About the Summerland Cottage (2)
The first person I knew personally who lived in this house was M. She often walked with her little dog down the hill to get to the beach. She was a spiritual teacher for many people. At one point there were about 50 people crowded in the living room and kitchen seeking something more meaningful in their lives. But eventually, there were about 20 people who worked consistently on finding Self and sitting in silence. I was one of them, so this house was like our home. The whole group people were bound to it. What I learned most from M was unconditional love, and how to make choices to lead a happier life. Later on, M moved to a bigger house by the beach as a divine payoff for her kindness as I can think of. I believe when a person gives to the universe and universe gives back, just like air flows freely in and out of a house. The group started to meet at M’s new home. That was our spiritual family in Santa Barbara. But now and then, new comers would still meet at the Summerland cottage.
After M moved out, B moved into the Summerland cottage as M’s guest. Then people in Summerland started to see B walking her dog on the hill. B was a nun since the age of eighteen. She painted the house with her favorite color and bought a turquoise-colored car. Little did she know, her life as a nun which she had pursued most of her life was about to change. In her 70’s, she had made a shocking shift in her life, that was to leave the nunnery. A long process was required by the church and then a priest had come to see her and eventually released her from her vows. B started to have an ordinary life like other people living in Summerland, such as going to see movies, and walking dog on the beach, as well as tasting the delicious apple pie in a small restaurant down the hill. One day, she told me she had met an older gentleman when she picked me up from airport. She turned on the radio in her car and there was his voice explaining classic music. He worked for a local radio station in Santa Barbara. With rosy cheeks, she said: “I did not know he is so famous!” The gentleman and B shared their life values.They had tea together at the Summerland cottage and walked together on the hill. B eventually took her last breath not long after the gentleman passed away. She had enjoyed Summerland cottage and the Summerland cottage had given her nurturing from the Divine heart and the human heart.
E moved into the Summerland cottage after B, then people in Summerland started to see her walking on the hill with her little dog. In her 70’s, she had dyed her hair in red. She also became a spiritual guide for beginners. People started to gather regularly at the Summerland cottage again for spiritual teachings. She had a wonderful mothering and nurturing energy, and she had a talent for gardening. She created a vegetable garden beside the house and spent many hours there. One day, I came to visit her. She shared with me that her health was not good due to a defective medical device that the doctor had put in her body many years ago. In her voice, I could not hear the slightest complaint or resentment. She finally decided to move to where she was closer to her children. On the day when she moved away, I saw her off outside the Summerland cottage. She loaded all her belongings in her little blue truck including her little dog, and waved good-bye to me.
After E moved away, that was when M called me. I was very excited to be the new owner of the Summerland cottage. After I moved in, I set up new fence panels to define the boundaries of the property, and planted bamboos to give the backyard more privacy. I put in a spa where I could watch the starry sky when I immersed myself in the warm bubbling water and felt the cool air on my face.
Soon, people in Summerland started to see me pushing a twin stroller up the hill-- I had given birth to twin boys; and years passed by, we were walking up the hill together. The children scamper and play about the whole backyard in daytime, and make wishes to the stars at night. I often tell them to be careful about what they wish for, because the place we live in is magical. Whatever we wish for can be manifested very soon. My proof is moving into the Summerland cottage, I wished very hard to have one child, and I was blessed with two of them.
No doubt about it, the Summerland cottage is a special house; it always helps people to find their truth and create changes in their lives. In the Summerland cottage, M started to follow her calling to teach the teachers of spirituality, she shared her teachings to benefit many and created a spiritual family; In the Summerland cottage, B found her deepest love not only for God but also for another human being. In the Summerland cottage, E discovered the truth of who she was, and lived as a example of a diving being as well as an earthy gardener. In the Summerland cottage, I find the new part of myself, with growing wings of motherhood as I raise my two boys. I enjoy singing and dancing with them at home. I thank the three incredible women who had previously lived in the same house, for they had manifested the loving energy that pervades the Summerland cottage, the miraculous place and our loving home.
Now we have groups here all the time, and many thanks to this nurturing healing place.