I write stories sometimes from my life so that one day my grandchildren or great grandchildren would have a point of reference of what life was like in my time. I share this one to give thanks to Mona and Lee.

I was 22 years of age and was about to get married. I was a village girl and not very stylish and did not know much about putting on make-up or hair styling. It was probably the same for most of the girls in the village. People in the village had lots of children and worked very hard to bring them up.

I worked at a bank and remember taking out a small loan to help with wedding expenses. I remember accompanying my mom to shop for sarees in the town of San Fernando. There were not a lot of Indian stores but we had managed to get a beautiful red sari at a reasonable price and some costume jewelry. (On my wedding day my mom surprised me with some gold jewelry). We also got a yellow sari to be worn on Saturday night and Sunday morning for the “hardee” ceremony.

Hindu weddings in Trinidad may have changed overtime but it those days it consisted of three days of activities. There would be pre-wedding celebrations on Friday and Saturday and the actual wedding on Sunday. Most of this was done at the brides home. Friday night would be the “hardee night”, the Trinidad term for ” the Haldi ceremony”. Family and very close friends were invited to apply turmeric paste (haldi) on the bride’s face, arms and feet and sometimes poke fun at the bride. On Saturday it was more focused on food preparation, the “parching of the Lawa/Laawa (rice paddy),” and Maticoor rituals, decoration of the mandap. It included music and singing and sometimes a live band. The groom was not present for any of this but people would apply turmeric to the groom as well at his house.

As the custom or tradition went at the time: On Sunday the bride comes out in a yellow sari for part of the ceremony and then goes back inside. When the groom arrives, then she comes out in a red sari and the actual wedding ceremony takes place. After the wedding, the bride dresses with a white wedding dress as she leaves with her husband. This was the influence of living in a different society rather than living in India where you would go home in the same sari. I guess the custom changed because girls wanted to see how they looked in a wedding dress. At that time, most weddings took place like that and we just followed that instead of thinking about purpose etc. I basically had no knowledge of anything and there was no internet so I went along with my mom what everyone was doing. So the question was, where was I going to get a white wedding dress? They did not have stores selling it so it had to be made by someone.

My mom and I then went to see her cousin Lee and asked her if she could sew one for me. Lee sewed dresses for people and had an eye for fashion and makeup. My cousin Mona, also knew how to sew clothes, style hair and apply make up and she and Lee had a very close relationship. Lee told my mom that since my brother, who was resided in the United States, was coming to the wedding then he could bring a wedding dress. It would be cheaper and very beautiful. So we wrote to my brother and my brother’s wife had said she would bring one.

Lee and Mona came to the hardee ceremony on Friday evening just two days before the actual ceremony on Sunday. I showed them the dress that was brought from the US. It was a plain white midi dress. They were so surprised! After talking for a few minutes they said “you are not going to wear that”. They took my measurements for a dress and left. I did not know anything about my brother and sister-in-law’s budget and since she came from a different culture I could not judge. I felt a bit sad and disappointed but did not show it. I contemplated whether to wear the dress or not. Anyway I was caught up in the rest of the festivities and things to be done for the wedding.

We did not have phones so I did not hear anything back from Mona and Lee. It was now Sunday morning at about 10 o’clock and I had just finished the puja ceremony with my yellow sari. I was about to put on the red sari for the actual wedding when they arrived. They then showed me this absolutely beautiful dress and a tiara. I could not believe it! I tried it on and it fit perfectly. Would you believe that? It was like in a fairy tale and they were like my fairy god mothers. They did not wave an actual magic wand but it seemed that way, since they sewed a wedding dress for me in ONE day. They had taken the measurements for a dress on Friday night and came back two days later with a wedding dress. I felt very beautiful that day in my red sari and then in that gorgeous wedding dress they made . They helped me tie my sari, fix my hair and put on makeup. I donned a tiara. I did not know what a tiara was, honestly. 

It was many years later when I got a chance to talk to Mona about the dress. She told me the following story: She and Lee were totally shocked to see the dress that my sis-in-law brought. Lee had had experiences of people bringing beautiful dresses from the US that were better than she can sew. She felt really bad because my mom had come to her. Lee and Mona decided to sew the dress. Early on Saturday morning they went to Port-of-Spain to gather materials. They came back to Couva and started sewing. They only took breaks to eat and sewed late into the night until the dress was done!

Are you saying WOW! Well I am certainly saying that. I had no idea then what transpired, only grateful that there were people of that caliber in my family. I was barely acquainted with Lee but knew Mona a little and they did this great thing for my mom and me. Would you do such a thing? I had lost touch with Mona for quite some time since I moved to the US and she moved to Canada, but now we chat on the phone sometimes.

These two women made my wedding day special for what they did. Nowadays, I now wonder how many people would do such a thing? In the world where values and truth seem to be collapsing, I know there are still those who are doing wonderful things like this. Please give kudos to these two beautiful, kind and inspiring women – Lee and Mona.

It was my birthday recently and I felt so much love.

Celebrations started a few days earlier with my dear friend and disciple, Aasha. We went to the Lake Travis area for 2 days. The hotel was great and everywhere we went it was like the universe had conspired for us to have a great time. The drive was nice and when we arrived at Bee Cave we could feel a difference in the energy field. It was calmer than the area where we lived. The hotel attendant offered an upgrade to a suite since it was my birthday, but I opted to take the room on the 5th floor. The views from the hotel room were quite stunning in this part of the hill country.

Being vegan/vegetarian we knew that food would be a concern anywhere we travel so we had checked and there were a few restaurants in the area that had possibilities and hence why we chose the area. We did not plan anything ahead and thought we would go with the flow. For breakfast we asked for recommendations at the hotel but the place we went did not have things that would work because my diet is very strict. I don’t eat onions, garlic, tomatoes, sugar, wheat(once in a while), cheese, milk, citrus or anything spicy, among other things. We did a search and found a place that paid attention to allergies and used local produce in their menu. The place was called The Well. We were able to get a good breakfast there and the service was amazing. In the afternoon we visited the Oasis – which is a famous restaurant overlooking Lake Travis.

The Oasis

The Well was not too far from the hotel so we even went back for lunch. They were happy to see us again and we chatted and told the attendant how we like the area and it felt very peaceful. They said yes, and they do see some celebrities now and again. No wonder because when we went to Lake Travis we saw those billion dollar homes.

The Well

Before lunch we went out to Lake Travis and Aasha rented a boat. As we were climbing down to the docks I was wondering how I am going to back up. It was a steep climb down with many many steps and no handrail. As soon as we got down we asked if there was an easier way back up. Thank god the people at the counter said that we can bring the car down to the boat ramp and I had to just walk to that. It was a short walk on the jetty. I felt at ease and now I could enjoy the lake. If you have read the book Fourth Wing it was like walking the Parapet to me. LOL.

The Steps to the Boat Dock

The attendant who gave us the boat gave a few tips about the boat features and handling the boat and we got a map of the lake. We rented it for just an hour so we had to make good on time and had to understand the buoy markers. Aasha started the boat and we were on our way. It was perfect weather. The sky was blue except for a few white clouds, the water looked blue and glorious and there were no high winds. We both felt so relaxed and started to really enjoy being on the water. Although it was spring break there was not much traffic on the lake. We passed a sailboat, two jet skis whisked by and after there there was no one. After about half an hour on the lake as we looked to the sky we saw this unusual cloud around the sun. We saw a rainbow but it was arching upwards in the opposite direction of rainbows. It was arching around the sun and surrounded by some see-through clouds(not thick). We stopped after a few minutes just to enjoy the lake and took the phenomena as a blessing. We felt that it was auspicious. Later when I did research I found out it is called a sun halo.

On the Lake – The Sun Halo

As we sat there, I felt an overwhelming sense of complete peace in my physical body as well as my usual peace within my being. My physical body felt no waves of society or other things. I felt like I could just lay there and watch the sky, but we could not stay since we had to take back the boat before the hour passed. As I spoke to Aasha about how she felt, she said she could not even get the camera to take pictures because she felt so good. It was amazing and I knew we would go back there sometime in the future. I like the open air spaces.

When I walk among trees I feel the aura around my body feeling the trees and above at top of my head is obstructed by the trees, even though it may be a tall tree. So when I would go to the park I would walk under the trees and feel good but it felt best when I was in the open pavilion and the trees and water was nearby. When I go to the grocery store it does not feel good. There is one store, if I stay there for more than five minutes, I get a headache. If I am wearing the wrong clothes it becomes hard on my body. I start to feel tiny disturbances that could result in some kind of ache and uneasiness and it could turn into a headache. It’s like my body can feel a harshness in certain materials, especially man-made fabrics. As a result, I have problems finding the right materials. When this started happening years ago I did not know but after observation and experiences I learned. Then I knew why my Guru ji wore silk and soft natural fabrics. I know I strayed from the point but I just wanted to say how this feeling on the boat felt so good.

On our way home we visited Bee Cave Arts Foundation Sculpture Park. It’s a small park and was very quiet and nice to stroll around to pass the time. Here are some pictures.

The next day we went back to the lake but this time to a park overlooking Lake Travis. It was just a small hike and the view was spectacular. We stayed a bit but it became very cloudy and very windy. We were glad we were not on a boat!

We then decided to grab lunch at Whole Foods and head home.The drive back took longer than our journey when we left. When we were about half to three quarters the way home, we felt a shift. The peaceful nature of the place was gone. However, it was a great beginning to my birthday celebrations.

The next day of celebrations was with my son, daughter and grandchildren. . We went to this Thai vegan place and enjoyed lunch. It’s wonderful to just sit and be together and feel the love flow. After that we went to two mattress stores since I am looking to get a new bed/ mattress. It was a good day to do this because I got more opinions and did not have to drive. I am still pondering sleep number or tempur-pedic. When I get one I will consider it my birthday gift to myself. To add to this Camille, my daughter made me a wonderful family video which I love. To have a family is wonderful.

On my birthday I met with my meditation group who wanted to have a celebration. We had it online and it was nice to get the wishes and the love. I love all those flowers that were sent and also given in person by some members, my daughter and my sister. My living room looks divine with divine flowers.

My friend and disciple Aasha made this video for me. So much appreciation. Our friendship is a divine one. It is like best friends and also guru-disciple like Sri Krishna and Arjuna or Yoda and Skywalker. LOL. It is rare and precious. We have had sometimes mind boggling experiences as the universe conspires.