The Best Homecoming Ever

Its Monday at 6:40 PM, I am on the Alaska Flight 469 from LAX to SEA arriving at 8:10PM. 36 hours from the time I left KTM on Sunday at 11:00 PM KTM time. That's 1 1/2 days by myself, into my own thoughts and conversations about the last 3 weeks, my family, my friends and the rest of my life.

My life so far has been such a colorful tapestry. I have no regrets about my choices. I hvae been propelled by my internal compass that has upheld virtues like honesty, dedication to family, service to the beloved, understanding, diversity, equal opportunity and peace. I do not profess to be proud of all my choices nor the timing of some behavior that has overpowered my sense and sensibility. I chalk that up to survival, perhaps. I can be in the state of inconsistency yet my higher ideals do prevail in the end.

At this stage in my life, I will need to reorganize these priorities and relate them to new relationships - a new re-created Gina, at 49, at the turning point of her life, to renew her role in humanity.


I see the Siskiyous Mountains outside my window as we flew over the California border and sneered at their diminutive stature to the Himalayas. Tsk! Tsk! It'll take 2 mighty tectonic plates crashing against each other for 60 million years to create another mountain range of such majesty! It may have taken many lifetimes for me to feel the compassion I feel today, albeit, still a longer path to travel.

Namaste my friends! There is much to do for the next visit in 2010. Please join me in any way your heart will allow for the benefit of the disadvantaged children of Nepal!

Shanti, Peace, Shalom!

From Trekking Photos

Trekking Post

Once you begin a trek you come back a different person. I began my trek to Poon Hill ( 3210 m. or 10,272 ft.) and returned a lot humbler to have witnessed the beauty of the Himalayas. The chance to merely view this creation from a vantage point requires one's patience, determination, understanding and acceptance that it should never be too easy to be in the presence of the Universe's gift to mere mortals like me.

Now I understand why trekkers come to Nepal and why climbers come to scale Mt. Everest. Beautiful, magnificent, glorious are all words that understate the majestic, royal and utter heavenly state of the Himalayan mountain range. You won’t be able to see everything in one glance, you have to pivot yourself at least 260 degrees to see it all! From Machapuchare to Annapurna West to Dhaulagheri I to V.

Oh no! And not that the masterpiece is available to an audience any time of the day! The lucky few who made it to the top of Poon Hill at sunrise were graced by the Western Himalayas which pealed off its sleepy head as the sun rose over its back at 6:30 AM.

First you will see a glow atop Dhaulagheri I then II then on towards the west, Machapuchare ( Fishtail Mtn.) will remain in the shadows a bit until the sun rises higher and higher and shines a spotlight at about 7:00 AM on all the sister mountains. You are overwhelmed and need to look away then glance in awe at the reverence it requests of you. Nature's opulent 'Cirque de Montagnes' tops any other magnificent sunrise I've ever seen before!

From Trekking Photos

Family Trip To Manakamana

Family Road Trip to Manakamana

Everyone on the bus! Yes I decided to ride the kids’ bus and sit by Sanjay and Bikash.
Off we went together to travel many hours to see Manakamana, “The Wish Fulfilling Temple” on top of a mountain that rose 3000 ft high with a cable car system that took the devotees up.

Bikash is attending Upper Kindergarten right now. He has been at DNC for 2 years. He is a burn victim. Half of his face had been burned in a fire accident and his left hand is deformed, perhaps due to the fire as well. It was early, about 8:00 am and they had gotten up at 6:00 AM to get ready. He was pretty sleepy and immediately fell asleep on my lap signaling that I should keep my right hand on his forehead to shield it from the bright sunlight. I held his left hand in mine, just like I would when my son Richard was a little boy. The feeling was not any different! Here’s a sleepy boy who needed a soft lap to lay on, to feel secure that he was not going to hit the window every time the bus would veer left or right (believe me, it veered a lot). A tear rolled down my cheek and as I held that deformed hand, he held my hand with his trusting heart!

Sanjay is now in grade two. He joined DNC in 2005 at the age of six. His feet, which had been severely burned in a fire at the age of two needed to be amputated. Only after the bandages had been soaked off and skin grafting had been done did he learn to walk. He has these round shoes that allow him to walk pretty much anywhere. His left hand has only the first knuckles and no fingers left to point with. Like Bikash he too was feeling car sick and sleepy! So after throwing up several times (I’m glad they had these little plastic bags for this purpose) he began to slump sideways as well, preparing to fall asleep. I had to hold him close lest he hit his head on the forward window that was a foot away. I held his upper body secured as he leaned on my right shoulder. It wasn’t the most comfortable position for me but it seemed fine enough for these two angels to forget their daily routine for a moment and dream of the Temple in the sky!

It was the family bus – kids asleep, kids singing, kids teasing each other and fighting over window seats. As far as I am concerned, I had the best seat in the bus!

Just wake us up when we get there...no need to hurry, though!

From My DNC Children