I was fully awake and present when they wheeled me into the operating room. It was an unusual, but I needed to remain awake as long as possible before surgery. Twenty-five miles away in a yoga center in Manhattan my spiritual teacher and mentor, Sri Dharma Mittra, sat quietly in meditation instinctively knowing that I needed him. When I could no longer stay awake in the massive cold room of steel, it was OK because I felt Sri Dharma's presence and knew that all will be well.
The serendipity that occurred is an example of the power of human connectedness. I remember Sri Dharma telling a story of how everything in the Universe is connected by an invisible silver thread. This thread is said to pierce through the heart of each individual. He went on to say that our true self-our spirit resides in our heart. Think of it as being sewn together into to the spirit of every person he continued. Like sewing fabric together I mused. It was then my "ah" moment occurred.
I thought back to several years earlier when I was on my way to Romania to help establish a much-needed medical clinic in Christicor, in the mountainous region of Romania. We were asked to bring a suitcase of clothes for a donation gift, as the families that were hosting us were in need. Priding myself on being a "fashionista" I had a closet filled with designer clothes that any Romanian would be proud to own.
I was excited to give my donation gift to my host family. They eagerly opened the suitcase and emptied the contents on the floor. Immediately the attention grabber was my silk pantsuit that had been my pride and joy. This is perfect my host mother said, and quickly whisked it away. My heart sang with joy that my pantsuit would be giving another person the same happiness I had given me.
My last week before returning home, my host family gave me a farewell party. The party was held in their dining room -- a traditional gathering of family and friends, where love, food and friendship was shared. The whole village came to celebrate. It was a magical evening.
The day before my party my host family escorted me into the dining room. We have a wonderful surprise for you ---I was shocked--there was my pantsuit proudly displayed as a window valance! How could they do this, I thought.
My beautiful pantsuit was destroyed. I now understand it was transformed.
The fabric of what once was my pantsuit, now a window valance, was sewn together with love and served as the centerpiece in a room, which was the place of human love, sharing, and celebration. It was the fabric of our being, connecting individuals together heart to heart, thread by thread.