Namaste

“I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth and of peace. And when you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.”

The first and last word in this collection of writings is this word, Namaste. It is the most powerful single word I have ever heard. It was taught to me by Marge Knuuti, a nurse and teacher, who heard it on her first trip to Calcutta as a volunteer at the Home for the Dying, established by Mother Theresa. After a long, exhausting trip in the intense heat of the Indian summer, Marge wanted to rest when she arrived. As fate would have it, a new group of people, gathered from the streets of Calcutta, had just been brought to the Home to die with dignity and Marge was pressed into service. Fighting back her own feelings of sickness, she knelt to tend to her first patient. Not only had he been placed in the street but had been struck by a vehicle so that a bone protruded from one leg. As Marge came close, he said, “Namaste.” Marge had no idea what it meant and it was eight hours before she could ask one of the Sisters for its definition. That man, having lived a pauper’s life, in great pain and without anesthesia, set an example of grace, courage and loving-kindness that can be a benchmark for us all. This collection of writings is dedicated to that man and that place in us where there is only one of us.”

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