Wow, just wow
I chanted tonight, and I was happy to get a lot of nice feedback. The woman who was leading it when I came in is someone who'd called me in the interim, to ask me how it had gone for me. So it was nice to meet her face-to-face. She asked me to read one of the daily readings they have. Before I did so, I said I'd have to inflict a funny story on them. I then told them the Jolly Roger story, and they got it.
Yup, they get my sense of humor.
I want to tell you how it felt to stand up in front of 20-25 strangers who didn't feel strange to me at all. Many I'd met in smaller groups over the past ten days. So when I stood in front of everybody, as I spoke I looked around the room.
.
,
,
I saw so many smiling faces.
Yup, smiling faces. I can't remember any time, at the church he/we have belonged to, when I saw so many smiling faces. As I scanned them, briefly, I saw: Jerry, Fran, Yat, Becca, Gail, Christina, Jane, and so many more I didn't register them as individuals. I just saw friendly, for cryin' out loud, and it's wonderful.
Later, we broke up into smaller groups, and some people headed upstairs for some sort of meeting. Those of us who stayed downstairs talked about how we "met The Gohonzon", as it's called. That means, how we were introduced to the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. It was lovely to hear other's stories. Some were faith or practice-oriented, others, like mine, were about the people. I really enjoy being with and chanting with these people.
I heard a lot of feedback, some of which said, "She chanted for an hour and a half on Toso". Toso is the Sunday form of chanting, and I gather it's exceptional to do as much as I did. Hey, folks, I'm a worker, a laborer, if you want someone to call it in, I'm not her. I have encountered discomfort way worse than chanting for an hour and a half, believe me. You want someone to pull cable under a deck in the summer, with one arm in a splint, I'm your girl, man, woman. Or I was twenty years ago, and in my heart I still am.
Jane said, "They're really excited about you [or something to that effect].
I'm kinda gooey, yet grounded tonight.
Yup, they get my sense of humor.
I want to tell you how it felt to stand up in front of 20-25 strangers who didn't feel strange to me at all. Many I'd met in smaller groups over the past ten days. So when I stood in front of everybody, as I spoke I looked around the room.
.
,
,
I saw so many smiling faces.
Yup, smiling faces. I can't remember any time, at the church he/we have belonged to, when I saw so many smiling faces. As I scanned them, briefly, I saw: Jerry, Fran, Yat, Becca, Gail, Christina, Jane, and so many more I didn't register them as individuals. I just saw friendly, for cryin' out loud, and it's wonderful.
Later, we broke up into smaller groups, and some people headed upstairs for some sort of meeting. Those of us who stayed downstairs talked about how we "met The Gohonzon", as it's called. That means, how we were introduced to the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. It was lovely to hear other's stories. Some were faith or practice-oriented, others, like mine, were about the people. I really enjoy being with and chanting with these people.
I heard a lot of feedback, some of which said, "She chanted for an hour and a half on Toso". Toso is the Sunday form of chanting, and I gather it's exceptional to do as much as I did. Hey, folks, I'm a worker, a laborer, if you want someone to call it in, I'm not her. I have encountered discomfort way worse than chanting for an hour and a half, believe me. You want someone to pull cable under a deck in the summer, with one arm in a splint, I'm your girl, man, woman. Or I was twenty years ago, and in my heart I still am.
Jane said, "They're really excited about you [or something to that effect].
I'm kinda gooey, yet grounded tonight.