small Monday night group there. The University was happy to give us a room, and soon the group grew in size. We even held big meetings on campus, inviting Allan Cohen and Rick Chapman to speak. I fondly recall our first poster, "Stoned on God? Allan Cohen talks on Higher Consciousness," a sort of tongue-in-cheek invite to the drug generation. Also, in New York City, my old home town, I was instrumental in getting Baba House started, in the Village. For several years the young people there had wanted to open a Center, but were not encouraged by the old timers. I said, "Do it!" and we rented a place on 4th St off Sheridan Square. With the help of Henry Kashouty, we formed our first non-profit Baba corporation, by-laws and all, which later became a model for our group here in L.A. and also for the Meher Baba League (now Lovers) in Northern California. Other groups have also taken to the democratic form which I feel carries out Baba's guide-lines given to me in the 50's.

I also contacted many people informally in my New Jersey home. Mattel had kindly also transferred Peter Justin to the same plant so I had at least one Baba lover to help me to get around. I'll never forget the long drive to New York on that rotten New Jersey turnpike: ice, snow, sleet, rain, big trucks! Billy Files had moved specially from California to help "taxi" me around — so sweet of him.

Our founding of Baba House created some conflicts with the Society which felt it was the only legitimate Baba group in town — rather odd, since the original Monday night group was about fifteen years older. We did our best to get along with them, but this lack of unity in the Baba family at times was very discouraging. And Dr. Kenmore, their leader, had first heard of Baba through Adele Wolkin, and I had been his first Baba patient, whom he used to question for hours about Baba! Such is the lot of a "Baba worker" — brickbats follow bouquets in case you get a swelled head!

Back to L.A. (I returned in 1971). Our Pasadena bookstore on Green St. was on the street level and very spacious. We decorated it with Baba's seven-colored rainbow in felt and built our own bookshelves. We already had a fine counter left by previous owners. We even had a children's playroom and a small office/meditation room. But later, the building was condemned by the city which paid us a lump sum to move out. It took us one year to find our present quarters at 10808 Santa Monica Boulevard. By the time we moved, we were a "legal entity" with a duly-elected Board of Directors, committees of various kinds and especially the Sahavas Committee.

It was in 1974 that a small group of us were invited to Chris Pearson's cabin in the San Bernadino Mountains for a camping weekend. On the way (we drove at night to escape the heat) we stopped at a fork in the road to look at the stars and stretch our legs. Suddenly I saw Baba on the road. I didn't tell anyone, but later we decided, because we had had so much fun together, to find a bigger place to camp. We finally found Loch Laven Camp, which was reached from that very fork in the road! We had our first Sahavas in 1974, about one hundred people; Henry Kashouty was our first guest. So I believe it was all in the Avatar's plan from the beginning! Next year we celebrate our 13th Annual Sahavas, and now other groups around the world have taken up the idea.

We've had many distinguished guests at our Sahavas, including, in 1977, Adi K. Irani, and, in 1985, both Bhau Kalchuri and Kitty Davy. We still keep inviting the women mandali from India! Pilgrim Pines is now "our" camp; we've been there 7 years. Sahavas is "the give and take of love" — don't we all need it!

Baba has "appeared" to me at the Center several times and to some others. His presence is felt strongly there by many. One of my favorites: We were rehearsing a play at the Center on a long hot afternoon. Suddenly, I saw Baba and I heard Him say, "I like rehearsals. My whole Creation is a rehearsal — for God-Realization." We also have Baba's chair at the Center — the chair He sat in, at Mrs. Fuch's house in