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Hello Friends:
I have received several requests for
my pilgrim notes - the e-mails I sent out during and
just after my Baha'i pilgrimage to Haifa, Israel. Please
find them to follow in a smoothed out format.
The first of the bunch:
Haifa, Israel - December 6, 2005
Here it is, our second day here in
Haifa. To bring you up to speed, the trip getting here
has been fraught with one test after another.
My 16 year old grandson, Thomas
Bloomfield who is accompanying me, was late for his
flight from Florida to Oregon. Instead of arriving on
Friday at 3:30 PM, he didn't get in until nearly 11 PM.
Carollee and I chose to use some of the hotel points I'd
earned during the Road Show tours, so we stayed at the
Hilton in Eugene. That was really a good idea as we had
to get up very early to be at the Eugene airport by 5:15
AM for the first leg of our flight. Our first stopover
was Salt Lake City. My cherry red scooter, which I took
with me, was at the gate ready to take me from the Sky
West terminal to Delta's terminal.
With less than an hour, there wasn't
much time for anything to go wrong.
We boarded our Delta flight to JFK
and about four hours later, we landed in the Big Apple
after flying over a number of familiar places, including
Staten Island. It was a good thing we had nearly six
hours before our El Al plane was to wing us to the Holy
Land as when we arrived, there was another gentleman on
our flight, who was also handicapped, had requested an
electric cart to take him to the Air Egypt flight he was
going on in a different terminal. Guess who got my
scooter?
Delta was so embarrassed that they'd
given away my ground transportation; they asked me what
I wanted. My response was simple: Either get my scooter
back or replace it in kind - I needed it for my
pilgrimage. I have to tell you, I wasn't the most
spiritual person at that time, thinking what a way to
start pilgrimage. After nearly an hour of searching,
going through security at each of several terminals, I
finally got my cherry red chariot back. Keep in mind
that going though security was everything negative
you've heard about the Homeland Security goons going
through your things. I don't think there is a body part
that wasn't probed, poked or scanned on my person.
Some good did come of all this: Delta
said they have no control over the El Al flight, but on
our way home, between JFK and Salt Lake City, both
Thomas and I would fly first class. That did happen, but
other issues were to make the return trip a real bummer.
There certainly was some wisdom in
having this long layover in New York. El Al had their
own security. They wanted to know both Thomas' and my
life history and why we were going to the Holy Land. The
questions and anything else you can think of they put us
through before they'd let us board their flight from JFK
to Tele Aviv, you can imagine. Although our
Transportation Security Agency folks were though, the
Israeli security agents found places on me I didn't even
know I had. I was told that my night breathing apparatus
couldn't be checked out, so they took it, gave me a
receipt for it, telling me I'd have it with in forth
eight hours at our hotel in Haifa. Well, so far, no CPAP
machine has arrived. It finally did arrive several days
later and I was finally able to get a good night's
sleep.
The flight was nearly ten hours. El
Al did serve us a nice dinner shortly after we were on
our way, but I didn't have much appetite at 2:30 in the
morning. We had a choice of four or five movies and some
episodes of Friends. They did have a channel of GPS
which showed us where we were and all the stats as to
how much longer we had to go, how long we'd been flying
which were presented both in English and Hebrew. The
seats were a test of our physical endurance. I'm sure
glad my grandson was in the seat next to me.
Later on, they served breakfast. All
the food served followed the Jewish laws of Kosher.
Kosher means not mixing milk products with meet items
and no pork, shell fish etc. We could have anything we
wanted, providing it fit into these traditions.
During the dark part of the day, they
insisted all window shutter be closed. I found that
quite interesting. I do have to say that during the
flight, I was convinced that Thomas and I were the only
non-Jews on the flight. Most all the men on the flight
sported Yamakas (Yiddish) or Keepa (Hebrew) for the
traditional Jewish men's skullcap.) Everyone I spoke
with was quite friendly. The typical conversation
consisted of where we were from, where we were going and
why. Many had been to Haifa and seen the "Baha'i
Gardens" and had nothing but complementary things to say
about the Baha'i Holy Places.
Yesterday we had orientation where
they told us what we were in for. In the afternoon, we
were taken over to the old Pilgrim house next to and
just prior to our visiting the Shrine of the Bab (just
below our hotel on Mt. Carmel). While in the old Pilgrim
house, I saw a scroll with all the Knights of
Baha'u'llah written on it and yes, there was Cynthia
Olson's name very proudly displayed. (Cynthia Olson was
the wife of the gentleman on Guam who first taught me
the Baha'i Faith - her husband is Olie (Edgar A. Olson.
I consider them my Baha'i parents.
That story is
also on this website.) I've seen many
pictures of what the locals call the Baha'i Gardens and
none have done justice to the real thing. The locals
have nothing but good to say about the gardens. The
whole event was truly moving.
The evening was a visit with Dr.
Varga, last of the Hands of the Cause of God. At 93, he
could give some of us a run for our money. He shared
many interesting things.
The hotel we're staying at is the Dan
Carmel. This is part of an Israeli wide hotel chain.
Having had several meals in their dining room (breakfast
is included with the room rent), I can truly say the
food is top notch. The hotel does keep strict Kosher.
Mornings are strictly dairy products and dinner is meat
etc. All of it is very good and unlimited portions. The
sweets at the end of the meal are to dye for. I could
put on another 400 lbs if I stayed here for very long.
Today began with a trip to Bahji and
the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. I have to tell you this is
probably the most moving experience of my entire life.
Standing at the threshold of the Remains of the Voice of
God for the first time in my life is an experience I
doubt I'll ever have again in my life. I will not try to
explain any of it as there are NO words that could do
the experience justice. Yes - - - - - - - - - Larry speechless.
I was well proud of my grandson. His
respect for these holy places was very well beyond
reproach. I believe he had a similar spiritual
experience. I'll let him address that for himself.
When we completed the sacred part of
our visit to Bahji, we were treated to locally grown
fruit, avocados, cookies and other treats just prior to
our departure. They were all produced on the Baha'i
grounds. What we didn't consume is given to the locals.
Baha'is are forbidden to engage in any kind of commerce
in Israel; it maintains our tax-free status there.
After a box lunch, which we brought
from the hotel, we then moved over to the Universal
House of Justice building, which is part of an arc of
administrative building near the Shrine of the Bab. We
were introduced to the nine members of the Universal
House of Justice and after a brief prayer session, they
came down, introduced themselves individually, shaking
hands with all of the nearly 200 pilgrims present. This
is probably the only time all 200 of us were together as
we were split into eight different groups for most of
the rest of what we've done so far. As you know, the
individual members have no more authority than anyone
else, but as an institution, they are the final word on
everything not covered in the writings of Baha'u'llah.
Later we reassembled at the Pilgrim
Reception Center for another very interesting talk by
Dr. Varga. His subject was the time period from when the
Guardian died until and how the first Universal House of
Justice was elected in 1963. Quite informative, from
someone who was there and had a hand (excuse the pun) in
the orderly flow of things.
Today finished off with a talk from
one of the Councilors about Baha'i Clusters and how that
effort is progressing. He did touch on the final stages
of the most recent plan and alluded to what some of the
thing in the next plan might be.
Still suffering from jet lag, Thomas
and I returned to the hotel and will have a well
deserved nights sleep. We don't have much tomorrow until
the afternoon, so it's off sight seeing, after another
great breakfast until we re reconvene for a meeting with
the International Teaching Center.
God love you all and I'll continue to
mention your names at the holy places.
(Note: with so much going on, I
didn't get much of a chance to write about our
adventures. This is the next thing I wrote.)
Dear Friends and Family:
Here it is ---- the morning of the
6th day and Pilgrimage is nearly 2/3rds completed. I've
had to revise this opening no less than once each
evening/morning. In the evenings, I get just so far and
would nearly fall asleep and in the mornings, so little
time before we'd have to join the others at the
pilgrim's center for our day's events, there just wasn't
enough time, and by the way, what events they were.
I was informed that the Universal
House of Justice have prayed for Carollee while visiting
the Shrine of the Bab. We need all the prayers for her
that we can get right now.
The 4th day was a full one. We began
by a trip to Akka (Akko in Hebrew) and the Most Great
Prison. Travel distance is about an hour. I found out
that this was a place that many of the Israeli freedom
fighters were also imprisoned and is now a national
monument and is being developed into a museum. This is
also the place where Midi, the brother of Abdu'l Baha
(and Baha'u'llah's younger son) fell to his death from
the roof onto the floor of the cell area. He was 22 at
the time. I have pictures of the location, if anyone is
interested. (These were some of the pictures lost when
my computer was stolen later on in the trip.) We were
permitted to take pictures of the areas outside the room
where Baha'u'llah was imprisoned, but not inside the
room itself, out of respect. I can certainly understand
that as I felt a certain feeling of the presence of the
Blessed Beauty in that place. Although the stares were a
killer, I negotiated them as I had to see this place. I
would never have done that for anyone else but
Baha'u'llah!
In close proximity to the Most Great
Prison is the House of 'Abbud. This is a most
significant place as it is where Baha'u'llah revealed
THE most Holy Book in our faith, the Katab-i-Aqdas, the
Book (of laws) that will both guide humankind for the
next thousand years and have a timeless impact on us
all.
We then visited the Mansion of
Mara'ih, just outside of Akka where Baha'u'llah was
permitted to go but still under house arrest. For those
members of our family who are not familiar with Baha'i,
Baha'u'llah was a prisoner and exile throughout most of
his live along with his family for His belief's and
Teachings. The Persian and Ottoman governments did all
they could to make His life miserable and stop the
spread of His teachings, but then what else is new.
Governments and the clergy have done this to every
Messenger of God from the time that has no beginning to
present. Just think of how Jesus was treated, how Moses
was treated. The Messengers of God are seldom, if ever,
accepted by their own during Their life. If you want
more, ask. I don't wish to proselytes.
I had full intentions of taking
copious videos of our trip. I have found that my still
photographs will have to do. (This was a big mistake, I
was to find as all the digital stills I had taken and
down loaded into my computer were to go away with the
computer when it was stolen on the return trip - oh
happy day!) It is not easy to keep a spiritual frame of
mind and fool with a video camera. The stills - I just
point and shoot. I am very pleased to have gotten
pictures that will enhance my power point presentation
on the faith significantly.
The forth day was concluded with a
presentation by a member of the Universal House of
Justice, Dr. Peter Kahn (SP?). He spoke for half an hour
and then fielded questions from those present. We have
about 200 dear souls on pilgrimage with us. We were
divided into eight groups for not only size reasons, but
for language reasons as well.
Thomas has made friends with a number
of teenage Baha'is from all over the world who are on
pilgrimage with us. He really seems to be enjoying
himself. His demeanor and respect for the Holy Places
sure makes grandpa proud. For those who don't know,
Thomas has had little exposure to other members of the
Faith, except what Grandma and Grandpa have shared when
he has been with us during the summer Tech-Notes Road
Show trips over the past two years. As the result of his
continuing interest during those times and the
experiences he is having here in the Holy Land will have
a much lasting impact on his spiritual development, but
then that is between him and God. Grandpa is still
proud, none the less.
The pilgrims were shuttled to the
various locations on busses provided by the Baha'i World
Center. The busses have all had no trouble accommodating
my electric chair. The Shrine of Baha'u'llah is very
accessible to someone in a wheelchair. Once there,
though, I had to get out and go the remainder of the way
inside on my own. I would not have missed that even if I
had to crawl on my belly. Being in the presence of my
Lord and Master's earthly remains - the threshold of the
Voice of God - His earthly Representative - leaves me
speechless and even now makes my heart swell. What a
bounty those dear souls have who get to serve so close
to these Holy Places.
The same is not true of the Shrine of
the Bab. The paths there are mostly pieces of red
terracotta chards and do not lend themselves to easy
navigation by someone in a wheelchair or electric cart.
I did manage, though. It shook so hard that it unplugged
my chair's battery. It took several minutes to figure
out what was wrong, but once done, I was on my way.
Thomas has really been a great help and assistance.
The Shrine of the Bab (and that of
Abdu'l Baha), once on the portico which surrounded the
actual building, was very easily accessed. A chair was
provided for me inside by one of the folks there
assigned to help everyone, not just handicapped. There
were several steps from the pathway up to the doorway to
the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. That was more difficult to
negotiate, but I did it with a little help. Again, a
chair was provided for me by one of the folks there
assigned to help. Prayer books were available to borrow
at both locations for those who wanted them.
I did bring all of these
accessibility problems to all the member of the
Universal House of Justice when I met them, and they all
assured me that they were addressing this issue so that
others who are handicapped can have access to the Holy
Places. I was told that I was the first pilgrim ever to
come in an electric device. I was also asked for my
comments about accessibility when I returned home to
help in the Universal House of Justice's consultation on
the matter. I promised I'd get to it straight away
shortly after my return home.
Yesterday, on day 5, we visited the
Archives building; the second structure after the Shrine
of the Bab to be built on Mt. Carmel by the Baha'is. We
had the opportunity to see a painting of the Bab, three
paintings and a photograph of Baha'u'llah. This is not
the same photograph that is being passed off on the
internet and I believe, now, that the one being passed
off on the internet is NOT a picture of Baha'u'llah. I
am relieved. My observation is that the Bab was an
exceptionally handsome man with sharp features and a
very beguiling appearance. We were told that the
painting was very close to what He really looked like. I
won't begin to tell you my impressions of the photograph
of Baha'u'llah as, once again, mere words can not
describe what is in my heart.
There were many personal items that
belonged to the Bab, Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l Baha and the
Guardian, including, but not limited to pens, pen cases,
items of clothing, etc. I believe I should leave that
there and let you experience these things when you go on
pilgrimage, should you ever do that. If you wish me to
tell you more, I'll be glad to do so on a one-to-one or
on the phone.
After this, we had the remainder of
the day free, so Thomas and I went back to Bahji to pray
for my beloved Carollee's health and to once again
mention the names of those we have on our list. (The
following was included in the original message, so it is
included here.) If you're getting this e-mail, you have
been prayed for at the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and your
name mentioned at the Threshold of God's most current
Messenger and Representative.
The pilgrim reception center at Bahji
is a beautiful place. They had fresh fruit from the
gardens for all - Oranges, Avocados, Lemonade, not to
mention cookies, small cakes etc. and they seemed to not
run out of anything. Reminded me kind' a of Jesus and
the seven loves and two fishes, but there was not
miracle here, just good stuff and lots of it.
As dark fell, we made it back over to
Akka, which is not too far and completed those things
mentioned in the back of the Tablet to the Son of the
Wolf. I will say that I counted 100 waves, not just 40.
I wasn't taking any chances. Because it is nearly time
for breakfast, I'll simply say that we did and will
explain to those who want to know under separate cover
or by phone.
Thomas and I finished off the evening
at a Sea Food restaurant that defiantly did not keep
Kosher. We've had the same driver from the start. He's
been quite good and we needed his van to accommodate my
scooter. We bought him dinner this time. He's quite a
charter and has been fair and good to us. We'll use him
to take us to the Airport as well as for the remainder
of the time we're here.
(If I seem to be repeating myself
here, remember: these are different e-mails sent on
different days to different people and besides, at 67
years of age, I don't remember half the things I say or
do.)
By the way, I'm told that my scooter
is the very first electric one to be brought on
pilgrimage. Its presence, as I understand it, has put to
rest many questions the Universal House of Justice had
about such devices and will help guide them in their
consultation on handicap accessible matters. Again, for
the benefit of my relatives who are not Baha'i, the
Universal House of Justice is the final authority in the
Baha'i world. They can not change anything that
Baha'u'llah gave us, but they do administer the laws and
things not expressly addressed by Baha'u'llah in His
writings. The individual members have NO authority, but
when in session, as an institution, they are the final
word!
I have to go now as we have to meet
our driver in an hour or so after breakfast. I'll not
get this out to you until tonight. Internet access cost
me $15 for a 24 hour period, so I have to save up
things. The only thing we have scheduled today is a
presentation tonight at the Pilgrim Reception Center.
Today, Thomas and I will tour Israel with our driver.
Will let you know what adventures we experienced when we
get back. Bye for Now.
Before I get started, I just wanted
to mention that we have people from every continent
except Antarctica and then I'm not too sure of that. The
rainbow of humanity and the plethora of accents and
languages in our group alone is mute testimony to the
universal appeal of Baha'u'llah and His beautiful faith.
The prophesies of Jesus and His Return are well Manifest
in Baha'u'llah and the Bab. If only those who are not
familiar would investigate, they'd find that the
prophesies have all been fulfilled. Sorry to my
non-Baha'i relatives and friends, but I felt it had to
be said. I'll leave you alone now.
Thomas and I have just retuned. I
have a few seconds to get this off to you. Since it is
Saturday, nothing was open. We had our driver take us
back to Akka so we could get better pictures of the
prison where Baha'u'llah was incarcerated. After that we
perused the town of Akka and then went on a tour of this
part of Israel. We went up to the caves near the
Lebanese boarder in the area where it is reported that
God gave Abraham and his heirs Israel. It was quite
interesting. I now have about five minutes to get this
posted and back down to the pilgrim's reception center
for this evening's presentation. Later
The end of day 7 - Sunday - in
Israel.
To the family members and friends who
are not Baha'i: If you are getting this, you are truly
very close to me. I sincerely trust you don't think I'm
pressing Baha'i on you. My sole reason for including you
in these e-mails is because you are close and dear to me
and I wish you to share in this very spiritual
experience with me and my grandson, Thomas, as I'd
expect you to share with me any thing of this nature in
your live. If you don't wish to read further, I can
understand, but then what will you do when I give the
quiz at the end of the class ----- :-)
I forgot to mention that yesterday,
when we toured the northern part of Israel, Thomas and I
had invited a group of four folks who are here on
business for Intel. They are all from India. I have to
thank one of them for getting my laptop to send e-mail
to anything besides the tech-notes domain name. Anyhow,
they were very appreciative and were an interesting
group and added to our outing. They are all Hindu. We
both enjoyed their company and wished them well. Hope
our paths cross again one day.
Today was a "bring your own lunch"
day. We went back to Bahji. Bahji has a number of points
of interest. In addition to the Shrine of Baha'u'llah,
the most holy place in the Baha'i world, it also is the
location of the place where Baha'u'llah was permitted to
stay under house arrest soon after he was released from
the Most Great Prison in Akka. (Point of interest - It
is Akka in Arabic, Acco in Hebrew and Acre in English.)
The distinguished orientalist,
Professor Edward G. Browne, of the University of
Cambridge, visited Baha'u'llah at Bahji in the year 1890
in a location know as the mansion. The mansion at Bahji
was abandoned because of a plague that was wiping out
folks in the area. Abdu'l Baha, the son of Baha'u'llah
was able to rent the place. Since it is the place where
Baha'u'llah died in 1892, it has particular significance
to Baha'is. Although Professor Brown was the only
westerner to meet and speak with Baha'u'llah, he never
embraced the faith. I think you'll find his impressions
of that event interesting. He recorded his impressions
as follows: --
".. my conductor paused for a moment while I
removed my shoes. Then, with a quick movement of the hand,
he withdrew, and, as I passed, replaced the curtain; and I
found myself in a large apartment, along the upper end of
which ran a low divan, while on the side opposite to the
door were placed two or three chairs. Though I dimly
suspected whither I was going and whom I was to behold (for
no distinct intimation had been given to me), a second or
two elapsed ere, with a throb of wonder and awe, I became
definitely conscious that the room was not untenanted. In
the corner where the divan met the wall sat a wondrous and
venerable figure, crowned with a felt head-dress of the kind
called 1taj by dervishes (but of unusual height and make),
round the base of which was wound a small white turban. The
face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I
cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's
very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow; while
the deep lines on the forehead and face implied an age which
the jet-black hair and beard flowing down in
indistinguishable luxuriance almost to the waist seemed to
belie. No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed
myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love
which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain! A mild
dignified voice bade me be seated, and then continued: --
"Praise be to God that thou has attained! ... Thou has come
to see a prisoner and an exile. ...We desire but the good of
the world and happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a
stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and
banishment. ... That all nations should become one in faith
and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and
unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that
diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race
be annulled -- what harm is there in this? ... Yet so it
shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall
pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come. ... Do not
you in Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ
foretold?
".. Yet do we see your kings and rulers
lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the
destruction of the human race than on that which would
conduce to the happiness of mankind. ... These strifes and
this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one
kindred and one family. ... Let not a man glory in this,
that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this,
that he loves his kind. ..."
Brown concluded his impressions as
follows: "Such, so far as I can recall them, were the
words which, besides many others, I heard from Baha. Let
those who read them consider well with themselves
whether such doctrines merit death and bonds, and
whether the world is more likely gain or lose by their
diffusion."
After a tour of the mansion at Bahji,
we broke for lunch. At the Pilgrim Reception Center in
Bahji, there was no shortness of fresh fruit that was
grown on the property. I never knew that Israel had a
thriving banana industry until I saw all the banana
trees and fruit. Nearly everywhere you'd look, you'd see
orange trees of one variety or another. Palmettos,
Grapefruit, Avocados, kumquats, loquats, pomegranates
and lord only knows what other fruit was either in
abundance or flowering. There had to be lemon trees as
well as there was an abundance of lemonade. It all
tasted good too.
After our repast, we then proceeded
the short distance to Akka and the House of 'Abdul'llah
Pasha, a dwelling several members of Baha'u'llah's
family inhabited and the first and only Guardian, a
great-grandson of Baha'u'llah was born.
All of these places over the past
week have not been the easiest for me to get into with
their stairways, long steps, raised doorways and either
gravel or crushed terracotta pathways. I managed
none-the-less.
Our final stop today was at a small,
but beautiful garden near Bahji with its fountain. Have
pictures - will show. (These pictures were lost too.) It
is called the Ridvan Garden, after the Garden of Ridvan
where Baha'u'llah revealed His mission in life prior to
being exiled from Baghdad in 1863.
We had so much food leftover from the
hotel box lunch and what we'd brought back from Bahji,
we sat at the Haifa Pilgrim Reception center and munched
out. The evening drew to a close after an hour talk from
one of the member of the Universal House of Justice. He
spoke about our focused teaching efforts for now and the
next five years.
Some random notes before I close: I
was told that there were 33 different countries
represented in our group and nearly as many different
either languages or dialects. I have taken a plethora of
still pictures and will be glad to share them with
anyone who wants to see them. (Sure wished this were
true. I have been in contact with others on this
pilgrimage and they've promised to share pictures with
me.)
This will probably be my last e-mail
from here. I have packing to do tomorrow night and we
check out Tuesday AM. We leave for the airport about 7
PM local time. It takes about an hour and a half to get
there. We were told to leave no less than 3 hours for
check in. After JFK in New York on the way here, I can
believe it. The flight home late Tuesday night is about
10 hours plus to New York. We're supposed to be up
graded to first class from JFK to Salt Lake City due to
Delta's screw up with my scooter. We'll be arriving from
Israel, via JFK and Salt Lake City at 3:30 PM, God
willing. (We were to find out, He wasn't willing. Read
on--)
Dear Friends and Family
Just a note to let you know that
today, Monday, Thomas and I will visit the Baha'i
buildings on the Arc atop Mt. Carmel. These would be
several monuments, the Center for the Study of the
Sacred Text, the Universal House of Justice and the
International Teaching Center. I will have pictures of
all our experiences posted on our family website after I
get home and have covered from jetlag. I will give a one
or two line explanation of each there also.
Our plans for the remainder of today
are to go out and see more country side and, either
today or tomorrow, visit the Shrine of the Bab and the
Baha'i Gardens on Mt. Carmel one more time before we
leave. If you are receiving this e-mail, you are on my
prayer list and will be mentioned there. We will have
one more presentation at the Pilgrim's Reception Center
here in Haifa tonight, but I don't know the subject or
presenter.
Tonight is pack up time and getting
ready for the mess at the airport here then the ten hour
flight that begins in the middle of tomorrow night.
Tomorrow (day) we will visit the House of Abdu'l Baha,
the son of Baha'u'llah here in Haifa. He was such a
prominent, local figure, after he was finally released
from prison in 1908. There is a street named after him - Abbas Street. He was also knighted by the British
Empire, Sir Abbas Effendi. My son Tom's middle name is
Abbas. He was born on the day of the Covenant. One of
Abdu'l Baha's titles is Center of the Covenant.
If you family members and friends,
who don't know what any of this is and/or want a BRIEF
explanation, I'll gladly do so. I'm not out to convert
anyone; just educate, so don't hesitate - ask.
If you have any questions, comments
etc, please get them to me today/tonight as I will buy
one more day of internet access to respond before we go.
Love you all.
Note: We made many friends while on
pilgrimage. Katy and Bjorg are two very dear souls among
the many that helped to make our trip and pilgrimage a
very blessed event. Their help, prayers etc. were most
appreciated.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005, our last
day.
Twelve hours from now we will be
boarding our transportation to the airport and then on
home after a very grueling ten hour flight to JFK, Salt
Lake City and finally Eugene, OR.
The last two days have been very
inspiring and I'll share them with you when I return
home. Briefly, we visited our driver's Rabbi, the
Rabbinical school he conducts, met his son, a Rabbi, and
his grandson, who is in the school studying to be a
Rabbi. It was Thomas' first Synagogue. We prayed
together and toasted the success and peace for Israel.
Today we visit the home Abdu'l Baha
occupied after he was freed from prison in 1908. I will
return a DVD on Israel to the tourist folks that has
nothing on the disk, visit the Shrine of the Bab for the
last time, dinner and off to El Al.Abt>
Later and love to all our friends and
family..
Dear Friends and Family:
Our last day in Haifa began with a
trip to the home Abdu'l Baha lived in after he was
released from prison in 1908 and returned to after his
next stay in prison just prior to his trip to Europe and
the US in 1911/1912. It has significance as it is the
place where he passed away and several important other
events took place. We were able to get a group
photograph, which I'll include with this e-mail. (This
was in the camera when I got home.)
When we had concluded this event, I
was able to go around the corner and get some local
dates. Local dates in this part of the world make most
dates we have here, back home, look small. I was also
able to find some attar of rose, oil extracted from
roses. It has a most beautiful fragrance.
After a tour down Ben-Gurion, the
main drag in Haifa and the one at the foot of the Baha'i
Gardens, we returned to the pilgrim's center. The fruit
gathered from the various Baha'i gardens in the Haifa
area is very abundant and was available to us through
out our stay. I found out that much of the fruit is
given to the locals. Baha'is in Israel are not permitted
to sell ANYTHING. This would make them a business. It is
my understanding that all Baha'i properties are tax
exempt as religious grounds and the sale of anything
would change that.
We had in our group just fewer than
300 folks who were divided into six or seven groups.
Thomas and I were in Group C. This made the size at each
location manageable and permitted us to enjoy each
other's company as well as have comfortable access to
the various places we visited. In the entire group there
were 33 countries represented and nearly as many
languages. Our evening presentations were given in
English, but we had translators in booths rendering
translations for Spanish, French and Farsi (Persian)
attendees.
I spend the last afternoon at the
Shrine of the Bab. Once again, if you are getting this
e-mail, you were remembered in my thoughts and prayers -
by name - while I was there. On my way over there, I did
have an accident with my electric conveyance. On one of
the steep public streets, I wanted to go one way and the
laws of nature didn't agree. It was not a pleasant sight
to see this lump on the ground with the scooter on top
of him or for me to feel. I had only minor injury to my
leg, but my right elbow is a much different story. It
will take several days to heal. Thank God I had several
very dear souls who assisted me it righting myself so I
could continue to the Shrine to do my invoking.
Our faithful driver, who refused any
complementation earlier in the day for shuttling Thomas
and I around that day, arrived at 7 PM to pick us up.
Since I had already arranged for him and had room, we
took a Persian family of four and a lady from Longmount,
CO to the airport with us. The trip was about one and a
half hours and it did provide us with a different view
for the brief period while it was still light.
Check in was a three hour long
process of various kinds of security. Talk about your
paranoia. Our El Al Boeing 747-400 departed at 1 AM
sharp. The ten and a half hour trip was uneventful for
the most part.
After we arrived at JFK, on time at
5:10 AM, and that's when the "fun" began. The first leg
of our Delta trip across the US was scheduled to depart
at 7 AM from a different terminal. We were expected to
deplane, retrieve our baggage, go through customs and
emigration and make it to our flight in the hour and
fifty minutes we had. After sitting in the first class
section of the plane for forty-five minutes or more,
awaiting my scooter to arrive, I knew we were in
trouble, but how much was not evident as yet. When it
finally did show up, my fully charged chariot that I had
delivered to El Al for safe transportation was no longer
charged and didn't want to go anywhere. In addition to
this, the folks at El Al thought the key, which they
left in the switch, was too long and bent it over.
Righting the key while in the off position, proved to be
a big mistake as it broke-off. Now not only did I have a
dead battery, but I also had it locked in the off
position. – Needless to say, we miss our flight. Through
out this entire scenario, the El Al folks were less than
worthless.
Were it not for a very abundant
skycap from Jamaica, we'd probably still be in the El Al
terminal. He and one of his associates took us over to
the Delta terminal – me in a manual wheelchair, Thomas
with the bags on a baggage carrier and the associate
pushing my red, dead, lock broken, chariot. Since the
manual wheelchair had no place to hang things from and
we were loaded with stuff, I mistakenly decided to trust
Delta with everything but a few small items which we
could manage for the ten hour stay we had to endure
before they could get Thomas and I onto a plane that
connected to a flight into Eugene, so I check the
remainder of our things into Delta's care. As I said –
mistakenly!!!!
Our next leg departed JFK just after
5 PM for Salt Lake City, which we should have been
flying to some ten hours earlier. Because of Delta's
screw up on the way to Israel, when they tried to give
my red chariot to some other passenger on his way to
Egypt and it took over an hour and a half to retrieve
it, we flew first class – JFK to SLC. Remember, that was
compensation for the "going screw up." For the returning
screw up, both Thomas and I were given 40,000 air miles
which was explained to me as basically a free round trip
to anywhere in the US and because my lovely wife is not
able to drive after dark, Delta did arrange and pay for
an airport shuttle to take us from Eugene to my Florence
home. As for the sky-miles, I have to tell you, that
remains to be seen.
The JFK to SLC trip was uneventful.
If anything did happen, we were both too pooped to know
about it. When we arrived in Salt Lake, we were scurried
over to another terminal where we caught the shuttle
plane which took us on into Eugene.
I was greeted with a nice manual
wheelchair which brought us to the baggage claim area.
Thomas did a find job of retrieving our baggage until he
picked up my laptop bag and found that it weight a
fraction of what it was supposed to. Yes, my laptop had
been stolen out of it's bag along with its power supply,
the card reader for my camera and several memory sticks
which I used for back up (three 512 MB and one 1 GB).
Total loss in dollars is about $3500.00. Needless to say
I was not a happy camper. After filling out the claims
forms in Eugene, we finally loaded the very sick Red
Chariot and bags into the airport shuttle and headed
down the 54 miles to our home in Florence. We arrive
just before midnight and I have to tell you Carollee,
the house and my bed never looked so good.
I was just too tired to be up set. I
had lost not only my very valuable laptop, but all the
digital pictures I'd taken except for the last day.
Those were still in our digital camera. I did contact
the lady from Delta who helped us at JFK about the
laptop. She was unable to tell me much today, but
promised she'd "get back to me tomorrow."
It's late. We've spend most of the
day at the doctor, after we got up, as Thomas returned
with a very bad cough. I need to get to bed as I have a
biopsy at the dentist in the AM. I'll keep you all up to
date on this never ending story.
Was it all worth it? I'd go through
even worse to have the opportunity to once again visit
those very holy places.
Some final thoughts:
Here it is Sunday, December 18, 2005, just two weeks
after we arrived in Haifa. Thomas leaves for Florida
very early tomorrow morning, still barking his head off
with a cold. I sure hope it goes away. The medicine the
doctor gave him did help some, but not as much as I'd
hoped.
Friday, we went to Sea Lion Caves
where Thomas was able to see the largest sea cave in the
world (Their claim, not mine). He also toured Old Town
here in Florence and had some of our very big oysters in
the half-shell. He finally did admit our oysters are
bigger then those in Florida. I was disappointed as the
ones we were served were not as big as I'd expected, but
were, none-the-less larger than Florida's.
Yesterday, Thomas' granddad from
Portland came down and he spent the day with him. They
went up the coast to Newport and back. It is a stunning
vista of the Pacific Ocean the entire way.
In true Oregon fashion, it is raining
today, so Thomas' chances to go sand-boarding and dune
buggy riding will have to be put on hold until his next
visit, which, if I read him correctly, will be soon. He
has said many times over that he really likes it here. I
hope so. With it raining here and it freezing rain in
Eugene, we'll probably put Thomas on a shuttle run to
take him to the airport in the AM. That's it. Love to
all. LB
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