Parvati devi dasi lived across the street from me for a while. At my house she told me that she a made children version "Krsna Book." I became excited about this, wanting one for my children. But next she said that the BBT was out of stock. Ok, I surrendered.
Yet, later she surprised me. Parvati took one from her private stock, walked over to my door, and handed it to me. [If memory serves, she did not have many - at all.] Months later, I obtained the second volume from her.
Parvati told me she wrote these for her children; that she wished she could read them bedtime stories but did not have any [Krishna Conscious ones]. Therefore, she made her own.
And of course getting them published, they were for the rest of the devotee children as well. I still have mine and now my grandchildren benefit from them.
Another time, Parvati came over my house with her hair twisted and stuck in a fan. She was trying to dry it, but the fan snapped it up! And she had a lot of hair! :)
There we were, an hour or more - probably more ha - trying to get her hair to unwind. While we did not get it all out, we did make an improvement.
At that time her girls were about 2 and 4 years old. Long ago. :) Here is a pic of her two grown girls now, with Parvati in bed at the hospital:
[Thank you Mahadevi Dasi for the pics!]
Eventually her and I both moved away from that particular temple to different temples. When I attended Ratha Yatra in California, I bumped into her at that festival.
Secretly I felt she was an "A" list devotees :), but not coming from her at all. Just someone that would be hard for me to get near, or maintain - because she was a staunch devotee very busy in service. However, as much of a warrior that Parvati was, she also was very nice! As soon as she saw me at RathaYatra, she was so friendly, talked to me about topics you would only share with a friend. It was as if no time passed! She was humble, and she was real.
Next, many more years passed and I wondered what happened to Parvati. Eventually found out she was doing service via Prabhupada's samadhi. Therefore she was in India. Wonderful!
Accepting I'd probably never see her again if she was in India, I also was very happy for her to be there.
Additionally, it was good because when the time came, she got to leave her body in Vrindavan!
I'm sad, and a little startled that Parvati left. Thought she was getting better, but that was most likely my idealism. Well, three times the doctors expected that she would not make it over night, and three times she pulled through. Once even asking for papaya. :)
It was the fourth time that she departed, after she was moved from the hospital back to her home located in Vrindavana. Hmmmm
Therefore I'm simultaneously happy she left in the Holy Dhama and is with Prabhupada and Krishna somewhere. Certainly she is busy in some type of devotional service to the Lord.
I will miss you Parvati, but you go girl! I know you're up to something. A very good something. Hare Krishna on up to you.
