Homecoming

No rainbows. Nothing miraculous about the homecoming. Just a few funny moments at the airport, when Bapak was whisked from the plane in a Garuda combi to the V.I.P. Departures lounge. And no one was there ! By the time some of the welcomers had sprinted the length of the airport, Bapak was out there again, back into the combi, and walking out the proper "Arrivals" exit with everyone trying to be dignified; some puffing slightly and some with grateful tears in their eyes.

Back at the Big House, Bapak sat down with us for half-an-hour quietly chatting over cold drinks. How hot it is here! And how much healthier the climate abroad is for an older person. Perhaps he might spend half his time here, and half abroad? He's given 140 talks -- and this is not the time for the 141st but sometime soon, my children.

I looked around the familiar room and knew that many of us were giving silent thanks that Bapak had been allowed to return safely once more.

Salamah, Cilandak.

Ed. Note: So it happens there too!

"Cilandak taking on its more usual shape."

There are some countries which prepare a long time ahead, while others seem to leave their preparations until the very last moment. Here we tend to do everything with only minutes to spare before Bapak comes into his front door! So although our preparations were really only obvious for, say, about two weeks before the great day, nevertheless a great deal has been done. Finally the roads within Wisma Subud were all sealed, some for the first time, renovations to Bapak's house and garden were finished, and all seemed more or less in working order, although the garage doors looked as ii they were going to arrive together with Bapak. In the event, they arrived a few hours earlier and were looking as though they had always been part of the building by the time the great moment came.

There was a sense of Cilandak taking on its more usual shape on the day of Bapak's return. Again Bapak would be in his home, and .gain ail those who normally are here had returned from their own journeys. We waited together, Indonesian and Japanese, American and French, German and Australian and English and others from other lands -- together again at last, ready for Bapak to come. It was a joyous arrival at the airport. Some people had gone to Singapore to accompany the family on the last part of the journey home, while others had special passes to go right out to the plane. Most people stayed around the exit, and Bapak shook hands, smiled and said a few words here, a few words there. Quickly it was all over and Bapak was in his car on his way back to Cilandak.

Another crowd was in Bapak's house at Cilandak, all in the doorway, so that Bapak laughingly asked permission to enter. Bapak's family was all there, his brother and sister, Ibu Rahaju's husband, other relatives and all the Subud family with their children and even their children's children. Bapak sat, and we all sat around him. Almost everyone was on the floor. Bapak laughed and we laughed too. Bapak joked with us? and we laughed some more. "Were we expecting a talk ALREADY? Well that would have to wait until later." We laughed some more. The family at Cilandak was again all together, and that seemed like a very great blessing. Why try Alhumdulilah! God be Praised!

Harlinah, Indonesia

WISMA SUBUD,
Cilandak, Jakarta.
20th March, 1978

I.S.C.
13 Woodfield Rd.,
Toronto, Ont.,
CANADA M4L 2W4

In response to your request that we write something about Bapak's journey, we would like to express the following to all our brothers and sisters throughout the world who received Bapak and party:

On behalf of Bapak and all members of the party, we send our deep felt gratitude to all who helped in any way to make our stay in each place so memorable. Our minds swirl around when trying to recapture some of the wonderful moments on paper, for if we begin to write about one, then all the others come crowding in, and we're afraid that we'd have to write a thick book once we started.

So we'll just say THANK YOU EVERYONE! again, and again, and "Sampai berjumpa lagi" -- which means, until we meet again, somewhere, some time ...

With all our love,

Tuti and Muti.

Bapak's Prayer for Us

Now Bapak leaves you with this hope and this prayer. Bapak prays to God Almighty that He will give you His grace, because man by nature tends to stray from what is right and tends to forget the right way and deviates to something else. For that reason, Bapak prays that by the grace of God, when Bapak has left, you will truly make an effort and not give up making an effort, but continuously make an effort to find a way how to do something both in the spiritual brother- hood -- that is, in the field of doing latihan -- and in the field of enterprises; to find a way to something whereby you can work well together and begin a picture of harmony which can really be seen. A picture of true eternal harmony between you.