Huntsville was hopping. I mentioned to one of the dignitaries that showed up for the ribbon cutting grand opening of the Krishna Cultural Centre. "I heard that Huntsville swells on the Victoria Day weekend, I see it is true." Scott is with city council. He laughed, I was referring to the influx of people who come on the long weekend when cottage owners and vacationers come to town to honour the warmed up weather in spring, go boating, hiking and all that good stuff.
And then on top of that, a great wave of Vaishnavas, bhakti yoga practitioners descended on the town.
Our new complex, including the new Iskcon Muskoka temple was packed. And so was the River Hill Park nearby and the two or three blocks of streets in between. In 28*C weather, the town was bustling.
When it was my turn to speak in front of the crowd and delegates from different levels of government I told a little about myself. "I'm a patriotic monk, I follow Krishna, was raised Catholic - and I still am one. It doesn't matter what your approach to God is, it's all the same God. Let's focus on common grounds and less on differences." The theme of going on a happy medium is always embraced. Happiness was all around. On the grass we had people do a dance circle. And with the folks sipping on beer at nearby decks, there were looks of curiosity and perhaps even a sense of feeling the need to be a part of the community.
After a rejuvenating walk on the local boardwalk I heard a man, Rudy, say "Hey, Bhaktimarga!". He's a resident of Huntsville and used to visit us in Toronto all the time. Lots of bonding.
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