The Magical Mystery Tour

Day 79, awaiting the call for Anna's double lung transplant...

Today was truly a remarkable day. It is 10-13-10, very auspicious, of course, and Anna and I received an amazing gift this afternoon. We both had the great honor to have an audience with and personal blessing from His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.

It is truly remarkable how we were given this unusual opportunity. Five years ago I organized and implemented a healing flags project for the Ronald McDonald House that was a great success. This Spring I received a call that the House wanted to do another such project because His Holiness was coming for a visit to bless the children. I was only able to help with getting this project started because of not having any time since I am helping Anna with treatments, etc. Two other wonderful women, Bri and Mary and I am sure, others, took the ball and made it happen. They did a wonderful job. On Friday we hung the Flags of Hope.

Because I was not able to do much to help with the project I was unsure if I and Anna would be able participate in the event. We did "hope" so. It seemed that we could attend but yesterday morning we discovered that we were not going to be able to. There was only enough space for the residents and the RMH donors to be present for the blessings. Of course they could not accommodate everyone into this event. Many people were disappointed, including us. I could tell this was a very disappointing blow to Anna. The rest of the day, yesterday, was kind of blah. With our wish unfulfilled to have an audience with His Holiness we did our best to let it go and move on. Even though we both had a feeling that it would happen it was not going to and we had to accept it. We did, but then, at 7PM last night I received a call, the Executive Director, Honey called to say that she was going to break the rules and we were invited. She wanted to give us the special gift to come because, "I want Anna to know that people care about her, even people whom she does not know. Because she is so ill I want her to have the chance to be there and to have everything she needs to be able to get her lungs." Wow, how kind and compassionate. I was speechless. I did not expect this to happen after this morning's no. It was a miracle....... The magic mo jo was still happening........

The way this happened, to hope for months that we could go to this event and then not being able to go because of a huge hurtle and obstacle we could do nothing about, that was instantly dissolved by Honey's phone call was astonishing. It felt that we belonged there. It was meant to be. It was such a gift. It was so special to receive that call from Honey last night that we dared to believe it. I knew that Anna desperately wanted to see the Dalai Lama. She so wanted to receive his blessing before the transplant. Ask and ye shall receive, an invitation to attend, imagine that.

We were told that he was coming to bless the children and not the adults so it was important for Anna to realize this and know just being in his presence was a blessing. We understood this. We understood it was a miraculous gift that we were even able to attend. We did not take this lightly. We knew the magnitude of fortune that we had been given to be able to meet with him.

We arrived at 1PM. He was scheduled to arrive at 2PM but as it turned out he was over an hour late. We enjoyed being with the House residents, singing the songs of Nancy Cassidy as she strummed her guitar and talking with the lung recipient's mother that I met last Friday. Then, His Holiness arrived. He entered the room reaching out to the children asking some what ailed them. He stopped, in front of us sat an Indian man and his little son. They told him that they gave up having his liver surgery today so that they could have this opportunity to see him. The surgeons agreed and rescheduled the surgery for tomorrow. He spent some time talking with this couple and offering some of his knowledge of Tibetan medicine.

His Holiness was introduced and gave a short talk to us all about the sadness of children who have such serious illnesses. He said that this may truly be sad but there are other aspects, one being the beautiful facility we all have to receive care from. Things are not all bad, there is always another side. At one part of the talk he turned to talk to our side of the room. We were sitting within six feet of him on his right side. For a time he looked right into Anna and my eyes talking directly to us.

Following the talk His Holiness decided to offer his blessings to the children. Instead of the "planned" process of each child walking up to him he went up to them. Anna stood up and moved into the space. His Holiness was offering blessings and placing white scarves, kathas, around the necks of the children. When he came to Anna he stopped, took her hands in his and looked directly into her eyes transmitting an energy that took her by surprise. He then came to me offering his hand which I took into mine. It was so sweet and made me melt.

It was all so surreal. Here we were in the presence of the Dalai Lama! Here we were receiving blessings from the Dalai Lama! Wow, so special. At the same time it felt ordinary as if it was so natural that this was happening. We know this is not a common place event. A father that we met while waiting was from Nepal. He told us with his blind son by his side that this type of audience never happens in India and Nepal. This was very auspicious. We know this and we are so grateful. The Flags of Hope did their magic.

This evening all we can do is integrate the power of the energy and blessings that we received. It was so powerful. Anna says that she is "zapped". She knows that she needed this blessing and healing energy that he transmitted to her prior to her surgery. She now feels ready (for transplant), more than ever before. The depth of this man and his spiritual power is so remarkable. We are humbled and in awe that this happened at all. It is one of the many miraculous, serendipitous and magical events and circumstances that have come to us during this pre-transplant experience. All I can call it for now is the Magical Mystery Tour.........

(We were not allowed to have our cameras but there were professional photographers taking many photos. When the photos are released we will post them......)