August 19, 1976

I responded on August  11th with two heart-felt pages to Moineddin’s sad letter of August 4th, confessing that I shared his letter with Surya Less, the midwife and wife of Shahabudin Less, who was at our home for the birth of my son Kirpal Krishna on August 9th. Ever gracious, Moineddin opens his next letter celebrating the birth.

Hurkalya

147 Humboldt Avenue

San Anselmo, CA 94960

August 19, 1976

Dear Mansur, Beloved One of God,

Congratulations on the birth of Kirpal Krishna! And give our love to Ayesha too! A fine birth indeed!

I think you did just right in stemming the ‘gossip’ about my arm, etc. Oftentimes I will do exactly the same (usually at the table; people seem to run off at the mouth more when they’re at the table), and it shocks people to be stopped in mid-stream. But partly it’s a normal function of women to exchange stuff which, to us guys, is not worth a breath.

After some two and a half years we have finally completed the typing of Murshid’s “Scrapbook”—the huge one with the tattered brown covers. I plan to have one of the secretaries zerox a good copy for Wali Ali and yourself, so expect to receive one in the mail fairly soon. No charge.

I began to write a short story last week. It feels very good to exercise the creative faculty again after many years. The flow and ability to organize are coming better than they ever did before. Oh, it’s hard work to marshall the words into perfect coherence, but really no harder than any concentration in life. I’ll let you know from time to time how it’s going.

The sunrise this morning was lovely, all misty but with an opening in the clouds like the old Christian renderings of God looking through the opening in the clouds and sending the Dove to earth. It’s been raining lately here, a real uncommon phenomenon for the Bay Area this time of year. But of course we need it; it reduces the fire danger but it will take literal torrents to bring our water reservoirs up to normal. This is really a drought year in California.

Good to hear you have purchased a new Khankah. Zeinob’s new place in Santa Cruz is similarly located near the ocean. They’re going to have their dedication sometime in October, inshallah. Hope someday we can visit your Khankah.

Love to you and all our friends,

With blessings,

Moineddin and family

P.S. a drawn Sufi heart with wings with 5-pointed star and crescent moon.