11/9/19 21:47 East Northport, NY
What a day. From
picking up Lou and Cheri and driving into the city to see Krishna Das earlier
today. I know my bro so well. We had made plans, I’ll pick him and Cheri up
at 10:00 and we will drive into the city.
It was cheaper and faster than taking the bus. I know him.
There was a text at 0800 and then the call I was expecting. It was at 9:00. Did you check Waze for how long it will take?
He asked. No, but I figured I’ll turn it
on when I get to your house. I knew he
wanted to leave earlier, this was the reason for the call. Even Cheri told me later that she asked him
not to call me. But here he was. I told
him, I was about to jump onto the shower and I’ll be over as soon as
possible. OK, good he said. And to their
credit, my friends sprinted out of their door and we were off to the city. This was not the typical KD concert which we
knew, this was different. This was Shree
Hanumaan Chaaleesaa. It was a special
prayer that should be chanted 100 times in the native language. For instance, Bala budhi vidyaa dehu mohin
harahu kalesa bikaara, which means, “Grant me strength, intelligence and wisdom
and remove my impurities and sorrows.”
The event was for three hours.
Most of the leaders were women who had beautiful voices. The band was incredible. A holy air reverberated within the old church
on West 86th Street. Although
we botched up the language, we sang with pure hearts.
I had dinner with Amanda and Joe in Smithtown. It was an open dialogue, honest conversation. We discussed what is happening in our
lives. Amanda will fly off to France
very soon. I am heading to Mexico. Amanda asked how the visa process was for
Meli. I explained how Meli and I have
two choices, either a fiancé visa or a spousal visa. The fiancé visa process is very risky, so I
may have to get married out of the country.
Overall, they want to be involved and would like to meet Meli before we
get married. Based on the current immigration
policies, this may be a stretch, but I have to say there was no anger. We had an open and honest chat. There is still a lot that needs to be
processed. We ended the night with hugs
and love, but there is still pain from the past and some fear of the
future.
Thank you for reading this.
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