Sunday Special - With Love Man is God - Sharon Sandweiss Speech, Nov 19 Posted at 09:30:34 Hrs. IST on 06 Dec 2009
Ms. Sharon Sandweiss was blessed to have an opportunity to speak in the Divine Presence on the occasion of Ladies’ Day 2009. In a gesture that is normal for any speaker, Sharon, upon coming to the podium, went upto Bhagawan seeking Divine blessings and in that moment of bliss missed out offering the Rose that was meant for Bhagawan. After reaching the mike, upon realizing her “folly”, she rushed back to Bhagawan with an apologetic smile, presenting the rose and what followed was a stream of unsullied love for the Divine. She spoke about Him and His Love sharing glimpses from His conversations with the Sandweiss family in some of the interviews. With deepest humility and love, I offer pranams at the Lotus Feet of our Beloved Sai Baba. Respected elders, brothers and sisters, and dear, dear students, I am honoured and deeply humbled to stand before you today. I offer my heartfelt gratitude to Sai Baba for His loving compassion. Thank You Baba for your motherly love. Thank You for this wonderful, festive, meaningful, sacred, beautiful, joyful, happy day when we celebrate the sanctity of motherhood and the courage ... the beautiful courage ... and the amazing capabilities of women. Women all over the world are happy. Please speak though me Baba so that we all feel Your love. Recently, my husband and I tried to express our gratitude to Sai Baba. “Baba, You are always serving others. How can we help You?” Baba smiled and said, “I don’t need your help. You help your husband. He helps you. You are one. And I help everyone.” We cried, “Baba we love You soooo much.”.. (cheers) “Baba, we love You so much”. And He quickly responded, “I love you more.” (cheers) How can we understand this Divine love? This irresistible love? It has brought us here from nearly every country and every religion in the entire world. We all love our countries, our sacred books, our family customs, and our special spices. Yet we hunger for the same thing. We all want peace. We all want to love and be loved. Once my husband and I shared an interview with a large group. Baba went around the room asking, “Where are you from?” “Russia”. “Where are you from?” “Russia”. “Where are you from?” It seemed as if everybody was from Russia. Then, Baba came to me and playfully said, “Well, are you from Russia, too?” I said, “No, Baba.” “Oh yes! But my grand-parents were from Russia.” Baba said, “See the connection? All are connected. All are one.” Now, at first glance, Russia and America seemed very distant. Yet this distance shrinks when we compare it to the vastness of space. We are all inhabitants of Mother Earth. We share the same oceans and vast rivers and mountains. We are responsible to each other. When a factory in some small town in the world belches up toxic air, we will suffer everywhere. But when we offer love, when we work for the good of all, in one united voice, then we will hear the universe rejoice. Thirty-seven years ago, I was like many others. I worried about life. I worried a lot about death. I worried about our children. I worried about our pets. I was smiling on the outside, but inside I was a very sad and fearful soul facing a universe that seemed so meaningless. Fortunately, I married Samuel who was always asking, “What is the meaning of life?” In 1972, Sam went to India, in search of God. He returned transformed. He exclaimed, “God is on earth in the form of Sai Baba. You’re God. I am God. Everything is God. Now our lives are gonna change forever.” “What was he talking about? Who is Sai Baba? What is gonna happen to me and our four daughters?” Needless to say I was very scared. You have to remember this was in 1972, in the dark ages before the internet. Today, we just click a button and we are immediately connected with Radio Sai. We can hear Baba’s words. But back then it was very hard to find literature about Sai Baba. So, I observed my husband. He was truly transformed. He was happier. He was calmer. He was more peaceful. He was more patient and most important of all, he was more loving. Of course, he was always loving, but he was more loving. I was amazed. How can a person change so quickly? I too wanted to have peace. I wanted to have faith. Before I knew it, I was on the plane to India, with my husband. Sai Baba had spared me a life of despair and He had brought sanctity and great joy to our family life. Sai Baba is a living presence in our lives. He knows and loves each one of us. He lives in our heart as love and we know that love is all that is lasting. My husband and I were thrilled to tell our daughters, “You’re not just the body. You’re Divinity. You’re pure love. You be bold and brave like lions. Be courageous (and) unafraid. Follow your conscience. Think sacred thoughts. Do good deeds. Seek good company. You may stumble and fall but remember problems are your teacher and your loving Sai is by your side. Talk to Him. Speak to Him. He is in your heart as Love. Well, telling our children is not enough. We must be coming as examples and show unity of thought, word and deed. We must practice and refine until we sparkle and shine. Following is a brief example of this truth. When my husband returned from India, he immediately became a vegetarian. Now this was very unusual in America where most people think (that) a meal is incomplete without meat. I was very offended at first. He was refusing my cooking. But then I suddenly realised that I was eating an animal. I immediately became a vegetarian. Sai Baba was already helping me live a more thoughtful life. But how could we make our children change their eating habits so radically. Sai Baba says He is the source, not the force. So we decided to tell our daughters, “You can have meat outside the home, but not in the home, no longer.” Well, within perhaps a year, our twin daughters who were, maybe 7 at the time, came to us and said, “Mommy, daddy, we love animals too much. We don’t want to eat them.” The younger daughters joined them and said “Yes” too. “We love them, we don’t wanna eat animals.” Can you believe that at the age of seven, they had the sensitivity, the purity in their hearts to know that all life is sacred. This little example staged three points: first, when we become the example, others will follow. Secondly, we all hold this wisdom, this truth within us and it is our duty as parents and teachers to help children manifest this truth. The third point is that secular life is not different from spiritual life. Everything is sacred when it is done with love; even our eating habits. We worry about the state of the world. We want our children to be safe and happy. Yet, we see greed and disharmony everywhere. Years ago, we brought our concerns to Baba. “Baba the world is in trouble.” Baba said, “No, the world is good. The mind of man is the problem”. “Well Baba, what should we do about schools?” He said, “The schools are the same. You have to speak with your children. You have to talk with them. You have to understand what they are thinking; you don’t always know what is in their minds.” In other words, He was saying, emphasising the importance of communication, open, respectful communication. First, we listen. Then we try to understand. And then comes the hard part. We have to adjust. We have to compromise. Perhaps, even when it comes to our children. As Baba was speaking, I had a thought, ‘Where would this world be without Divinity in it?’ Baba interrupted my thoughts and in a very powerful voice He said, “Yes. If it were not for Me, everything would be lost.” My husband and I shuddered at the authority and the urgency of His words, “Without divinity, everything would be lost.” God Himself has come to save us from ourselves. Many years ago, I asked Baba, “Can I do more? Can we do more?” He said, “Yes, I will give you the power, the strength and the blessings to do more”. When we have the impulse to do anything good, He will give us the power, strength and blessings. And then He added, “Home and family.” Today on Ladies’ Day, we affirm that family life is the foundation of life. When there is harmony, peace and mutual love and respect in the family, God is in our presence and the world is happy. We are all members of one family; One Divine family. When we serve our family with love, we will sanctify our lives. When we uphold justice, we justify our lives. When we support the suffering women in the world, we dignify our lives. When we preserve and protect Mother Earth, we will purify our lives. And we offer all to God, we will glorify our lives. Today is such a happy day. Today we are dancing in ecstacy, praising God’s glory. Today we pray together, “Baba, keep us close. Don’t ever let us go. Grant us the power, the strength and the blessings to earn Your grace and become Your bliss. We love You Baba.” Thank you and Sai Ram! (Cheers) With love and light
