Bittersweet

Yesterday was the beginning of the Year of the Rooster and last night marked the end of the year for my Year of the Monkey I Ho Chuan Team. It was truly a privilege to share the Monkey year with such a great group of people. It was a challenging year that was marked with many pitfalls, tragedies, and spectacular successes.

Despite so much going wrong yesterday leading up to our Chinese New Year Banquet, the evening was spectacular. Everyone’s performances were inspired and spot on. The lion/dragon dance, even though we all agreed it could have used more time to evolve, was probably the best we could have ever hoped for. I am ecstatic about how everything came together.

My euphoria over the success of last night’s event is tempered by my recognition that, no matter how much you prepare, mistakes and oversights always happen. Last night was no different. My wish is that everyone remembers the spirit of the evening and forgives any perceived slight.

It was my intention to share more about Master Margie Hilbig last night with my students who never had the opportunity to meet her. I found it difficult to find the words to adequately describe a mentor who I owe so much to. I miss her dearly and I am still wrapping my mind around a world without her in it. I also realized, after the fact, that despite having Master Macdonald help promote my black belts, I never even introduced him. I am sorry Sifu. Those promotions themselves also did not go off without a hitch. The order they happened in did not reflect the actual seniority of those black belts. Sifu Lindstrom, you are still senior to Sifu Csillag. Sifu Csillag you are still senior to Sifu Langner. Nothing has changed and no slight was intended. Gerry  Emas, my friend. You have been so generous with your time and expertise with me and my school. I failed to publicly thank you at the end of our banquet for always being there to chronicle our events with your photographs. My oversight is not a reflection of my lack of gratitude. Thank you for all you do. Sifu Eva Dennis, you were promoted to 5th degree last night. A master instructor. I know my words did not even come close to encapsulating what you have brought to our lives at Silent River Kung Fu. My apologies for my inability to express myself adequately. And the biggest faux pas of the night was our failure to mention Advanced Remediation Solutions - the sponsor of our new lion Liu Bei. Terry and Dean, the evening was crazy. We lost our MC at the last minute and never truly recovered. I can assure you that your sponsorship will be mentioned at every dance we do. I am very sorry that we all dropped the ball on that one.

There is no doubt that there are more that I should be apologizing for. A wonderful evening like we experienced last night is only possible with the efforts of many, many people. I am grateful for everyone who made it an evening to remember and I hope any oversights on my part are not allowed to diminish the experience in your eyes.

Finally to the new Sifus - Sifu Brian Chervenka, Sifu Sharida Csillag, and Sifu Chantal Prince. It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to share this past year with you three. I am proud to have you as SRKF black belts.

“Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)