Let all associate, therefore,
in this great human garden
even as flowers grow and
blend together side by side.
(`Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page 68, US 1982 second edition)

Love ye all religions
and all races
with a love that is true
true and sincere
and show that love
through deeds.
[and show that love]
(`Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Bahá, Page 69, BWC 1982 lightweight edition)

The Tongue of Grandeur
hath, however,
in the day of His
manifestation proclaimed:
“It is not his to boast
who loveth his country,
but it is his who loveth
who loveth] the world.”
(J. E. Esslemont–quoting Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Page 161, US 1980 edition)

(The song “Let All Associate” was written by Brenda Cooper Derry, Michael Derry, and Talia Johnson of TaliaSafa; video courtesy of Mysticbird99; photo courtesy of Larry M. Miller)

As I am getting ready for the concert tomorrow, commemorating the visit to Washington, DC a century ago by Abdu’l-Baha, Son of Baha’u'llah and Exemplar of Baha’i life, such reminders are priceless to me:

My name is Abdul-Baha, my identity is Abdul-Baha, my qualification is Abdul-Baha, my reality is Abdul-Baha, my praise is Abdul-Baha, Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious refulgent diadem; and servitude to all the human race is my perpetual religion. Through the bounty and favor of the Blessed Perfection, Abdul-Baha is the Ensign of the Most-Great-Peace, which is waving from the Supreme Apex; and through the gift of the Greatest Name, he is the Lamp of Universal Salvation, which is shining with the light of the love of God. The Herald of the Kingdom is he, so that he may awaken the people of the East and of the West. The Voice of Friendship, Uprightness, Truth and Reconciliation is he, so as to cause acceleration throughout all regions. No name, no title, no mention, no commendation hath he nor will ever have except Abdul-Baha. This is my longing. This is my supreme apex. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory! Express ye the same thing which is issued from my pen. This is the duty of all. Consequently the friends of God must assist and help Abdul-Baha in the adoration of the True One; in the servitude to the human race; in the well-being of the human world and in divine love and kindness.

O ye friends of God! Through the Appearance of the Blessed Perfection the theories are abrogated and the facts established. The time of superficiality is gone by and the cycle of reality hath appeared. One must become the incarnation of Servitude, the personification of Love, the embodiment of Spirituality and the mirror of Mercy.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v2, p. 429)

Please join the Arlington Baha’i Community next Sunday, April 29th, in celebrating the 9th Day of Ridvan, a twelve day Festival during which Baha’u'llah publicly proclaimed His mission:

“Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridvan and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty Trumpet, whose blast is to signalize the resurrection of all mankind.”
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 30)

The celebration will take place at Quincy Park in Arlington, VA.

Here is the plan:

• 10 am – get together at the picnic shelter of Quincy Park near the big tent we will set (feel free to bring roses to help us build the biggest pile of roses), or if it rains, at my apartment
• Have kids of all ages enter the tent full of roses, fragrance and music to celebrate in an atmosphere similar to what took place just outside of Baghdad 149 years ago; those less adventurous can stand outside the tent
• 10:30 am – start the program with prayers and songs lead by the children
• Next, share the story of the Declaration of Baha’u'llah in the Garden of Ridvan, sing some more songs, have fun in the park
• 12:00 noon or so, go to the nearby Rico Pollo Peruvian chicken restaurant (or whatever other place we decide) for lunch

Let me know if you plan on attending and if you want to assist in any way.

Best wishes,

Mitko

And yet another friend, Tara Ellis, reminded me yesterday:

“Do the great while it is still small.” – Tao Te Ching

And yet another friend, the supreme friend, Abdu’l-Baha, who 100 years ago on this same day arrived in New York, reminds us all:

“If we are not happy and joyous at this season, for what other season shall we wait and for what other time shall we look?

This is the time for growing; the season for joyous gathering! Take the cup of the Testament in thy hand; leap and dance with ecstasy in the triumphal procession of the Covenant! Lay your confidence in the everlasting bounty, turn to the presence of the generous God; ask assistance from the Kingdom of Abha; seek confirmation from the Supreme World; turn thy vision to the horizon of eternal wealth; and pray for help from the Source of Mercy!”

(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 351)

So, this is what I’ve been practicing today:

• Sing — I am going home now to rehearse piano and sing a song of love;
• Smile at strangers — I was crossing the street today as it started raining; when I saw a tall lovely lady approach the traffic light I offered to her my umbrella as she did not have one — she accepted and while we walked she asked me of my accent, which lead to a conversation about her being an Iranian whose grandmother is a Baha’i;
• Keep learning — I sat this morning at the National Press Club among a group of distinguished practitioners of data governance and learned about best practices on semantic interoperability;
• Notice kindness — Inadvertently I asked for help a colleague who actually worked for a different team; he helped without any comments and I thanked him for the prompt help but later when I discovered that I had not followed protocol I thanked him again and thanked his boss;
• Eat ice cream — This will have to wait until after dinner though I had a yummy snack of blueberries with yogurt which should be close enough;
• Hope — As I am typing this I am reminding myself that where there is love, there is hope, and the love of God is always with me, thus hope is always with me too;
• Count your blessings — As I spoke on the phone to my 8-year old Sofia this morning, I was grateful for her and her sister’s love, health and creativity, and for the humbling gift of parenting;
• Laugh — I had some good laugh when talking with a lovely vendor over cafe machiatto about the importance of living in the present moment, and hope for some more laugh later tonight;
• Love — If that is not the reminder of Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to America, I am not sure what is;
• Love some more — I was extra kind today to someone who does not always treat me with kindness, and hope they will realize that the power of love conquers all; but even if they don’t, I know that my girls and our Creator will recognize my humble effort.

“When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed release, for that is the greater prison.” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!”
(King James Bible, Isaiah, 40:10)

“Lift up your voices and sing out the song of the Kingdom. Spread far and wide the precepts and counsels of the loving Lord, so that this world will change into another world, and this darksome earth will be flooded with light, and the dead body of mankind will arise and live; so that every soul will ask for immortality, through the holy breaths of God.”
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 2)

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, tea poured in peace, homemade banana bread baked with love and shared with a smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator.

This Friday, March 23rd, I invite you and your loves ones to an Musical Prayer Station in Arlington on a theme inspired by the springtime and the Baha’i New Year. We’ll start at 7:30 pm with uplifting songs and we’ll conclude with tea and sweets. We’ll also say prayers for anyone in need, so if you can’t join us and would like to request prayers — or if you need directions — please contact me.

Half an hour later,  after the Baha’i children class where I sang with my girls and their friends “O God, Educate These Children”, I found myself at a table surrounded by friends with whom I have been taking a class on Spiritual Parenting – a class which has been an enormous gift to me at a time when I find myself solely responsible for ensuring that my children will grow as Baha’is — I had my own moment of relief when opening the book to read along with my fellow parents my eyes beheld this quotation:

The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 155)

What a confirmation! So grateful I am for this wonderful day of Fasting, which started with a pre-dawn breakfast with friends old and new and then continued with joyous play time with my precious girls, teaching them Bulgarian and Baha’i songs, encouraging their creativity and rejoicing in their growth. May Baha’u'llah protect them, and their friends known and unknown, forever.

As I solemny celebrate on this second day of the Baha’i Fast, I am also reminded of the timeless words of Baha’u'llah, revealed around the time of these historic for any Bulgarian events:

All praise be to the one true God — exalted be His glory — inasmuch as He hath, through the Pen of the Most High, unlocked the doors of men’s hearts. Every verse which this Pen hath revealed is a bright and shining portal that discloseth the glories of a saintly and pious life, of pure and stainless deeds. The summons and the message which We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true liberty. The whole earth is illuminated with the resplendent glory of God’s Revelation. In the year sixty He Who heralded the light of Divine Guidance — may all creation be a sacrifice unto Him — arose to announce a fresh revelation of the Divine Spirit, and was followed, twenty years later, by Him through Whose coming the world was made the recipient of  this promised glory, this wondrous favor. Behold how the generality of mankind hath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto God’s most exalted Word — the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men….

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 96)

May we forever treasure both our history and the true liberty of the Divine Guidance!

O my God and my Master! Thou seest me among Thy creatures who have rebelled and transgressed against Thee. Every time I invite them unto the ocean of Thy knowledge, their repudiation of Thy Cause increaseth and their rejection of the Dawning-Place of Thy Will waxeth greater. I beg of Thee, O my God, by those who have fasted for love of Thee and have quaffed the living waters of submission from the hands of Thy bounty, to ordain for Thy loved ones, who under the blaze of the orb of Thy trials have clung to the cord of patience, all the good Thou hast reckoned in Thy Books and Thy Tablets. Write down, then, for such as have been afflicted with adversities for Thy sake, the reward of those who have suffered martyrdom in the path of Thy good-pleasure. Send down, moreover, upon them, O Lord, that which will rejoice their hearts, solace their eyes, and exhilarate their souls. Thou art, verily, the Most Powerful, the Most Exalted, the Help in Peril, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
- Baha’u'llah

Today was the first day of the Baha’i Fast. It was a very difficult transition into a state of calm determination to accomplish a contentment with less. No food and no drink from sunrise and sunset is the outward emanation of what should be a 19-day period of spiritual cleansing, refinement, nurturing, awakening.

I take today to be a step forward on my ongoing spiritual journey but it also provided a step towards a highly anticipated physical journey. I got my ticket to Bulgaria! I will visit my homeland and my beloved parents, brother and his family, relatives, friends, memories.

So these 19 days will be a time of going back to the spiritual roots just as my trip to Bulgaria will be a time of going back to the physical roots.

I am so grateful for today. For having had a productive day at work, for having spent a piano practice with my beautiful daughters, for having a delightful dinner with my wonderful roommate, for having the knowledge that I am a step further on the right path!

May God bless all!