First off, thanks to kohai Donna for editing, placing appropriate shamisen music background, and uploading the infamous old videos of some fun training at the Pearl City KAH dojo back in 1974. Actually, it was my last night of training before heading over to Vandenberg AFB with my new wife, Lynne… 32 years ago. I had convinced Sensei Peter and two other young shodans, Arthur and Bert, to perform Jion while keeping their eyes (and smiles) locked on the camera… they did great (natural hams). I had also convinced our mentor, Sensei Ron (the non-smiling one) to perform a kata for posterity. The skinny, shirtless guy performing a rather sloppy version of Tekki Sandan was me… I had already changed and had been filming when Sensei Peter asked me to swap places.
Yes, it doesn’t seem so long ago when the shots were taken, we were all young college graduates, with the rest of our lives to look forward to. Arthur and Bert both moved to LA: Arthur (now known as Art) became a very successful financial planner while Bert went on to obtain his masters in engineering from USC and went to work at Hughs… I haven’t seen either in many years. You all know what became of Senseis Ron, Peter and myself.
Wow, so long ago that the film was Super-8 mm, with little reels that had an amazing recording capacity of 3 minutes each! Without sound! The two little reels lay in storage for over thirty years before we found them, played them on a white board, and recorded using our modern camcorder, then kohai Donna converted the VHS to DVD, then did her editing magic, gave it sound, uploaded into our little webpage, and captured moments I thought were lost forever.
These were times spent in fellowship, in sharing our love of the art of movement known as Shotokan Karate-Do.
I know, I know… I looked like Sensei Trisha’s brother when I was in my twenties, and not much like I do today. At that moment, I never knew if I would ever pursue karate again… we all had so much to still look forward to. I’ve been blessed to have a great spouse, a very happy family, several great careers, and too many good things to mention. Amongst these many blessings, I have been fortunate enough to continue Shotokan; with friends, family, and today, as a very fulfilling ministry with all of you.
My prayer for each of you is that in the midst of all the other good opportunities that He has for each of you in life, you always make a point to help mentor others as each of you has been mentored, that you enjoy every moment in your training and in your life, that you appreciate the others around you who share this walk in life with you, and most of all, that you gain the deepest appreciation and insight into His hand and His design for each of us.