Serenity in the morning

One morning I woke up very early in my friend Chau's California home. It was 6:00 am and I peaked over the staircase to the large living room below. A mantel running the length of the room was lit by ten candles symmetrically balanced among the buddahs, orchids, photos of zen masters and ancestors. A lovely smell of incense filled the room. Chau sat on her meditation cushion in her dove gray cotton dharma master robe, quietly meditating. I was infused with a loving vibration, a calming energy, and a tingly feeling all over my body as i looked on. The next day, I awakened and discovered the same beautiful ritual taking place. This time I joined in, taking a cushion next to Chau. We have a number of shared experiences over the years in meditation, and I was reminded that it could be such a peaceful place of beauty that could draw me in, open my heart, and still my spirit so I could hear God's voice so clearly.