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"It will be nice to have an Awakin gathering in my home someday as I genuinely wish that my family and friends can experience the joy that I am experiencing right now" remarked Rakesh on day 2 of our recently concluded "Awakin to Giftivism" retreat outside Pune.
Little did anyone know that his intention would manifest itself as an Awakin gathering at his home in less than 2 weeks after he said these words. Rakesh's family was so moved by stories from his retreat experiences, that his wife Sapna, two wonderful daughters, Sakshi (age 14) and Sanika (age 6) as well his parents decided to start hosting Awakin gatherings in their basement living room every Sunday evening at 7 pm.
The first Awakin gathering at their lovely home was a beautiful experience. We were welcomed at the door by Sakshi and Sanika who had been prepping up the "meditation hall" all day to welcome the guests. In the kitchen, Sapna and her mother-in-law had spent their day cooking up a delicious meal for the evening. They also spent the previous evening going thru many of wisdom passages on the website before they chose a beautiful reading by Krishnamurti. And then to step it up further, Sapna translated the whole passage into hindi for the benefit of some of the seniors who were attending.
After a beautiful hour of silence, Rakesh opened up the circle of sharing with a warm welcome to all those present, after which he read the passage. As the circle of sharing progressed, one by one everyone remarked how delighted they were to be present in the sacred space that the family had lovingly created that evening.
The whole family really served all of us guests with so much joy and grace. Maybe it was their love that pulled in people from long distances, some of whom had driven upwards of an hour to attend this gathering. And so many unknown brothers and sisters came only to leave as intimate family at the end of the 3 hours!
As we parted ways after the clean up with a group hug, all we could say to each other with beaming smiles was "It's time to Awakin!"
Reflections
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