There is always room for Sacredness in your home

On one of their lengthy walking pilgrimages across India, Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, and his companion, Mardana, came to a village notorious for its criminals, con artists and false prophets, and they were all afraid of some true one coming and disillusioning the crowds that assembled and worshipped them. They thought Nanak had come to deprive them of their living. Rather than enter the village, Guru Nanak and Mardana sat down under a jasmine tree and began to meditate in blissful silence.

When the villagers learned that Guru Nanak was just outside their town, they became worried that he might enter and disturb their usual activities. So they sent an emissary on horseback to meet him. The emissary presented Guru Nanak with a “gift” of a bowl of milk filled completely to the brim. It was a symbolic message. In essence, it said, “There’s no room for you in our village. We’re full up. We have everything we need. You can move along. You are not welcome here.”

When Mardana recognized the insult to the guru, he became incensed and offended. But Guru Nanak slowly raised his hand in a calming gesture and continued to reach upward. He plucked two jasmine flowers from the branch above him and then set them gently into the bowl of milk. And there they floated serenely on top, without spilling a drop, symbolizing that no matter how full our worldly life appears to be, there is always room for God.

And that story is about reminding you that there is room for your home to feel as you want it to feel. And nothing can stop you.