These are the days of seed sowing. These are the days of tree planting. The bountiful bestowals of God are successive. He who sows a seed in this day will behold his reward in the fruits and harvest of the heavenly Kingdom. This timely seed, when planted in the hearts of the beloved of God, will be watered by showers of divine mercy and warmed by the sunshine of divine love. Its fruitage and flower shall be the solidarity of mankind, the perfection of justice and the praiseworthy attributes of heaven manifest in humanity. All who sow such a seed and plant such a tree according to the teachings of Bahá’u'lláh shall surely witness this divine outcome in the degrees of its perfection and will attain unto the good pleasure of the Merciful One.
(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.

The fishing trip was preceded by a visit with my wonderful host family, an unexpected demonstration of a home-based music recording studio, delightful dinner, and a night of restful sleep. The trip itself proved to me that while I might not have caught a single fish, I had some natural abilities that I would have never suspected, had I not opted for this uncharacteristic for me adventure.

The harvesting of figs, on the other hand, brought me directly to my childhood, with the sweet fragrance of the ripe fruit, bursting with sweet honey-like juice. My hosts here were similarly generous beyond anything I deserved or expected. I got literary loaded with fruit in addition to two massive jars of jams — from figs and from mulberries – and to top it off I was given a ride home so the tender fruit could stay intact for my little one’s visit tomorrow.

I could not have asked for a better illustration of the value of investing in friendship. With patience, the resulting harvest can be beyond anyone’s expectations!

O thou who hast set foot in the wilderness of knowledge and taken abode within the ark of wisdom! Not until thou hast grasped the mysteries concealed in that which We shall relate unto thee canst thou hope to attain to the stations of faith and certitude in the Cause of God and in those who are the Manifestations of His Cause, the Daysprings of His Command, the Treasuries of His revelation, and the Repositories of His knowledge. Shouldst thou fail in this, thou wouldst be numbered with them that have not striven for the Cause of God, nor inhaled the fragrance of faith from the raiment of certitude, nor scaled the heights of the divine unity, nor yet recognized the stations of divine singleness within the Embodiments of praise and the Essences of sanctity.

Strive then, O My brother, to apprehend this matter, that the veils may be lifted from the face of thy heart and that thou mayest be reckoned among them whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion, to fathom the mysteries of His kingdom, to perceive the signs of His transcendent Essence in this mortal world, and to attain a station wherein one seeth no distinction amongst His creatures and findeth no flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth.3

(Baha’u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 12)

O My Brother! A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance from all save God, that the true sun may shine within it and the eternal morning dawn. Then wilt thou clearly see the meaning of “Neither doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me,  but the heart of My faithful servant containeth Me.” And thou wilt take up thy life in thine hand, and with infinite longing cast it before the new Beloved One.

Whensoever the light of Manifestation of the King of Oneness settleth upon the throne of the heart and soul, His shining becometh visible in every limb and member. At that time the mystery of the famed tradition gleameth out of the darkness: “A servant is drawn unto Me in prayer until I answer him; and when I have answered him, I become the ear wherewith he heareth….” For thus the Master of the house hath appeared within His home, and all the pillars of the dwelling are ashine with His light. And the action and effect of the light are from the Light-Giver; so it is that all move through Him and arise by His will. And this is that spring whereof the near ones drink, as it is said: “A fount whereof the near unto God shall drink….”

(Baha’u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 21)

After an amazing turn out of 35 people for the “Music for the Soul” concert, and a couple of birthday parties, I headed to the Shenandoah National Park to camp in honor of independence, and to listen to Eric Harper’s new brilliant CD.

Every turn on the Skyline Drive offered a new beautiful vista of nature, and every song of the CD offered a new soundscape of unsurpassed beauty. Eric’s guitar work is, of course, impeccable but combined with his unique voice makes this collection of 10 songs enjoyable on some visceral level. I have been playing this CD on repeat non-stop! This morning I woke up with Eric’s new song “Starry Night” (which by the way stars the gorgeous voice of Tamara Martella and the background singing of Bulgarian Gergana Velinova) and there is nothing better than starting the day with good coffee, mixed with flamenco guitar and sweet voices!

For those more visually inclined, “You Complete Me” is ready to taste but I highly recommend buying the actual CD, getting into your car, cranking the speakers and enjoying real, genuine, energetic, gorgeous, uplifting music!

My steps today are simple:

• I biked to work
• I planted a garden on my balcony
• I am teaching my daughters to appreciate nature

When you make such first steps, as small as they are, it is good to know what the vision is. Here it goes:

The earth is but one county, and mankind its citizens.
Bahá’u'lláh

For every part of the universe is connected with every other part by ties that are very powerful and admit of no imbalance, nor any slackening whatever…
Abdu’l Bahá

Now living in a major city I have a challenge of influencing the choices of how my children grow up despite the limited time I have with them.  I am no longer welcome at the garden I helped build for them at the house they live so helping there is not an option anymore. I did apply for a garden plot with Arlington County but there is waiting list so I am not holding my breath. I do plan on starting a vegetable garden on my vast balcony. I even brought some rare seeds from Bulgaria, so this should be a fascinating experiment.

So many things in life we appreciate only when we don’t have them anymore. I clearly remember how much I yearned for a garden when I was in the army and for the first time I did not have my gardening weekends. Then the spring came and we were given orders to help clean up a military hospital’s park — ah the joy of being close to the soil and brushes during early spring time.

As we are getting ready for the first day of Spring, and the Baha’i New Year, I am contemplating how to make my life ever more balanced through harmony with nature, and how to give example of my loved ones of the joy nature can give.

Of course gardening is only one way of being in touch with nature. Hiking is another one of my nurturing passions which I do not get to satisfy as often as I wish. Combining any of those with the time spent with beloved kids is surely a joyous and noble endeavor.

A friend of mine, Todd Christopher, just published a book on that exact important topic — of encouraging kids to play outside, in nature. Here is an eloquent video promoting the book, “The Green Hour”:

The Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids by Todd Christopher from Todd Christopher on Vimeo.

I just bought my copy of the book at Borders. It is a very nice, full of practical ideas and at $18 won’t break your budget. It is available on Amazon too for $12.11.  Whether you buy it or not, I hope you get to spend more time outside with some kids you love! The spiritual fruits might be even more abundant than the physical ones:

Praise be unto God! who hath created sanctified souls, illumining them with the reflections of the Sun of Truth, and raising certain persons for the service of the Kingdom and gardening in the divine orchard. I hope thou wilt become a fruitful tree producing sweet fruits. Trust thou in the bounties of God and engage thyself in His service.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v3, p. 506)

I am well aware, O my Lord, that I have been so carried away by the clear tokens of Thy loving-kindness, and so completely inebriated with the wine of Thine utterance, that whatever I behold I readily discover that it maketh Thee known unto me, and it remindeth me of Thy signs, and of Thy tokens, and of Thy testimonies. By Thy glory! Every time I lift up mine eyes unto Thy heaven, I call to mind Thy highness and Thy loftiness, and Thine incomparable glory and greatness; and every time I turn my gaze to Thine earth, I am made to recognize the evidences of Thy power and the tokens of Thy bounty. And when I behold the sea, I find that it speaketh to me of Thy majesty, and of the potency of Thy might, and of Thy sovereignty and Thy grandeur. And at whatever time I contemplate the mountains, I am led to discover the ensigns of Thy victory and the standards of Thine omnipotence.
(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 271)

During our adventure, we managed to get lost but somehow after saying a prayer we got a cell phone signal just at the right time when we needed to consult with a park ranger on how to find our way back. It pays to not give up when tested but persevere and see the obsticle from a different angle. And it helps to have a beautiful friend next to you to encourage you. We truly had a wonderful time hiking. I am going to bed exhausted but smiling and grateful! Praised be God!