An Invitation

Shannon is the best roommate I have ever had. We only lived together for a semester, but it was AMAZING to live in a Baha'i household (or dorm room) for the first time in my life. We hatched a lot of crazy plans together, especially with our friend Rob, who lived just a five minute walk across a lawn from us. Travel teaching almost on a whim, having written our program only a week before leaving, and doing the entire thing while fasting. Driving 8 1/2 hours to Iowa to tutor a Ruhi Book 2 intensive, only to turn around and drive back at the end of the weekend. Creating a huge, 9-pointed star wall hanging utilizing a bedroom sheet, two colors of tempra paint, and the handprints of dozens of virtual strangers who happened to be outside that day. Things like that. Even now, Shannon and I need to talk to one another at least once a week in order to stay inspired. Or stay crazy. That's just the way things are.

A year and a half after I moved to New Mexico and left all my friends and family behind in the Midwest, Shannon is going to be my roommate again. She'll be here in June, and I can't even say how excited I am. Already we're hatching crazy plans over the telephone and e-mail. There is one plan in particular to which I would like to offer a formal invitation. Won't you join us?

THE OBJECTIVE: to memorize every quote from every Ruhi book in one year.

We agreed that it is foolishness to ask study circle participants to memorize when the tutor herself has not done so. And since we have no way of knowing what books we will be called upon to offer as our clusters advance throughout the next 5 Year Plan, the only solution is to learn ALL of them.

So who is with us in this hairbrained scheme? So far, there is a youth in New Jersey and two more in Poland who have signed on.

Baha'u'llah tells us:

"From the texts of the wondrous, heavenly Scriptures they should memorize phrases and passages bearing on various instances, so that in the course of their speech they may recite divine verses whenever the occasion demandeth it, inasmuch as these holy verses are the most potent elixir, the greatest and mightiest talisman."

One year, for this spiritual undertaking.

Allah-u-Abha, friends.