House Guests and Rapping Grannies

2 days ago we had our very first house guest. Having only half-moved, we were caught completely by surprise when H.H Bhaktimarga Swami was caught in snow and traffic nearby and needed a place to stay.

It was around 9.15 pm when that phone call took place - the house was a mess and we were exhausted from packing and moving earlier that day. We had 45 minutes before Maharaja arrived. We cleaned like 2 energiser bunnies and when Maharaja arrived at 10.15 pm the house was semi-decent. Whew.

Most of our linens were in the other house, but Maharaja and Devadatta graciously accepted what little we had to offer them in terms of comfort.

We all went to bed just before midnight. Savyasacin and Maharaja went on an early morning japa walk, at around 6, and returned at 7.30.

While stuck in traffic the night before, Maharaja said to Devadatta, " They should be living downtown, close to the temple!" but after his walk, experiencing the close proximity of Mount Nemo and the peacefulness of the area, he told us that we should never move :) We're definitely looking forward to having Maharaja over more often.

With that visit, I was re-reminded of Maharaja's humility, kindness, and good-nature.

In South Africa I got to have Maharaja's association only once a year, and now, I'm almost spoilt with it. And Maharaja quickly diminishes any awe and reverence you may have with his kindness and personable manner. But familiarity can creep in and take the edge off the respect we should always have.

So I was glad to be put into some anxiety about his stay with us. It reminded me of times in South Africa when my Guru Maharaja would come over and we would all be in anxiety about making sure everything was just perfect. It shook me up a little and reminded me "This is Bhaktimarga Swami!" Not just any guest in my home, but a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who works tirelessly to spread Krsna Consciousness.

So for once, I was grateful for the snow - it sent a wonderful vaisnava our way and gave my husband and I an opportunity to serve and associate with Maharaja.

As Maharaja was leaving we handed us a CD to try out - The Granny Rapper :)

You can check out her song 'Stuck in a Rut' here. :)

Would you believe that she's Maharaja's god-sister? I think her name is Mandakini dd, from Australia. Maharaja described her as a wonderful devotee.

Go granny!