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that once a week our house would be open to anyone in the community interested in learning about or singing devotional songs to Sai Baba. This request was a real challenge to my selfishness in the form of wanting to protect my comfort and privacy. To serve others by allowing them into my home would represent a sacrifice. At that time, I wondered how anyone in his right mind would want to disrupt the comfort and privacy of family life by opening his front door to the general public. I thought of people dragging in germs, dirtying the carpet, and becoming unruly. Still, my araction to Sai Baba was so keen that my wife and I decided to start a Sai Baba Center in our home.
We started the Sai Baba Center in 1973, and it has been strong and steady ever since. We now see the gi that Swami has given us through the center. It has made it easier for us to engage in a disciplined and regular spiritual practice because the Sai Center is in our home. Through this practice we learned how community building deepens our spiritual vision of oneness and strengthens our faith and willingness to act with love. Our apparent sacrifice was really a gi, connecting us to him and bringing profound meaning into our lives.
Learning about Service
Bringing Sai into the community first means being able to care for oneself. Next we must be a good and steady source of strength and love for our family. Then we should be an instrument of unity and harmony in all relationships. Being active in a Sai Baba Center teaches this way of life, this path of love and service.
Sai Baba Center involvement demands the discipline of regular aendance and the discrimination of taking on tasks that are in line with our skills and availability. Being realistic and balanced is crucial: not too much or too lile.
We can serve by cleaning the center, opening up the center for meetings, greeting newcomers, being cheerful with others, and being involved in educational, devotional, and service
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