Today our sangat celebrated Guru Gadhi Day (The day when the Siri Guru Granth Sahib became the Guru for the Sikhs). We started with a yummy breakfast hosted by Sat Want Singh and Kaur and then had a Nagar Kirtan procession to the Gurdwara. Winter really is starting to set in! It was quite windy today so it was very cold being outside. Brrrr….
This year the children again made an offering to the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Each child had a square cloth which they painted or drew on and was then sewn together to make a ramalla for the Guru. Then today during Gurdwara the kids together presented it to the Guru and placed the ramalla on the Guru. They all looked so proud. I love things like this that get the kids involved in our celebrations and help teach them. Too often the kids take a back seat and don’t have a chance to be involved. Here are a few pictures.
Nagar Kirtan Procession
Some of the kids sitting on the truck
Harogbind Kaur looking beautiful. (it’s also her birthday)
Siri Chand and Gurujot watching the kids do some Gatka.
This past weekend we drove 5 hours up to Crested Butte, Colorado to celebrate the engagement of Arjan’s Sister Kelly and Milo. As always it was lots of fun. It’s so beautiful up in Colorado, so it’s always nice visiting there. Any of you with kids will know what I mean when I say traveling with kids is always a "Trip". It’s not like when you are single or without kids and can just do things at a whim. When you have kids it’s like preparing the battleship. Everything takes a long time.
I actually forgot to bring my camera with me, but Kelly let me use hers so I was able to take a few pictures..
At the top of the mountain on a trail with the horses.
Continue reading ‘Weekend fun in Crested Butte, Colorado’
This weekend we had a lot of fun. We went hiking in the mountains and got some good outdoor time.
The kids sleeping after a big game of soccer.
Continue reading ‘Weekend Hiking Fun’
Well, Narayan is older now (6 yrs) and won’t let me get picture of him that often, so all the pictures these days seem to only be of Charanjeet Kaur.
Charanjeet is 15 months old and is running all over the place. She is a pretty smart kid and remembers lots of things. A few of her latest words that she says often are: Ek Ong Kaar, Kanga (the comb), Wazo ("bird" in french), Naris ("nose" in spanish). Whenever she sees a picture of one of the Guru’s she says "ekongar". She loves pictures so much. Also, whenever she sees a picture of a baby (or her brother), she get’s soo excited (bubbling with joy)!
One funny thing is that, no matter how much I try to have her call me "Papa" she always calls me "Mamma" (mother). So I guess I am momma #2. She knows me as papa….but she won’t call me by that name. I’ve started to get used to being Mamma. So, if you are with me and hear hear shouting for Momma then know it might be for me.
Morning Breakfast Smiles
Continue reading ‘Charanjeet Kaur - 15 months’
This past weekend we celebrated and remembered the life of SSS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (aka: Yogi Bhajan). This birthday event has always been a joyous occasion and serves to bring many people together. It is especially a great event for inviting the local community to learn more about us as Sikhs. There are normally quite a few political figures and local citizens who have a chance to get to know us better.
This year the Langar hall was transformed into a beautiful gallery for the event. There were all kinds of pictures, art work, jewelry, stories, videos, magazines, etc. showing the history of Sikh Dharma in the west and the life of Yogi Bhajan.
The entry way to the gallery with the "introduction"
Continue reading ‘Remembering a Shining Light’
For the past few months my son Narayan has been counting the days till he turned 6 years old. Every day he asks me "How many days till my Birthday?". Well, today that day finally came! Six years sure does fly by! On friday we had a mini "kids" party and sleepover with a few of his friends. Here are some pictures from then. Tonight we are having the full party.
Blowing out the birthday cake candles
All of us watching a movie after all the birthday fun.
Continue reading ‘Narayan’s 6th Birthday…’
It’s been a while since I posted family pictures….so here a few from the past week or two.
Having dinner outside as the sun is setting.
Continue reading ‘Family Weekend Happenings’
Earlier this summer a photographer friend named Fiona Aboud took some pictures of our family (in New York and in New Mexico). She is planning to create a book about Sikhs in North America and has been taking pictures in different places of Sikhs. You can see some of her photography and a few of the Sikh related pictures online at: http://www.fionaaboud.com ( Portfolios / Projects). During her visit to Espanola, New Mexico she took lots of pictures of the sangat, but there are a few of the pictures that were of my family that she sent me.
"The family"…after Gurdwara
Continue reading ‘Family Pictures by my Friend Fiona’
Today my daughter Charanjeet Kaur turned one year old! A few weeks ago she started walking and she is all over the place climbing on everything. It’s so much fun to play with her. It’s especially fun to see her interact with her beloved brother, Narayan. They chase each other and go into laughing fits. Her latest words are: "thocks" (socks), "Da" (Dog), "ta-too" (Thank You), "Momma", "bru-da" (brother), "thalu" (Our dog Kaloo).
Continue reading ‘Charnjeet Kaur’s 1st Birthday’
Well Summer Solstice Sadhana Camp is over and like always it was an awesome experience! Me and my son Narayan, along with over 1500 people were at the camp. Narayan had so much fun and didn’t want to leave. He and his friends would roam wild most of the days having fun and enjoying the freedom. By the end of the day he would crash (sleep) hard and then do it all over again the next day. I had walky-talkies for the first few days to keep track up him, but then the batteries died. Oh well, so much for the high tech gadgets.
One thing which I think is cool about solstice is that everyone from all backgrounds, countries and status all come together to meditate and work on their self spiritually. Everyone takes part in the camp and has a karma seva, so everyone helps with something. Summer Solstice is not an easy "relax" camp at the beach. Everyone camps out in tents and has to deal with the harsh elements of New Mexico. The camp is up in the mountains at around 7,000 feet above sea level and the sun can be quite hot and intense. New Mexico is a dry climate so mixed with the summer heat and being outside in the elements all day for a week can be intense. You have to drink lots of water and electrolytes and stay out of the sun to keep cool. Getting up early in the morning for Sadhana and then many going to sleep late from all the night time fun and activities. By the end of the week one is ready for a vacation. hahaha!
When I was up at camp I remember thinking about how it is such an equalizer being there. Rich, poor, famous, unknown, etc all go through the same thing and have to deal with it all. There is no luxury suite for the unprivileged (unless you bring a maharaja tent with generator, fridge, bed, A/C… Hahaha) . Also because of the environment you have to dress a certain way in order to stay cool and comfortable. Everyone tends to just blend in. The person next to you could be a movie star millionaire and you wouldn’t know it. There are so many people it would be hard to know them all anyway!
In previous years I have taken a lot of pictures and videos, but this year I needed a break from it all so didn’t really capture much. Here are some of the pictures that I did take. The people in the sound booth recorded a bunch of the audio, so when I get the files I’ll post them too.
Continue reading ‘Summer Solstice Sadhana Camp 2007′
