I have been chanting a lot for a while now. I try to chant for at least an hour in the morning. When I do that, I have better days. There have been a few times when I went to bed later than I should have and woke up late. There was one day when I work up at 7:30am and I need to be at work by 8:30am. I was only able to chant for about 15 minutes. I felt off the whole day at work. 15 minutes of chanting is not enough for me. I do know the formula that works for me. By chanting abundantly in the morning, I can win during my day.
I am leaving for Orlando, Florida Friday morning. I am really looking forward to connecting with my family. I will stay at my parents’ house. My sister Maggie, her husband Marcel, and my two nephews and niece are already there. They arrived on Tuesday. They’re dealing with about a six-hour time difference. Going west is not so bad, but when they must go back to Stuttgart it is going to be rough. I have not seen Maggie and her family in quite a while. It will be so nice to spend time together in Longwood. Of course, I will see my parents and my sister Cristina, my brother-in-law Seth and their four kids.
I love chanting in the morning. My practice is so important to me. It is the biggest tool in my wellness toolbox. When I am practicing strongly, life goes better for me. I remember when I lost my first grandparent, I spiraled downward in a depression. The only way I got out of it was by chanting. My chanting has seen me through good times and bad. Over the years, I have become happier and happier. After 25 years of practice, I am more joyful than I have ever been. I am the only one who practices Nichiren Buddhism in my family. But that’s okay because as our former president and mentor Daisaku Ikeda says, “when a single sun rises, everything is illuminated.”
I have been reading the New Human Revolution. It is a fictionalized history of the Soka Gakkai International. There are thirty volumes. I am currently on volume 28. I am proud of myself. I finally finished volume 27 a few days ago and I had been reading it for many months. Recently at the suggestion of one of my friends in faith, I started reading at least ten pages a night. The New Human Revolution is also a wonderful guide on how SGI members should practice Nichiren Buddhism in the organization. I find it so encouraging and informative when I read it. It also helps me connect to my mentor Daisaku Ikeda. The mentor disciple relationship is at the core of our practice. We believe that it is the disciple who chooses the mentor. A mentor is someone that we look up to and who shows us how to practice Nichiren Buddhism correctly. Mentor and disciple are equals, united in faith who work for Kosen Rufu or world peace. For some reason understanding the mentor disciple relationship with my heart has been difficult for me.
It is now 10:36pm. I am kind of cutting it close to the wire. I am supposed to publish this posting at midnight tonight and I haven’t finished writing it yet. I don’t like cutting it this close. I am glad that I have my blog. I do enjoy writing for it each week. I love to write. I just wish that I did it more often. For a while, I was writing every night. Unfortunately, when I went back to work, I fell out of this habit. After being unemployed for six months, going back to work full-time was exhausting. It took me a few months to get used to it again. Thankfully, now I am accustomed to working full-time. I love my job. It feels good to be at the Mental Health Peer Connection (MHPC) on 3108 Main Street again. I had left the MHPC a couple of years ago when I got a promotion as the supervisor for the Medicaid Application Assistance Program. I was in the position for 16 months and it didn’t work out.