Befriended Stranger

I spent three peaceful days in the Claymont mansion in West Virginia, once owned by the George Washington family. I spent three peaceful days in nature, nurtured by friends who practice Yang style T’ai Chi Chuan, ate delicious locally grown organic food, picked cherries from an old tree, and practiced Qi Gong. A great way to rejuvenate the body and the spirit!

A brief summary of the lessons learned:

• harmony with body is health
• harmony with others is peace / love
• harmony with the universe is spirituality
• the ego shouts; the soul whispers

Chi-ers to spending time with nature and the real self!

The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves. That the divers communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His Religion.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 287)

Today we had the 2nd International Day at work. It was an incredibly diverse and delicious event which illustrated very eloquently how feasible Baha’u'llah’s vision of unity in diversity is. As I was enjoying the food and the company of my coworkers, I was thinking that they don’t even know that the party was organized not only by our HR department but by Baha’u'llah Himself! The company has around 190 employees (a derivative of 19). We had food from 27 countries (a derivative of 9):

• Barbados
• Bolivia
• Bulgaria
• Cameroon
• Canada
• China
• Ethiopia
• India
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Montserrat
• Namibia
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Panama
• Peru
• Philippines
• Poland
• St. Lucia
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Trinidad
• Turkey
• United States

This was the most joyous celebration of diversity I have experienced at the work place. It truly was a celebration of the human diversity and its beauty as expressed in colors, decorations, and delicious food. I am in awe at the beauty of the human fusion Baha’u'llah’s vision has produced and is continuing to produce:

Therefore, Bahá’u'lláh hath said that the various races of humankind lend a composite harmony and beauty of color to the whole. Let all associate, therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend together side by side without discord or disagreement between them.
(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 68)

O Thou Provider! The dearest wish of this servant of Thy Threshold is to behold the friends of East and West in close embrace; to see all the members of human society gathered with love in a single great assemblage, even as individual drops of water collected in one mighty sea; to behold them all as birds in one garden of roses, as peals of one ocean, as leaves of one tree, as rays of one sun.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i Prayers, p. 157)

Oh and by the way — this is my 90th post on this blog. In case you wonder why this is more important than a 100th post, Baha’is love the numbers 9, 19, and all their derivatives

At lunch I was talking with two coworkers — one is a most marvelous Baha’i and the other is Chinese. The Chinese coworker and I were reminiscing on growing up in a communist country. He recollected how happy the old times were and how, with all the development the economic boom has brought, most people are not happy. We all crave happiness, and the material kind is very temporary and won’t cut it.

Let us try to understand the commands of the Most High and to order our lives as He directs. True happiness depends on spiritual good and having the heart ever open to receive the Divine Bounty.

If the heart turns away from the blessings God offers how can it hope for happiness? If it does not put its hope and trust in God’s Mercy, where can it find rest? Oh, trust in God! for His Bounty is everlasting, and in His Blessings, for they are superb. Oh! put your faith in the Almighty, for He faileth not and His goodness endureth for ever! His Sun giveth Light continually, and the Clouds of His Mercy are full of the Waters of Compassion with which He waters the hearts of all who trust in Him. His refreshing Breeze ever carries healing in its wings to the parched souls of men! Is it wise to turn away from such a loving Father, Who showers His blessings upon us, and to choose rather to be slaves of matter?

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 108)

This afternoon, I got a wonderful confirmation of something I had had a dream about few days ago — a dear friend has indeed arrived in Arlington, and help is within reach! We all crave confirmations and friendship, and I got that today. Thanks be to God!

After two days of biking to work, my metabolism has kicked in on a higher gear and I cannot stop craving for something nice and fatty. Macadamia nuts, cashews and dried fruits don’t cut it. I guess, it will have to be a Perivuan chicken dinner.

Last but not least, I just past my final exam for the Wilmette Institute course on “Islam for Deepening and Understanding”, and got 92.67 out of 100. Not bad for a person who was raised on prejudice against Islam. Just in case there is confusion on what Islam is, it means “submission to God”. Now, passing the exam is the easy part — the intellectual task. The actual goal is the one that will produce the best confirmation — submission to the Will of God! May God help me in this, and may God help all your loved ones!

Ever since I went to Bulgaria I have been contemplating on the question of what is authentic in me. The question was inspired by the observation of how much I fluctuated depending on who I was around. That was particularly obvious when I was around old friends who were not fully familiar with the meaning of the Baha’i Faith in my life. But that was also obvious from contemplating the differences that sometimes occur in my thinking and behavior depending on whether I am among people or on my own. So, I feel, this question, of finding the authentic me, is of paramount importance for my healing and spiritual growth.

Last night I started reading a fabulous book, “Big Mind / Big Heart“, which talks about the disowned voices we have hidden deep in our subconscious because they talk of things we are not proud of — I sure have a lot of those voices. The ability to embrace them is a key to giving them voice in a healthy way. But the book talks also about other voices of which we might not be aware — the voices that speak of something bigger than we limit ourselves to be.

This morning I woke up from a series of dreams which spoke to me of being embraced in the love and grace of God; which gave examples of strength and courage — an austrian swimmer champion in the Olympics who had only one arm (?!), and which sent me a message that a friend who wants and wills to help me has arrived in Arlington. I can’t shake the feeling of joy that sense of being immersed in God’s mercy!

So, now I am getting ready to go back to the Arlington County Fair where I went last night to be at the Baha’i booth with another wonderful friend. At some point I wandered around checking other exhibitors and then saw the competition tables — of vegetables grown, of jams canned, and of photographs taken by Arlingtonians — and I realized that I too, could participate in these competitions. The zucchini I grew were at least as big as the winner; the sour cherry jam is probably not much worse than those shown on the winners’ table; as for my photography, who knows, I am new in it but surely willing to learn.

This all takes me back to the question of the authentic self. It seems to me I have limited my perception of who I am for such a long time that it has been disservice to both myself and my creator. Time to say hello to the world. World, say hello to Mitko

O God, Who art the Author of all Manifestations, the Source of all Sources, the Fountain-Head of all Revelations, and the Well-Spring of all Lights! I testify that by Thy Name the heaven of understanding hath been adorned, and the ocean of utterance hath surged, and the dispensations of Thy providence have been promulgated unto the followers of all religions.

I beseech Thee so to enrich me as to dispense with all save Thee, and be made independent of any one except Thyself. Rain down, then, upon me out of the clouds of Thy bounty that which shall profit me in every world of Thy worlds. Assist me, then, through Thy strengthening grace, so to serve Thy Cause amidst Thy servants that I may show forth what will cause me to be remembered as long as Thine own kingdom endureth and Thy dominion will last.

This is Thy servant, O my Lord, who with his whole being hath turned unto the horizon of Thy bounty, and the ocean of Thy grace, and the heaven of Thy gifts. Do with me then as becometh Thy majesty, and Thy glory, and Thy bounteousness, and Thy grace.

Thou, in truth, art the God of strength and power, Who art meet to answer them that pray Thee. There is no God save Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 59)

On Friday night we went to The Birchmere in Alexandria to see Tierney Sutton, a Grammy-nominated singer known to apply Baha’i consultation while collaborating with her bandmates. It was an outstanding concert of three brilliant musicians and a perfect-pitch vocalist able to turn the happiest song into a dark, reflective melody or a funeral-ready tune into a joyful dance. The paradoxes they like to explore, while musically very different, remind me of the Wedding and Funeral Band of Goran Bregovic; then again the theme of musical contrasts is not atypical for New Orleans Jazz either. Which leads me to the surprising observation that the concern was attended almost exclusively by a white audience of a certain age. Now, I am not a jazz expert but for whatever reason I was always under the impression that jazz has always had roots in the African-American tradition — at least that is what I recall from the days I was running a small music store in Bulgaria, selling the tapes of the jazz greats of yesteryears: Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, and you can go on… But this probably proves once again that sometimes I just don’t fully understand this country… At any rate, back to the wonderful concert…

When Tierney Sutton showed on stage, I immediately noticed next to her two cups of cold coffee, “The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys” by Baha’u'llah. The sweetest surprise, however, was when in the beginning of a very mellow piece whose arrangement she said was first performed only two days ago at the Carnegie Hall, she started reciting the following spiritual gems:

O SON OF BEING!
Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.

…

O SON OF THE SUPREME!
To the eternal I call thee, yet thou dost seek that which perisheth. What hath made thee turn away from Our desire and seek thine own?

(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

Now, that was the true dessert for me — even better than the terrific raspberry and chocolate cheese cake

Photo of Tierney Sutton Band, copyright of Richard Termine / The New York Times

In honor of my birthday, I will share the recipe for my favorite birthday cake. It is not a fancy-looking cake but anyone has ever tried it has praised it.

This is a three layer cake where the top and bottom layers are identical but the middle one has walnuts. Each layer is baked separately. After the sugar syrup and the cream are prepared, each layer is covered with syrup and then cream. Finally, the top is decorated with walnuts and chocolate.

Ingredients for each layers

• 3 eggs
• 1 not-full cup of sugar
• 1 cup of flour
• a few drops of vanilla extract
• 1 tea spoon of baking powder

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer and add the sugar and the vanilla. In another mixing bowl, mix the flour and baking powder Add the flour and baking powder mix to the eggs and sugar and make smooth batter. Pour the batter into a round baking pane and bake for 15 – 20 min at 380-400 degrees. Do the same for each layer with the only difference for the middle layer, adding a cup of walnut finely chopped in a good processor.

Ingredients for the sugar syrup

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of sugar

Instructions

Put the water and sugar in a pot on medium fire and mix until the sugar is fully absorbed by the water. Warm syrup works best.

Ingredients for the cream

• 1 liter of milk
• 2 egg separated into yolks and whites
• 100 ml of cold milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• 8 spoonfuls of flour
• a few drops of vanilla

Instructions

Pour the 1 liter of milk into a pot and put it on medium fire to heat. Add the cup of sugar to the hot milk. Mix regularly so it does not burn on the bottom of the pot. Mix the egg yolks and the 100 ml of cold milk in a mixing bowl. Add the 8 spoonfuls of flour and the vanilla extract. Mix into smooth batter. In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and set aside for the end. Very carefully, start adding the egg yolk / flour batter into the pot with the warm milk and mix energetically so that they mix nicely. Continue mixing until the mix thickens.

At the end, add the beat the egg whites into the mix to make the butter more airy. Turn off the fire. Put each baked cake layer into the baking pan and cover it with sugar syrup and then a think layer of the cream. Repeat for each cake layer and decorate to your heart’s desire on top — I use chopped walnuts for cover and chocolate syrup for the signs. Put aside in a cool space and serve on the next day — that allows for the cake layers to get moist and juicy.

Last but not least, enjoy the cake in the company of your loved ones!

I very well remember the joy of having 1 (one) banana as the highlight of the new year celebration when growing in socialist Bulgaria. My father would wait in line for hours to bring 4 (four) bananas, one for each family member, and sometimes also 4 (four) oranges. Postponing the pleasure of taking the first bite was part of the pleasure. We all looked forward to this moment. We even had our own substitute: my father grew in his orchard a particularly delicious pear which he likened to a banana.

Then the 90s came and Bulgaria was not anymore restricted by economic isolation and the first thing street vendors did, in addition to pirated CDs, was to sell affordable bananas. I know it well, because I was the guy with the CDs, standing next to the guy with the bananas.

Now, I hardly eat bananas. My younger daughter, though, is a voracious banana eater. She probably eats two a day. I am a seasonal food eater — these days I love cherries and peaches. Few days ago I made a batch of sour cherry jam from the two sour cherry trees we planted in front of the house the year we moved. There were 10 little jars — enough to share with the neighbors and the Armenian coffee shop owner who always takes the time to talk with me about life, universe and everything else.

Now that I have been for almost 18 years in the U.S., I am appreciating more and more the bounty of growing in the family of gardeners. There is mystical joy in seeing how the grapes I planted, the apple trees I planted, the vegetable garden I planted are starting to produce fresh fruits and vegetables. I might not be as skilled a gardener as my parents, but I am deeply grateful to them (although back then I was not as happy camper about it) for making me work every weekend on the family gardens.

As I am reminiscing on this all, the New York Times posted a very enlightening article on the artificially low cost of bananas:

ONCE you become accustomed to gas at $4 a gallon, brace yourself for the next shocking retail threshold: bananas reaching $1 a pound. At that price, Americans may stop thinking of bananas as a cheap staple…

One of the rhetorical questions the article asks is “What other fruit can you slice onto your breakfast cereal?”. Well, you can try to be creative and seasonal too: you can try peaches and even melon with milk-based cereal. You can switch, just as Europeans would prefer it anyway, to yogurt instead of milk, and then the possibilities are limitless. That is how we have muesli.

The first recipe I ever brought home and ask my mom to help me make it, was plain yogurt with shredded apples and honey. It was one of the snacks we were given in the daycare. I must have been four and a half years old, just as my older daughter today.

As I am reflecting on the role of fatherhood these days, I am optimistic about the human ability to adapt to life. Yes, we had it good for many years with cheep produce flown from thousands of miles; and yes, we can enjoy our local produce just as well.

So here goes cheer to all local gardeners!

P.S. It just dawned on me the irony of what I was writing just as my coworkers were praising the banana bread I brought to the office. Indeed, you cannot make banana bread without bananas.