LET'S GO TO WIMBLEDON!

Guess Who at Centre Court - Wimbledon

Going to Europe without stopping in London seemed like a sacrilege! But being in London without going to Wimbledon seemed like an even greater travesty. So off we went, by tram, taxi and bus to visit the place of Dave's dreams, center court at Wimbledon! Besides Wimbledon, we visited Trafalgar Square (one big party), Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Kensington Palace (new home of William and Kate), and St. Bartholomew's Church, founded in 1123. We mastered the Underground, and got plenty of exercise just wandering the streets of London! Unfortunately, we missed visiting the British Museum, located right around the corner from our hotel, even though we passed by every day to go Starbuck's to get internet access.

Buckingham Palace

Prior to traveling to Europe, we reconnected with an old friend, Neville Hodgkinson, who we met at a leadership and peace retreat in India, sponsored by the Brahma Kumari World Spiritual University, in 1994. At that time, Neville was science reporter for the UK Sunday Times. More recently, however, he has devoted his life to the Brahma Kumari's (BK's) and lives full-time at the organization's retreat center in Oxford.

Carole and Neville at BK Oxford Retreat Centre

In our attempt to connect with Neville, he helped us reconnect with Sister Jayanti, the individual responsible for the BK's international operations. This is an extraordinary responsibility, as the organization now functions in some 130 countries around the world. Consistent with everything we know about the BK's, Sister Jayanti invited us to have dinner with her at their London-based Global Co-operation House headquarters, to travel with her to Oxford, to immerse ourselves in a retreat at the center, and to interview both she and Neville. We were reminded that what BK's do is to help people create a higher consciousness, and that they believe the purpose of life is to be happy and to exchange happiness with others. They do it by being quiet.

Sister Jayanti at Work

During our retreat in India we had a day of silence after learning the BK form of meditation. Recently, they have instituted a global initiative called Just-a-Minute, to shift consciousness in our busy, noisy world by introducing regular one-minute pauses and breaks, when individuals can re-connect with their core self, their strengths and their values.

When BK's actually speak, they get things done. For example, the BK's are the largest user of solar energy in India, they operate hospitals and meditation centers, and their University in Mt. Abu, India is an international non–governmental organization (NGO) in general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and in consultative status with UNICEF. It is also affiliated to the UN Department of Public Information.