A Stream of Miracles

 by Rev. Kat Katsanis-Semel, M.A.

 My life has been a stream of miracles; and, as someone who grew up with a parent who experienced alcoholism, the fact that I am as okay as I am is a living testimonial. It’s a testimonial to God's truth and grace in my life.

Though to speak specifically to a miraculous experience...some time ago - before the pandemic began - my spouse and I were discerning whether I should travel to NYC. I was overwhelmed with work and family commitments and wasn't sure if I should take time out to travel. Though part of the pull was to be in the presence of Sri Amma (Ammaji, as she’s often called), who is also called "The Hugging Saint." If you’ve ever been in Sri Amma's presence, you know the unforgettable experience, to which I'm making reference. She’s an embodiment of motherly love, and - prior to COVID-19 - hugged thousands of people a year. And in offering hugs, she offers a spiritual blessing (termed a "darshan" in Sanskrit). Though one does not need to receive a hug from Sri Amma, to receive her darshan; really, one only needs to be in Amma’s physical presence to receive this blessing. As many yogis, saints and sages have shared, simply being in the physical presence of a Great One brings about an instant darshan. In summary: The desire to see Amma was there, though we weren’t sure if it was to manifest at that time.

One day, as this discernment process unfolded, I found myself driving up the California coast. I was cruising north, on my way to work. And I got that "intuitive nudge" to stop at Swami's Beach. As part of my work with CLM, I’ve learned to trust that "still, small voice"- even if it seems like following it might make me late to work! : - ) So, I stopped off at this beach (where Paramahansa Yoganandaji used to meditate, swim and walk), and walked up and down the beach myself. I saw a man who was also walking, and though I’m often shy when it comes to strangers, I intuitively "got" to walk over to him; therefore, I did. We easily struck up a conversation, and soon he had answered our prayers with a verbal confirmation that I "must go” and visit Sri Amma, no matter what. I walked away from that conversation with the knowing that I would book a flight to see her within that week, which I did. Looking back on this miracle, I have an appreciation for how quickly God can work on our behalf, when we’re willing to work in cooperation with God. And thank God that we received darshan from Sri Amma that year, as that was the last year that we saw her prior to the pandemic.

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