LOSS OF MY FATHER

LOSS OF MY FATHER

April 10, 2009

Dear friend,

My father passed on to that further shore yesterday, Maundy Thursday at 7:15 PM Indian time. He was a deeply religious man, a devout Roman Catholic who never missed mass on any day of the week, and his death reflected the depth of his spirituality. He was 85 years old and had lived a full life, always happy and content with what life had provided him.

I grew up with him as my mom was often away on business travel. She worked for the movie industry in India for many decades. We were very close throughout my childhood and during my teens too. When I wanted to leave home and become a monk, he supported me. When I decided to leave the monastery and marry, he supported me just as much. Throughout my life in the West, he has been a strong support, praying for me, and Asha, and my life and work here every day. Whenever we had an important issue that we were dealing with, he would assure us that he would "up the wattage" of his prayer. It worked!

I was grateful to spend about 10 days with him after our recent pilgrimage in India, despite the fact that most of my time was spent accompanying him to laboratories and doctors. Just before I left India to return to the States, I learned from his radiologist that he had cancer and a very short time to live. I was in the process recently of arranging to spend time with him in India, to be there for him in his last days, but his illness escalated. Fortunately, his pain was minimal.

I got to tell him how much I loved him just before boarding my flight to the East coast yesterday (8:00 AM Austin Time). I heard that despite being unconscious for the three preceding days, he perked up as my sister held the phone to his ears and his eyes rolled about. His breathing, which had been heavily labored for the three preceding days while he was unconscious, quieted down soon after and he looked around the room at everyone in my family and then started to smile for a very long time. His eyes rolled up as though he was looking at something beautiful and he passed without trying to take in a breath. I heard of this on my midway stop in Detroit. Around 1 am EST this morning, I participated in the funeral services via phone conference.

It is very special that I get to do an Easter retreat right away, the central theme of the weekend of course being death and resurrection. My father was very excited about my new book Jesus in the Lotus, which actually ships the day he passed on. I had had many stimulating conversations with him on spirituality since my teens that set the stage for my spiritual questing as a monk and as a yogi. I will be serenading him in my kirtan tomorrow night. Please keep us, my family in India included, in your thoughts and prayers.

In One Spirit,

Russill

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