turn it to face her. “Is this right? Is this what you just said?” “Yes. I did not come to America to trade my cultural heritage for money.” I take the napkin back and write the second sentence as well. Her words are so striking that I do not want to rely on memory alone to record them. Ruhan Kainth is telling me why sh...

Wow! this summer was really fast-forward for us. Between Marching Band practices and ASB meetings, my summer is already over. I have begun to follow the 5 Am to 10 Pm routine again to make the things work for all of us. During summer, most mornings went refreshing 'Punjabi skills' of children and evenings on the pool deck. It was full of fun for all of us. Last week came much awaited 67TH IIGS Sikh Youth Camp . It was another milestone in the journey towards self-realization! Even though each camp follows almost the same format, but each one has something new to offer, something new to learn. It was a great experience - once again. Today's kids never cease to amaze me with their love and understanding of Sikhi. There is so much to share from the inspirational stories that campers make in these camps, but I will keep it brief this time. Here is a poem by my son, AnupHarji Singh (Age 12) that says it all, about the camp and about the campers. Hope you enjoy it! We all came fe...

Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. - Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the basement, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor and my car keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office/playroom, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup a vase of flowers on...

"My Mother would tell her family in particular and the world in general "'I will step out on the word of God". Because of her convictions, it wasn't difficult for me to have faith. I grew up knowing that the WORD of GOD had POWER." - Maya Angelou said it while sharing stories from her life. It is very true that a mother plays a very important role in shaping the destiny of a family, a society and the community at large. The strongest influence on children is that of the mother. Children mostly follow their mother’s example and look upon her as a role-model. A small daily effort by the mothers will help in molding their children to become good Sikhs and an asset to the society they live in. Yesterday was the day, that was celebrated in Gurdwara to pay tribute to great Sikh Mothers of the Panth - Mata Bhag Kaur, Bebe Nanaki ji, Mata Tripta ji, Mata Khivi ji, Bibi Amro Ji, Bibi Bhani Ji, Mata Sahib Kaur ji & Mata Gujri Ji who were great examples of daughter...

The word ‘ardas’ is derived from a Persian word ‘arzdasht’ which means a petition or an address to a superior authority. Our ardas is addressed to the Almighty God and to our eternal Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. When we stand in front of Guru Granth Sahib with folded hands, individually or in a congregation, we are pleading for Gurus’s blessings and forgiveness for our shortcomings. Ardas is not written in Guru Granth Saheb. The format of Ardas has evolved over many years. After Bhagauti ki Vaar, the remaining wording of the current Ardas was decided by a joint body of Sikh Scholars in 1932-33 and was published by SGPC (Shiromini Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee – organization that manages the Sikh Gurdwaras). TU THAAKUR TUM PEH ARDAAS, JEEO PIND SABH TERI RAAS This shabad is from the fourth Ashtpadi (collection of eight stanzas) of Sukhmani Saheb is recited before starting the Ardas. In these verses, Guru Arjan Dev ji says that our body and soul, and everything we have, are blessings ...

M y father was a Primary School Teacher all his life, who has retired from the profession many years ago but never stopped teaching. Education was the most important gift that he gave to me and my siblings. My father’s example instilled an awe and respect for the profession. I realized that, next to parenting, teaching is the most compelling and the noblest of professions. Every young mind needs a spark to light the way to a brighter future through learning and teachers are that spark. In 1984, National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week - the first full week in May-to honor the dedicated men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children. While it is supposedly the opportunity for the parents and students to convey their thanks to the teachers, at grade schools, parents are expected to give gifts to their children's teachers. For many families, there's a fine line between showing appreciation and wrecking family budget. Finding just the right gi...

A Journey by MEETA KAUR It's nap time and my mother's hair becomes a world of my own. Mama unpins her bun and lets her hair fall, rushing down her back. She combs through the tangles with her fingers. Her long, shampooed tresses are thick pieces of rose-smelling silk. Her shiny hair is black pashmina, an endless journey toward the heart of a dark sky. I lie perpendicular to the length of the bed, on top of tangerine and gold embroidered pillows, flexing my feet and wiggling my toes. Mama lies down next to me. I proceed to thread her locks from the crown of her head through my big and second toes. Her hair fans out like a thousand silk threads suspended in air. Nestling both of my feet into the nape of her neck, I doze off warm, happy and safe. I wake up to my mother combing out the knots. My father is coming home soon. I am only five years old, but somehow I know I will live my life joyfully. Mama is my light. She is home. Mama teaches me how to take care of my hair during hair...

I have exhibited super powers from an early age, when I had to compete with three older brothers. Determined to leap tall obstacles in a single bound; I did manage to rack up national scholarship beginning high school until I graduated with Master’s Degree in Science. I grabbed my degree and tunneled into my career. Followed again my brothers to US, established my career & life in pardes. I married man of my choice as opposed to arranged marriage for Punjabi girls. Before we celebrated our first wedding anniversary I birthed a baby boy without fear, because if anybody could make the Super Mom thing work, it was me. …………………………..And that’s when all the wheels fell off my steam engine. Children are energy consuming creatures, they can suck every last tad of energy you’ve got and leave you in a pile on the floor. It’s not their fault, of course. If they were all we had to do, it would still be a full-time job. But as any Joker will tell you, most women are playing more than one hand ...

I felt comfort of fresh air filling my lungs this morning as I picked my car keys to go to work. There was no notes to leave for my husband; who have happily taken morning stress on his shoulders for many years now so I could go to work early & spend my evenings with children (in other words I could attend to my second full-time job at home in more relaxed manner)……there was no calls to make to the boss while dreading that intimidating talk, how my poor attendance at office is affecting projects’ progress & how I could be terminated on the basis of this poor attendance record…as if HR notification of all this was not enough. This may sound like height of craziness, but last week I needed a place to go where there was not any craziness without actually getting away. I wanted to turn on my computer and go to my on-line happy space where other people who understand life as a working mom balancing a successful career with trying to be a good parent, loving & beautiful wife, cal...

Happy Feet and Sikhi! by MANPREET KAUR SINGH If you want to begin a conversation about Sikhism with a child and don’t quite know where to start, just go to the cinema and watch "Happy Feet". I think Mumble - the central character of the animated movie - is the ideal Sikh, and someone all kids should strive to be. He is different from the rest; and not just that, he is proud to be different. He doesn’t want to follow the pack, even under immense peer pressure. More than that, he is always happy, even when up against heavy odds; moreover, he gallantly risks his life to save the colony - demonstrating the concept of “sarbat da bhalla”, as embodied in Sikhism. Although the movie is primarily a love story, you don’t have to look too deep to discern the real message. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, Happy Feet is an enchanting musical about a penguin colony, where everyone is a singer….or at least tries to be one. But Mumble is different, because he can only tap dance! Even t...