Time seemed to freeze

As a relatively new disciple, I was really fortunate in that my good friends at the Ottawa Centre would take me down to New York a lot! Between 2005 and 2007, I would spring at literally every opportunity I got. Looking back, I am extremely grateful to have been able to see Guru so much in those two years. I had no idea at the time how much I would come to cherish all of those moments.

I recall one time in 2006 when the Christmas trip had just ended, and a car load of us who hadn’t seen Guru for about three months eagerly made the journey to Queens. After the morning function I had this really restless feeling; I was so full of energy and really needed something to do. The first idea that struck me was to go to Kritagyata’s house and see if they needed help with anything there. Sure enough, a project was in the works, so a few girls and I got right to it.

After a couple of hours Kritagyata came running in, "Go outside! Guru is here!" I was shocked and really excited that Guru had come. (Talk about being in the right place at the right time!) When we went outside, Guru was right out front sitting in the passenger seat of a car with the window rolled down. He was calling us: "Come, come.", He proceeded to hand each of us a sandwich, one by one.

When I went to take mine I looked into Guru’s eyes and time seemed to freeze; I had never physically been that close to Guru before, and the power of his presence was so striking. I felt like he knew everything about me and was looking directly into my soul. I felt Guru pouring all of his love into me and it brought tears to my eyes. I had never felt that loved by anyone before in my life.

I inwardly tried to bring my gratitude to the fore but I felt like Guru’s gratitude toward me was way stronger than any gratitude I could show him. It was really overwhelming. After what felt like a long time, but in reality was probably only a few seconds, Guru nodded his head as he placed the prasad into my hands.

I found a quiet spot to go eat my sandwich; I just sat there in silence, basking in Guru’s light. That was the first time I ever had an eggplant hero. Now they are a favourite, as I am reminded of this special day every time I eat one. I never thought that a sandwich could be a catalyst for such a beautiful spiritual experience!