March 2021
Dear Friends,
We hope you had the opportunity to attend the special meditation services that were livestreamed on March 7th and 9th, and the long meditation held on March 13, to commemorate the Mahasamadhi anniversaries of our Gurus, Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Sri Yukteswar. This is always one of my favorite times of the year, commencing with these sacred anniversaries, and continuing to the celebrations of Easter. There are plans to have a livestreamed Sunday morning Easter service from the Mother Center, and you should receive email notification soon. To help prepare for Easter, you are also warmly invited to join our Temple for a pre-Easter Zoom social meeting on Sunday, March 28. How blessed we are that through events such as these, and the many virtual meditation services offered by our Online Meditation Center, we are able to come together for communion with God and divine fellowship.
Brother Bhumananda
Minister in Charge, Glendale Temple
Recently I received an email from a devotee in the Encinitas area that beautifully illustrates the inner strength, resiliency, and blessings that come as one is persistent on the spiritual path. This devotee and his wife are longtime SRF members, and she had a heart attack. He reported that during her stay in the ICU unit, his wife spent time learning about her nurses’ lives, their children and interests, and she even gave one of them her copy of Guruji’s book, Where There Is Light. One of the nurses told her, “You are one of the nicest people we have ever had in our department.” He also said that he has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and care that has been given to his wife and him by “so many beautiful people.” When I read this, I thought how proud Master must be of this devotee and his wife and all those who have reached out to them, for this is the spirit that he always lived by. As this devotee concludes in his email to me: “These few days have brought into clear focus for me what really matters in life - loving God and loving each other.” I am happy to report that this devotee’s wife is doing better.
We want to express our heartfelt thanks for your continuing financial assistance. Through your help we were able to complete repairs to portions of the Sunday School roofing to provide long-term protection and also make needed repairs to the fire sprinkler system, as discussed in our previous newsletter. We continue to have ongoing operating expenses such as landscaping, cleaning, utilities, and basic maintenance. If you would like to help with these and other expenses, please visit the Glendale Temple donations page and choose from the options provided. Please know your assistance is always welcome and appreciated.
We wish each of you a blessed and holy Easter season. Through your steadfast practice of our Guru’s teachings, may you experience a true resurrection in Spirit, ever guided by the Polestar of God’s presence.
May God, Christ, and Gurus bless you always.
In divine friendship,
Brother Bhumananda
Minister
SRF Glendale Temple