4 months until I leave Haifa, Israel and go back to the United States. My departure date is June 7. 11 weeks until the event that I came here to work on occurs. 3 weeks until Ayyam-i-Ha. 19 Saturdays until…
Category: Baha’i
we felt the silence, in the way a child knows to be quiet when the room hushes suddenly. it wasn’t heavy…it lifted the heart, and around we went our shoes in varied sounds and rhythms. the city moved on, in…
Today I noticed that we have 99 days until a Very Important Event (I should have noticed 100, but it has been a little busy around here!). Last night I spent time with people I usually don’t see very often, and it was…
The last “Books” post was in July…and I have read a few books since then. 🙂 I am pretty sure that I’ve forgotten a few. Read: Freakonomics by Steven Levitt, Stephen J Dubner Tablets of the Divine Plan: revealed by…
Baha’i weddings are so unique…each couple’s style comes through in the ceremony. Two of my very dear friends got married this weekend, and I have to say it was one of the best weddings I’ve been to. There was the…
As of December 8th (tomorrow), I will have been in Haifa, Israel for one year. I keep writing little pieces of some kind of summary, but my words have been failing for a while now. I know I’ve changed, and…
My last post regarding science and religion was touched on very lightly, so I thought I’d explain a bit of where I am coming from. The following excerpts explain much better than I ever could. “Among the ancient philosophers the infallible…
There is an absolutely amazing website that has been launched by the Bahá’à International Community about Bahá’u’lláh, who Bahá’Ãs believe is the latest Messenger from God. It has some very rare pictures and tells the story of His life in…
“Love is the means of the most great happiness in both the material and spiritual worlds!” -Abdu’l-Baha Sometimes I don’t know how I got here (physically, spiritually, emotionally). Most days everything feels normal…and then there are the times I find…
September 8th marked the halfway point in my service in Haifa. 9 months left. I know that I’ve changed, that I’ve stayed the same.  There are so many beautiful moments, and I wish I could gather every beautiful soul into…
In just a short time I will attend the funeral of the last Hand of the Cause of God, Dr. ‘AlÃ-Muhammad Varqá. He passed on to the Abha Kingdom on Saturday evening. The obligations of the Hands of the Cause of…
A weekend means: -work -the lending library -soccer -an evening reading a book on the couch -a day at the beach -an evening at Bahji Recently I’ve been burning pots and pans…which is usually a rare occurrence. I’m wondering if…
Today was the commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Bab, which we observe on the lunar calendar in Israel. I woke up at 9 am to make a giant breakfast and shared it with some friends in my building. At…
The heat has not been crippling this summer, and I work inside an office during the day, so I do not get the brunt of it. Maybe 15 years of Chicago winters went so far into my bones that I…
“Every tree uttered a word, and every leaf sang a melody.” “God’s power and the perfection of His handiwork could enjoyably be seen in the blossoms, the fruits, the trees, the leaves and the streams.” “In brief, all in the…
It is strange to be a pilgrim AND a staff member. Not as weird as I thought it would be, but still. I really appreciate that my fellow BWC staff members are respecting the fact that I’m on pilgrimage and…
I start my Baha’i pilgrimage tomorrow. The last time we went was in 1997, so I was 14 at the time. A lot has changed in Haifa since then…the Terraces were finished, the Arc project was completed, etc. It is…
I saw a man washing his dog with a garden hose on Hamegenim Street last night. I wish I had gotten a picture, because he had put the dog in a shopping cart so that it would not run away….
It has been a busy week. Friends & family in town on pilgrimage, a consultant in the office, and social engagements. Whew! Today started another work week (remember, we work Sunday-Friday noon here), and I must say it was one…
From Baha’i World News Service: “….His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II…passed away on the evening of 11 May…A follower of the Baha’i Faith, he was one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world. ” He was the first ruling…
Last night we were studying the Kitab-i-Ahd, and this particularly struck me, because recently I’ve been feeling the need for more wisdom in my utterance and my thoughts…been a bit tangled and thorny recently… Verily I say, the tongue is…
At Naw Ruz (the Baha’i New Year), the choir sang in the Seat of the Universal House of Justice for the Holy Day observance. If you look closely, you can see me in there. This video was put together by…
I saw this article on CNN the other day, and wondered if I had gone back in time to the time of the Civil Rights movement. “Black and white students attended the prom together for the first time on Saturday….
when I tasted the rain there was salt on my tongue, and I knew the sea was in the sky today. there is dust on my hands and I wait. ————————– Tomorrow is the first day of Ridvan, one of…
today I was alone in the Shrine for 30 minutes and I let the rare tears fall today I realized that the jasmine flowers are opening up and I chased the faint scent around the gardens today I thanked God…
Last night I walked down the long gravel path arm in arm with my flatmate. We looked at the sky with scattered stars over an empty field, and the lights shining behind and in front of us. Saturday evenings at…
I decided that for a new year, a new design was needed. I spent hours staring at CSS code, ensuring that I will need a new prescription for my glasses in the next 6 months. Explore the site, there are…
Ok, so I can’t claim to be a sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this weekend I have been heeding the siren call of the NCAA college basketball…and last night the Xavier vs Ohio State game was…
Today is the last day of Ayyam-i-Ha, which is a time of joy and gift-giving before the Fast, and is about 4 or 5 days long. The Fast lasts for 19 days…no food or drink between sunrise & sunset. At…
I am still reading Muhammad and the Course of Islam, but since it is such dense material I am taking my time. I finished Reading Lolita in Tehran and The Tipping Point and I just finished reading Blink, Gladwell’s more…