Today was a very busy day, starting with our monthly Remembrance Day program. On this day, we remember those who passed away during the month of October of any year by reading their names and offering incense.
Jennifer Kane, who attended this year’s Minister’s Lay Assistant Retreat lead today’s sutra reading. Bob Nishita gave today’s Dharma Talk.
Bob reflected on the importance of learning from the past while looking ahead to the future. Growing up, he remembered playing games and losing — and being a poor sport about it. His father would remind him that losing was something that would happen in life — you have to learn from it and move on.
Following the service, we had a parade of those who came in their Halloween finest and we enjoyed an array of spooky treats.
We held a mini-bazaar featuring 1-day sale pricing on a selection of items. We sold our remaining inventory of fabric cushions, luggage identifiers, and greeting cards, along with freshly baked mango bread, chutney, hand-crafted nenju, and fukubukuro surprise bags.
Finally, several volunteers remained after refreshments to assemble our November newsletter for mailing. Mahalo!
