THE ROYAL WEDDING

 
Recently [1989], I had the great fortune to be staying at the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach over the week of Mehera's passing. I can only say that it was a rather overwhelming experience to have been "invited" by Baba to be at His home in the West during this most important event.

When news first reached the Center that Mehera was seriously ill, I had the thought, My God — wouldn't it be incredible to be on the Center at the time Mehera passed into Baba? I let the thought go, feeling that Mehera would probably recover, so it was very unlikely that she would pass into Baba during my visit to the Center.

Although the first news of Mehera's serious condition did not seem to indicate the possibility that she was near her end, Jane Haynes seemed to have had an intuitive sense that the end was close. A special program on Friday, May 19th was put together at the Center as a special tribute to the Beloved of the Beloved.

The program was attended by Kitty, Jane and most of the visitors staying on the Center, as well as by a handful of people from the local community. It was a lovely program, comprised of poetry, music, readings and recent film clips of Mehera.

The one part of the program I will never forget was the last segment of the video sequence which showed Mehera riding down the hill at Meherabad, waving goodbye from the window of the car.

The next morning, I was on my way to the Original Kitchen when I heard the news. At first, I felt a touch of sadness; then, a sense of great peace and calm swept over me. One by one, as the Center guests awoke and heard the news, this experience seemed to be repeated for each one.

I cannot possibly find the right words to describe the atmosphere that prevailed on the Center during the next 36 hours . . . it was as if every tree and blade of grass, every stone, and every speck of dust began to sing songs of great joy to celebrate the reunion of the God-Man with His one true beloved.

My personal experience was one of being overwhelmed by the tremendous gift I had been given by Baba — I had been invited to His home in the West to witness this event.

As the day progressed, people began to share their experiences and feelings, and their personal stories about Mehera. Later in the day, a gathering at the Ott's for afternoon tea was dedicated to the memory of Mehera.

Many lovely stories were told, but my most vivid recollection of the afternoon was how Lynn Ott described the passing of Mehera into Baba as a "wedding." As soon as he mentioned the word, I deeply felt Yes, a wedding! That is the only possible way to describe this occasion.

The next day, a group of us who had stayed over at the Center was walking back from the beach after watching the sunrise. I mentioned in jest that we all had to realize that because of our being called together at the Center by Baba for "the Wedding," we would most likely be connected internally for many, many lifetimes to come.

Returning my jest, one of the women suggested that we come up with a special phrase to describe the event and our part in it, in order to create a strong mental impression by which we could identify each other in the future. Hence, the name of the event became, "the Royal Wedding," and our group adopted the name, "the Wedding Guests."

These highlights can paint only a clouded image of the internal significance of this event for me, and reveal only a glimpse of the precisely orchestrated celebration that Baba planned and carried out on the Center. . . .

Concluding, I can only say, Thank You, Beloved Baba, for your gift of Mehera. We had her love for You to remind us of You for nearly 20 years.

Jai Baba!