My Bead-bag.

This is a picture of my chanting beads and bead-bag. They have been feeling very neglected for the past couple of years. I hope to be able to rectify this gradually.

I know some people haven't been able to understand why I haven't been able to chant - after all there are devotees who had much more serious illnesses than myself, who could still chant. But there it is - the nature of CFS - chanting, or speaking made me as tired as any other kind of exertion, and after a round or two I would often have to go to bed for the rest of the day. So I had to give it up, until I recovered. I still say "Hare Krishna" throughout the day and "Radha-Madhava", to remind me of my beloved deities.

I've chanted a few rounds this past week - not quite one a day, but almost - this is encouraging!

Once, when I lived in the Belfast temple as a young devotee, I had a dream: it was in those days when people lived in dread of nuclear war; I dreamt that a great siren had gone off, which meant that we were in danger of imminent attack. I wasn't frightened, because I knew all I had to do was chant, and I would be safe, whatever happened - but oh, where were my beads? I remembered I had left them right at the top of the tall building we lived in, I felt panic-stricken, ran as fast as I could up several flights of stairs, and saw them hanging from the banister, in a blue bead bag. As I grasped them in my hand I felt completely safe and happy - bombs could drop - anything could happen, and I would be safe!