Loy Krathong

Hi everyone, I am feeling so much better! Thank you all for your encouraging words and love during the past week. I have my health back and I am continuing to be cautious about what I eat, so hopefully this does not happen again. Talk about an incredibly humbling lesson in gratitude! Speaking of feeling grateful, there is a holiday going on right now here in Thailand that celebrates this very idea. It's called Loy Krathong and the festival officially started on Saturday night, finishing tonight (Thursday) with a parade as the grand finale. Let me tell you, the Thai's sure know how to party! They love finding any possible reason to bring people together with music, food, dancing and celebration. It has been a very fun week.

On Saturday night I drove by motor bike with a few friends to a near by town where the start of the festival took place. There were thousands and thousands of people gathered in a huge open field surrounding this beautiful white Buddhist temple. The Thai people make these big white lanterns from paper mache called khom fai, and hold them over a burning flame to create a small hot air balloon that they send off into the sky. As we were approaching the festival, from a distance we saw hundreds of tiny burning lights being lifted up into the night. They looked like yellow stars softly dancing together in the sky, moving with the wind towards some magical destination. We parked the motor bikes and sat for a while to watch this amazing sight, which was followed by bright fire works. We then ventured closer into the big crowd, which at first was incredibly overwhelming because there were so many people that at moments that I couldn't even move. There was food and music everywhere, while people bought their big lanterns to set off into the sky. We were surrounded by burning tiki torches and people throwing fire works into the air. I started to become really nervous- at home this sort of crowded event involving fire and a mob of people could get out of hand really fast. But then I realized that instead of people pushing or elbowing their way towards the entrance, they were walking quietly with the occasional apology for accidentally stepping on your toes. Thai people truly are so gentle and polite, that it felt like I was in a peace mob- if such a thing exists. Once we got closer to the big temple was when my eyes were in for a real treate! As far as I could see there were flaming torches in perfect rows, surrounded by groups of people holding their heated balloons to be released into the night. And in the middle of all the excitement, there was a small golden Buddha brightly lit by the most beautiful white light and surrounded by tiny candles. It's presence casted an even stronger feeling of peace over the entire evening. The meaning behind this festival is letting go, and with each khom fai that is released into the sky, the person lets go of something in their lives that no longer serves them. This makes me think of all the things that we hold on to every day that weigh us down and take away from our ability to experience joy in the present moment- material possessions, relationships, anger, resentment, old habits or patterns. It's as if we are constantly carrying around two big suit cases full of old emotional junk... life becomes so heavy, and it feels like we are treading up stream with both suit cases in our hands. When I walked away from the festival on Saturday night, I felt so much lightness and freedom because along with everyone else that night, I also let go of things that I have probably been holding on to for far too long. It felt great!

The second part of this holiday is about gratitude, and this I got to experience last night with the children and other teachers from The Freedom House. A loy krathong is a tiny floating raft made from a section of a banana tree trunk and elaborately decorated with beautiful flowers, folded banana leaves, candles and incense. I had such a great time making my own loy krathong with the children, feeling so excited to be experiencing this beautiful tradition with so many wonderful people. Since the students at Freedom House are from Burma, and this holiday is only celebrated in Thailand, this was a first for most of us. A few of the Thai teachers taught us how to make our floats, and explained the meaning of placing them into the river. The Thai people believe it is important to show their respect and appreciation to the earth and the water for graciously giving them so much rain during the wet season. I love how they take time to recognize the many gifts that the universe has brought into their lives simply through the blessing of rain. It's a beautiful opportunity to stop and give thanks for things we take for granted every day, much like the upcoming Thanksgiving tradition at home. I had a really nice time with all the kids and teachers, traveling to the river and taking pictures of this festive time. Although only a few people spoke English, I felt surrounded by so much common love and feelings of appreciation. It's amazing how sometimes words can not express the deepest feeling that only the heart knows how to feel!

Many of you have asked about further information for The Freedom House, and how you can help out. The main thing they need is personal donations to keep the electricity going and pay rent for the building. They are graciuosly gifted with school supplies and books all the time from locals here in Thailand. If you would like to learn more, please visit their website: http://www.thaifreedomhouse.org/

I hope you all are surrounded by so much beauty and feelings of gratitude during the upcoming holidays. I love you and miss you very much
April