Remembering Justin (May 2015)

Morning. Sarasota, Florida. A gentle breeze dances with Old Glory on its flagpole. The setting is serene. The mangroves, the bay, the birds coming and going to their island, in clear view. What a spot for this T’ai Chi Chih practice. Inside the house, my fragile, soon-to-be 97-year-old uncle lies in bed recovering from shingles. He’s an extraordinary man of goodness, generosity, vision and boatloads of integrity. Justin Stone always reminded me of him. Coincidence that this is the fourth anniversary of Justin’s passing and I am here?

Got a last minute invite to drive down with my uncle’s accountant, an old friend of mine who now lives in the mountains of North Georgia. Nine hours each way with one day visit in between. My uncle must be a pretty special person to get that kind of personal service near the end of tax season. And so my thoughts return to Justin Stone. Also an extraordinary man. A man of similar values. A man of “that” generation. How fortunate to have been deeply influenced by two such men.

Justin was of service to humanity and left us with a precious gift. What will we do with that gift? Will the integrity and pureness of TCC be lost? Adjusted a little here, changed a little there, year by year? How will we hold it? I feel the weight of that responsibility. As I did Carry the Ball to the Side, I had an ah-ha moment as my hands came over the top of the circle. The feeling of the energy I carried seemed so alive… so soft and powerful, gentle yet strong and so very, very loving. In that moment I felt that I was carrying all of life. Thank you, Justin.