by SS Guru Simran Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, New Mexico 2024 (Second Quarter) New Mexico is #2 in child hunger in the nation. Food4KidsNM began as a volunteer program to serve the elementary school children of Northern New Mexico who do not get enough (or any) food to eat at home on the weekends. In 2009 it became a part of our Children’s program here at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das in Espanola. The Guru is definitely running the show, so to speak. During COVID many changes happened with our program. People from the various offices used to gather once a
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Archives for Children
Food 4 Kids NM: The Guru’s Way
Sweetness on Sundays
by SS Hari Kirn Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles, California 2024 (Second Quarter) As a young girl, I was dropped off at our church each Sunday to sit with my grandmother, who waited for me in the same place in the same pew. I sat quietly, wearing my white cotton gloves, waiting for the hymns so I could show my reading skills and sing loudly with the choir and congregation. I had no idea what the minister was talking about when he gave his sermon, but I left each week feeling somehow fulfilled. As I grew, I participated in additional programs
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Nurturing the Radiant Spirit: A Reflection on the Young Saints at MPA
by SS Sukhdev Kaur Khalsa, Raasiku, Estonia 2024 (First Quarter) I’m sitting by the window at our MPA campus. The winter fog has draped the whole of Punjab, bringing a deep calm into the surroundings. Nevertheless, as we celebrate Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday, the air is charged with the vibrant energy of students doing Pantra—the rhythmic recitation of Jaap Sahib—and the captivating tales of the Guru’s extraordinary life. It’s a testament to the enduring spirit of Miri Piri that, despite only a few months since the school’s reopening, the flame of enthusiasm burns brighter than ever. In this moment of
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My Pregnancy Story
by SS Charansev Kaur Khalsa, Viña del Mar, Chile 2023 (Third Quarter) Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa! Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh! The Ministry Newsletter Team invited me to write an article for the August 2023 issue. As a new mother, I have currently not been active in ministering to our community. Nevertheless the team kindly asked me to share my pregnancy story. This is my personal journey, in preparation for raising a child in the Dharma during these turbulent times. On January 1st, 2022, my husband, Agya Akal Singh, and I visited the mother ashram in Española, New Mexico.
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Me and Hari Simran Singh—Attuned to the Infinite
by SS GuruSurya Kaur Khalsa, Brooklyn NY When our son Hari Simran Singh was 10 years old, a few weeks before he was to leave for his first year at school in India, I told him that I intended to pray for him every day he was away. We were walking together along the park. I hadn’t settled on the form the prayer would take—perhaps one of the banis or a shabd, a mantra. He answered right away, “Har Har Har Har Gobinday, Har Har Har Har Mukanday.” Of course! The Guru Gaitri Mantra with Four Hars* was a perfect choice.
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A Gift from God
by SS Gurubachan Kaur and SS Gurubachan Singh Khalsa, Albuquerque NM Winter 2014 Our children are a gift from God. They choose us as their parents and we have the job to nurture, protect, guide and love them. They do not belong to us. As their first teachers, we have a very important work to accomplish. We are here to guide them to be great human and spiritual beings and to help them live and fulfill their destiny. The way we teach them is through our example. So much depends on how confident and strong we are, or how mentally
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Fearless Minds
by SS Siri Vias Singh and Siri Chand Kaur Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2014 “Give our children fearless minds so they may see the world through the Guru’s eyes.”—Song of the Khalsa This is our prayer for our children’s future, that they will be fearless in the face of martyrdom, in the face of impossible odds, the way the Gurus viewed the world. We must teach our children values and spirituality, give them security in God, and train them to overcome obstacles and achieve their greatest goals. Our best efforts must go to the creation of calm, safe, and secure
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The Heart of Parenting
by SS Manjit Kaur and SS Sat Want Singh Khalsa, Espanola NM Winter 2014 “Create dependable children, not dependent children. Give your children the basic values to face their own tomorrows, not be blinded by yours. Make them proper personalities, not helpless puppets. Position them for success; don’t paralyze them with the commotion of your emotions.”—The Siri Singh Sahib Spiritual Parenting: Knowing that many have spoken, written and lived eloquently on this topic—best of all the Siri Singh Sahib Ji, as well as each of the living Gurus and the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji—in this article we are
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A Special Sadhana
by SS Sat Daya Singh, Los Angeles CA Winter 2014 In the months before and after conception, most soon-to-be parents read books and study teachings on how to raise children. They often think: “My parents did so-and-so negative thing to me. I would never do that to my child.” Fast forward: Several months/years of sleeplessness have burned off that perfect parenting ambition. Chances are that the little Aquarian being is a great deal smarter and more sophisticated than the parent and that child is experimenting with pushing the limits. When the child deliberately spills his dinner on the floor or
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