Back in 1983, when I was something like a ‘yuva shakti’ in our small Vancouver collective, I had the amazing honour of chauffeuring Shri Mataji in a rented Lincoln Continental. One drive took us to a local television studio, where, at the end of the interview, I was beside myself with joy to see Shri Mataji giving realisation to everyone present. On the way there, I was told to drive fast, as Shri Mataji sometimes allowed it when running late.
One evening, it was my turn to drive Her to the public programme in the city (another boy and I took turns over the few days that Shri Mataji was with us). Shri Mataji stayed very long working on the seekers. I found out, thirteen years later, that She had even taken the hand of my father and asked how he was. Although he was a life-long heavy smoker, he was surprised to feel a cool breeze flowing from his head.
I was outside the hall, enthusiastically talking to friends who also attended. At some point, Shri Mataji came out and walked passed us, stopping to talk to my friend’s little daughter. As She walked on, a yogi asked me if I was still driving. I went from bliss to shock in a split second. I ran up the three flights of stairs to the street level, then down the street to the park house. I drove at full speed up to the block to where God was standing, smiling in front of the public event venue.
On the way home to the Vancouver ashram, I heard Shri Mataji mention that She would like to cook for everyone coming the following day. The local leader insisted that everything was closed, as it was close to midnight. The next thing I knew, a Sahaja Yogi was telling me to turn around and drive to the Indian area of Vancouver. I promptly obeyed. There, the Sahaja Yogis went into an Indian restaurant where the owner sold them all the spices Shri Mataji needed, and woke up his friend across the street, who opened his shop to sell us all the other ingredients.
At Shri Mataji’s invitation, over fifty ‘new people’ attended the Shri Gauri Puja on the first day of Navaratri in the ashram.
Edward Saugstad