Comings And Goings

It was not just another Monday morning in the zendo today. Since it was the first morning of the practice period, we had a bigger crowd than we have had recently, and that subtle sense of people finding their places and beginning to settle. Also, as the sun began to shine through the windows on the east side, we had a departing student ceremony for Steven.
Steven and I were ordained together, along with Trevor, just over three years ago; his devotion to practice was always clear, but he has been having a tough and painful time of late. Christina spoke very movingly after the jundo, and it is hard to encapsulate what she said, mainly because you could hear how heartfelt it was, but it was to do with how sometimes you have to let go, when your dream, something you have put great effort into over many years, is not manifesting in the way you thought or wanted it to, and that by letting go, there is the possibility that it will appear in a different form. It was a reminder that none of his efforts have been in vain, and that the effect of them still resonates.