Kashi

Kashi is a yoga studio and much more.  Those who attended Liam's funeral witnessed the Kashi folks leading the non-Jewish part.  Our family life is closely intertwined with either Kashi itself or with the Kashi people. Each one of us have a different level of involvement - some large, others minimal. 

In the past 10 years and especially in the past year, Kashi took care of our family.  They provided care (or just companionship) for Liam, meals, babysitting. rides for Meitav, and many more types of help.  You read in Chuck's speech how Jason-Rudra became part of our family.  Rudra was equal to us in the hospital.  He knows all the nurses and Drs and medications and....well, more than me, that's for sure.  (And, the relationships is a two-way street:  we're taking care of a few Kashi folks or Kashi needs here and there.)

What's with all these weird names?   I can't tell you for I'm asking the same question myself.  Most Kashi people have spiritual names on top of their birth given names.   So I decided to give myself a "spiritual" name too:  Menohug.
So what with the spirituality?  That too, I can't tell you since I'm not a participant myself.  (I simply take occasional yoga classes for the physical benefits only.)
I heard people accuse Kashi for being a cult.  Maybe, what do I know?  But if it is, it's a very good cult.  A cult that is caring and kind and respectful and and not forceful and helping people in need and spreading only good.  I think that after being next to Kashi and taking yoga classes myself there for the past 10 years, I can safely say they are not dangerous.  :-)  While I may not participate in any of the spiritual stuff that's going on in Kashi, I recognize the value of this place to people and to the community.  Well, this is really not an advertisement section.  If you want to know more, you'd have to find out for yourself.  I'm just here to tell how helpful Kashi was - wait, still is, I hear people taking out the trash - in our family's life.  A wonderful place with some wonderful people.

Here's Maha Tara's - another family friend - speech read near Liam's open grave: 


I am Maha Tara
My involvement w/ the Wittenberg/Velinsky family was 1st w/Emma  at a women’s intensive, at Kashi FLA. During intensive it was revealed she needed help w/her kid who had special needs.
Ma requested all the women from Atlanta get involved w/ this kid. And to help out anyway we could.
I was extremely fearful to help due to my lack of exposure to children, let alone a KID w/special needs.
My thoughts were:
I’m gonna help-out with this “kid” I don’t even know?
So I Signed up anyway for visits and general hanging out time w/ Liam.
I showed up on my appointed Saturday, not sure what to expect and thinking Geez…..
What could I possibly have in common, with this “kid”??
Her family was very welcoming, as if I was part of their family. On that 1st day we just hung out and talked, simply getting to know one another.
Somehow the topic of food was one of the 1st things that we talked about and how much we both love food, and especially Pizza, tater-tots and chocolate.
To the best of my knowledge Liam never met a Pizza she didn’t like!
In 2003, she and Meitav walked down the isle as Flower-girls in my Wedding! It was the most endearing event I have ever witnessed.

As our visits progressed… so did my “involvement” with this “KID”!
I got to go to her performances at dance recitals, where she wore an adorable pink leotard and tutu’ with these little ‘mary-jane’, type black dancing shoes…. Cute as ALL get out! SO PRECIOUS!
She once appeared in a talent show were she displayed her strength and agility riding her beautiful –sparkling Purple- Bicycle!  Blasting in the background was the song by Queen, “I like to ride my Bicycle”. She was laughing so hard as rode round-n-round the stage.

It always amazed me how active she was…whether she was Horseback riding, bicycling, swimming or playing baseball, there wasn’t much she couldn’t do.
She and Emma would show up for Saturday YOGA and during it she usually found down-dog incrediblly funny. She would start laughing, in the most contagious manner. It would crack me up every time!


On our visits, we would read, listen to her music, play with the computer, do art projects, enjoy eating foods and walk-n-talk.
My favorite was walking and talking. We would talk about school, friends and her teachers at Mary Lin.
We would talk about her ‘boy crushes’, which sometimes would change after a few weeks.
We would talk the way of her sensitive heart, and sometimes we would not talk at all. Just ‘Be’.
We sang songs as we walked around the neighborhood.
One song was ‘All around the Mulberry bush, and when we got to her favorite line, “POP goes the Weasel”. She would shout it as loud as she could! That nick-name stuck for me. “Weasel”.
She had many nick-names…..Monkey, Noodle, Little, Liami-Salami, Turkey Buzzard and Baby-girl.
All her endearments well- suited, from her simple, funny easy-going self to her feisty, multifaceted persistent-self.
She was a huge presence packed into a small body.

Liam’s sensitivity and keen perceptions were uncanny.
I remember walking in one day feeling pretty low but thinking I was hiding it well…. she took one look at me, and said, ‘aawww, sad’.

So I did find, what commonality I had w/this   
  “Kid.”
It is love and our ability to share it.
I feel incredible gratitude to have been part of her life.
Liam the artist, performer , hardy-eater, confidant, and my Friend.
I love and respect my ‘little family’. They did a great job, with her action-packed, fun-filled life of incredible LOVE.

And….For the rest of my days, whenever I hear the word ‘TOMORROW’……
“TOAD”, will rapidly follow.
I love you Liam- Jaya Darshana-my Weasel!
Thank you and Namaste!
9/5/10