As I enter this New Year, I feel deeply grateful for Sangha. For years conditioning would try to convince me I had to do things on my own (it really meant do things with it). I’ve learned I can’t do it on my own—and how wonderful it is to embrace that! Listening to callers on radio shows, reading responses in e-mail classes, sitting in a virtual meditation…practicing with this group has helped me stay on the path. Recently, Theresa shared a story that reflects the importance of community for our girls in Kantolomba and what has assisted them in staying on their path.
You may have read in the last newsletter or heard on Good News that we are in the midst of our annual review of the girls program, diving deep into how each is doing, what would be helpful to know, and looking at ways we can support them further.
Mary, one of our girls, has just finished sitting for her Grade 12 exams. She is the youngest in her family with several older siblings and is referred to as the “lastborn.” Mary is the only child in her family who goes to school. Her older sisters married at a young age; her older brothers started work at a young age. No one completed Grade 12. We asked Theresa how Mary had made it so far in schooling, what was different for her than for her siblings? Theresa answered, “She is a part of Living Compassion, and she had access to the girls program.”
Imagine being the first in her family to continue her education, to not give up, to not drop out, and possibly the first to finish Grade 12 and go on to college! To be with this collective of girls, all of whom have chosen this path, to know she didn’t have it do it alone.
“Homage to the Sangha.
Homage to all who are approaching this holy path.
Homage to all who follow and establish this holy path."
--Daily Recollection
Gassho
Sreedevi