My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whosoever enters through the portals of this home, must go out with gladsome heart. This is the home of light; whosoever enters here must become illumined….
(Abdu’l-Baha)

What a joyous weekend I had! My dear parents arrived from Bulgaria on Friday night and on Saturday they reunited for the first time in three years with the granddaughters they helped raise. Seeing the joy on their faces — grandparents and granddaughters alike — as they embraced and hugged and kissed, gave me such a joy! Praised be God!

Then we all welcomed into my home my wonderful friends Roya Bauman and George Branyan who joined us with their lovely girls for a home cooked dinner and later on a beautiful evening of spiritual nourishment, uplifting music and fellowship — the last Musical Prayer Station for 2010.

I first heard Roya’s gorgeous soprano in 1996 in Rochester, NY, when she sang “O Baha’u'llah” at a Baha’i celebration there. That was the first time I ever heard this song and I was just amazed at the beauty of it. Later on, Roya’s husband George helped me fix the little car other generous Baha’i friends had given me so I could go to work. The amount of support I had received in those days, by the Baha’i friends at that community is unbelievable. Among them, a true star of selfless support to me was Akin — another dear friend who joined us last night and then stayed for one of those late night heart-to-heart talks, which solidified my decision to try my best to be a Baha’i — back then, and back now — talks about our lives’ journeys and what our hearts’ true calling is.

It was truly a night of the reunion of hearts!

I need to prepare for a children’s class (3 to 7 year old kids) on Justice. I need ideas for arts and crafts project ideally reflecting on the following quote:

Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the straight path.

Would you share your experience or creativity with me?

The beginning of all things is the knowledge of God, and the end of all things is strict observance of whatsoever hath been sent down from the empyrean of the Divine Will that pervadeth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth.

- Baha’u’llah, Gleanings From the Writings of Baha’u’llah

Last night I had fun singing in Bulgarian an improvised version of Leonor Dely‘s “Amame” and “Dios Satisface” during Hillary Chapman‘s performance at the Tiny Planet Studio. Surrounded by friends and music I felt at home, even though home is several thousand miles away. Upon coming home I baked a birthday cake for my dear Juliet whose 5th birthday my dearest Bulgarian friends in the U.S., her sister Sofia and I will celebrate tonight.

Responding to a song I was singing while holding her, Juliet herself told me on Friday as we were playing in her kindergarten’s backyard:

Daddy, God lives here even though we can’t see Him!

The beginning of all things indeed starts with the knowledge that God is always with us, and with the recognition that every moment is perfect for honoring Him and all of us, His creation.

May we always be immersed in His ceaseless love!

Today I had an opportunity to make a choice — to continue the war or to choose peace. I chose peace. And it was a paradoxical choice because choosing peace on this particular occasion does not mean I am changing my mind about the necessity of what I am trying to establish. And the unfortunate reality is that the society in which I live basically demands that certain battles are won as real, not hypothetical wars.

Having a choice implies freedom; ignoring the existence of this choice implies something totally different.  So, by choosing the freedom of peace, I also chose appreciating what the day had to offer — an opportunity to spent some time playing with the girls in their school’s backyard, then helping them during their first piano lesson, offering a prayer for those who suffer and those who have left this physical realm. There is much to be said for the choice of peace. Abdu’l-Baha perhaps conveyed it the best possible way:

During the last six thousand years nations have hated one another, it is now time to stop. War must cease. Let us be united and love one another and await the result. We know the effects of war are bad. So let us try, as an experiment, peace, and if the results of peace are bad, then we can choose if it would be better to go back to the old state of war! Let us in any case make the experiment. If we see that unity brings Light we shall continue it. For six thousand years we have been walking on the left-hand path; let us walk on the right-hand path now. We have passed many centuries in darkness, let us advance towards the light.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 61)

Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet.
(Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 37)

Today my little Juliet turned 5! Today, I walked up the hill holding her little hand on the way to school for her first day of kindergarten, and her older sister’s hand on her way to becoming a proud first grader! With two bouquets of flowers for the teachers, the girls left one phase of childhood and entered another — ever more exciting and fascinating. Today, for me at least, is the real Father’s Day!

As we both belted our voices over the phone, we sang until our spirits were uplifted and I personally could sense that she was in my heart’s embrace even though she was physically away from me.  The song we sang was our own rendition of “Sign of Love”, from SKY‘s brilliant CD “A Cycle of Divine Love Songs“:

O SON OF MAN!
For everything there is a sign. The sign of love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words, #48)

O true companions! All humankind are as children in a school, and the Dawning-Points of Light, the Sources of divine revelation, are the teachers, wondrous and without peer. In the school of realities they educate these sons and daughters, according to teachings from God, and foster them in the bosom of grace, so that they may develop along every line, show forth the excellent gifts and blessings of the Lord, and combine human perfections; that they may advance in all aspects of human endeavour, whether outward or inward, hidden or visible, material or spiritual, until they make of this mortal world a widespread mirror, to reflect that other world which dieth not.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 127)

He, verily, rewardeth beyond measure them that endure with patience.
(Baha’u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 72)

Last week was the longest uninterrupted period of quality time I got to spent with my precious girls in a year. We went on vacation at the Baha’i Social and Economic Development conference in Orlando, FL. There were many touching, joyful moments and many frustrating ones. I had an opportunity to reflect on many things, one of which was the need for patience in parenting.

As I was walking with Sofia and Juliet towards a nearby movie theater to see “Princess and the Frog”, we had to cross a construction site which had fenced a walkway to guide the pedestrians safely to their destination. The girls joyfully hopped and walked and sang and stopped as we were moving slowly ahead, instantly absorbed by every little thing that grabbed their attention, while I was trying to usher them patiently so we get to the movie theater on time.

At that moment I imagined us all on our path from the perspective of God, Who gives us a direction, shows us the way — sometimes fenced, other times open — gently nudges us to move along, reminding us what the ultimate destination is while never becoming impatient as we absentmindedly get focused on things of lesser importance. Why that is, I thought? Because He loves us, and He knows that all these little distractions are part of our lives. Difficult as these distractions make finding the balance of life, without them we would be sterile masters of the pursuit of check-box lists of achievements. Each little blade of grass Sofia picked or each little pebble Juliet gathered from the path we were on, were for them as important as the ambition of getting on time to see the latest Disney movie. As I observed them immersed in the moment, I was gratefully rejoicing in the gift God had given me — the gift of patience. Or rather, the gift of an opportunity to be patient!

For as God was addressing Evan Baxter in the movie “Evan Almighty”:

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

So, I have been given an immense opportunity to be patient in my sincere attempts to be the best father I can be. And God is a masterful, patient teacher! His Messenger too, gives us marvelous guidance. As a newly discovered friend pointed: “Here is one opportunity to be patient: read the Tablet known as Suriy-i Sabr (Surih of Patience), or Lawh-i Ayyub (the Tablet of Job) by Baha’u'llah“!

Bahá’u'lláh has stated quite clearly in His Writings the essential requisites for our spiritual growth, and these are stressed again and again by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Talks and Tablets. One can summarize them briefly in this way:

1. The recital each day of one of the Obligatory Prayers with pure-hearted devotion.

2. The regular reading of the Sacred Scriptures, specifically at least each morning and evening, with reverence, attention and thought.

3. Prayerful meditation on the teachings, so that we may understand them more deeply, fulfil them more faithfully, and convey them more accurately to others.

4. Striving every day to bring our behavior more into accordance with the high standards that are set forth in the teachings.

5. Teaching the Cause of God.

6. Selfless service in the work of the Cause and in the carrying on of our trade or profession.”

(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly. September 1, 1983; listed in Lights of Guidance, Fourth Revised Edition, Section XLV, Reverence and Spirituality, p. 541, #1835)

Happy growing!

Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet.
(Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 37)

Love. Love is what has been laid down in the Holy Tablet. Many more laws indeed but the most profound is the law around which all other laws revolve — the law of love:

Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 27)

Love can be expressed in many ways. One of the ways I express my love for my dear daughters is by baking for them my special birthday cake.

Three years ago I was unable to be with my daughter Juliet on her first birthday. I was heart broken beyond words. I made a promise to myself then, to make every humanly possible effort to never miss a birthday of either of my beautiful little girls. And so far, with God’s help, not only have I been present at each of their birthdays but I have also baked my birthday cake at each of their birthday parties.

Today my little Juliet turned four and I was so happy to arrange a party for her, her older sister and some dear friends who have helped me throughout this summer of tests and difficulties. I baked the special birthday party that my mother always baked for my own birthday parties. The girls liked the cake and that was nice but what was best of all was seeing the happiness on their bright faces as they hugged me and ran around in their joyous celebration. Being able to share my love with them makes me happy. Being able to recognize that it is God who gave me the gift of having two wonderful daughters and it is God who put the gift of love for them in my heart, makes me doubly happy, and grateful! I feel I have a gift in me to not just be a good father but to be a great father. And I fully intend to share this gift with the ones God entrusted me with.

Birthday cake baking fathers of the world, unite! The world needs more of us (just as the world needs more girl engineers)!