In the summer of 2002 I contacted Angel Gibson at MSIA about having an MSIA staff person come to Ottawa, Canada. In fact I suggested perhaps Paul Kaye could come. Angel thought that the MSIA services needed in Ottawa could be tied in with Paul’s Momentum Book Tour likely in November of 2002.

Paul Kaye and Mario Morresi, a member of the MSIA travel staff, arrived in Ottawa on February 15th for a weekend of services, initiations and a Momentum Workshop before moving on to Toronto on February 18th. Arno Graefe volunteered to provide transportation for Paul and Mario throughout their stay in Ottawa using Suzan Schmekel’s all-wheel drive Subaru Legacy. Paul and Mario had escaped some of the worst snow in the US east coast in decades, but they flew into record cold temperatures in Ottawa. Instead of the typical 24 to 26 degrees Farenheit for this time of the year, Ottawa had minus 8 to minus 15 degrees Farenheit weather for our guests. We provided both Paul and Mario with some warm gloves.

While the weather may have been cold, our hearts were warm. It was an absolute joy to have Paul back in Ottawa, and in my home. It had been seventeen years since Paul was last in Ottawa, but it was like yesterday when he walked in and the hugs were shared.

So — one ordination, four initiations, and twelve services over Saturday, Sunday and Monday took us to a pot-luck dinner, and then to nearly two hours of Paul sharing with us how we can let love lead in a Momentum Workshop.

There were moments of peace, moments of joy, moments of laughter (side splitting laughter actually) over the weekend. My home was filled with Spirit and joy even more than usual, and we had a chance to discuss theology (Suzan Schmekel is working on her thesis in Religious Studies), John Dominic Crossan and the historical Jesus, conservative Judaism, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, the gnostics and alchemists — all this between having some great barbecued chicken, salad, and sweets. No, we did not barbecue the chicken outside, but I did barbecue a couple of hamburgers for Mario on Monday which he found delightful.

Paul’s Momentum Workshop was certainly the highlight of the weekend for the community as a whole. However, while Paul led a group of nearly a dozen people through some of the lessons provided by the book in quite a lively, and humorous presentation and interchange with the audience, he was not able to provide my two Basset hounds with enough reason to stay awake. All the same, they seemed to find Paul’s voice quite soothing, and Siddhartha (the Basset that is) slept at Paul’s feet while he talked. At the end of the talk, everyone present (except for the Bassets) wanted a copy of Paul and John-Roger’s Momentum: Letting Love Lead book, and we sold out all the books that had been on display.

A great weekend, a blessing for the MSIA community in Ottawa, and another step in uplifting the planet. For a list of upcoming book events, click here. Momentum: Letting Love Lead is available in bookstores nationwide or you can purchase it online by clicking here.