Soul Focus  

6,544 miles away

     fifty years in

          the rear view

Pilgrims welcomed

     contemplation imprinted

          to emerge time to time

Zazen discipline

     introduced redirecting

          wandering minds

Weary travelers

     surrendered to the moment

          eased the soul

Truth pulled through time

     meandering life choices

          now reliving moments

Footnoting the negatives

     counting the Yes

          opening to the possible

Emptying the trash of

     misused dreams

          restarting the balance wheel

Worth the trip

     still surprised by joy 

          a clearer focus

Fifty years

     and counting

     It was the winter of 1969. A down-in-the-dumps student was hiding out in the campus ministry lounge. I was her campus pastor. I pushed, "What would you like to do, where would you like to go?" Finally,  a timid tearful response, "Japan, I suppose, but that will never happen." I ran with that.

     Long story shortened: the next summer, 16 of us, mostly students, took a self-guided independent tour in Japan. We booked our own travel and made our own arrangements with friends we mostly met along the way. 

     We spent a night in a Zen Buddhist Monastery on Lake Biwa. At 4;30 in the morning a monk beat on the prayer board, calling us to a Zazen meditation practice that brought the three week trip into focus. The student said it was the best part of the whole trip.                                                                                  Max

       
         Cannot avoid death
          Moments passing
          Value this moment
          Things change quickly
      *Prayer board inscription