Sundays at the Ranch

Letha Kiddie and good friend Ischa brandishing spatula

I love walking into the kitchen at the Lodge on Sundays before meditation service. There’s the wonderful smell of whatever the week’s brunch team is cooking, underneath which I can always detect the kitchen’s usual comforting aroma of coffee and spices. It’s nice and warm in there now, too, on these suddenly chilly winter days.

But my favorite part is seeing the people I’ve come to love so much over the last year and a half. No matter how busy they are with final preparations as the clock races toward the 10:30 deadline, my friends always make time for me with smiles, hugs, and laughter. I always feel grateful to be part of this special group of people.

Even when there’s some kind of tension in the human community known as Sunburst, I feel confident that it will be worked out with consciousness and kindness. I’ve never had that trust in people before, so this is a new experience for me. I’ve also never seen a group of people who love and care about each other as much as this one! I guess that’s part of what it takes to live in community—a commitment to look at ourselves and our own issues as least much as those with whom we’re having a disagreement or problem.

The remarkable Brother Craig Hanson

As I go to sit down with my friends in the meditation circle, I always get a big, involuntary smile on my face. I probably look a little goofy. But it strikes me suddenly, as I enter that sacred space, how wonderful it is that so many people want to do the same thing: make the world a better place by becoming clear in their own purpose and goal of Self-Realization. Whether or not that’s how each of us articulates it, the energy of that desire is palpable and very powerful in our beautiful meditation circle.

I’m also struck by how very often the speaker for the meditation service says exactly what I needed to hear at that particular moment in my life. John Henry McCaughey did that on a recent Sunday, with his talk about the rain and being alone in nature and creating beautiful memories for each other. John Kiddie, Heiko Wirtz, Val King, Jake Collier, Craig Hanson, and others have also done the same on more than one occasion. In my experience, this only happens when a teacher is tuned into Source Energy and has learned how to put ego aside and allow Spirit to speak through him or her.

It’s a most wonderful experience to be in that Presence.

During this holiday season, I’m so thankful for the people in this community and all the many guests who come to share their time and energy here. I’ve never met so many people in one place who understand and practice the art of gratitude!