(1) Passing the Torch

Now having retired from Southwestern some ten years ago, 

I am indulging looking back.  It's easy to consider my 

passing the torch--if you will--when it comes to those 

wonderful students I taught at Southwestern,  A goodly 

number of them went on to become successful architects, 

and some especially advanced Environmental Design 

when it came to the buildings and facilities they developed.

Sitting here on my bench in our lovely garden, I now 

ponder mostly about the Past,  Goodness, what else

should an 85 year old do!  It wasn't all about Southwestern,

however,  In the midst of my teaching duties I also still

did some  work on a few new monasteries that the

Millennial Monasteries contracted with my old 

architecture firm,

Fortunately I wasn't the lead architect, first tutoring than

assisting a young bright architect who the firm designated

to work on these new monasteries,  Specifically I assisted

him in designing a fascinating monastery in New Mexico,

near Santa Fe,  We chose a form of Pueblo architecture

for this particular monastery.  Later we worked together

up near Seattle, building a new monastery in the Pacific

Northwest,  We decided  on a Japanese motif when it

came to the buildings--and I thoroughly delighted 

creating some wonderful natural Japanese gardens 

that enhanced the property.

Of course, too, I continued teaching periodic retreats

when it came to Eco-Spirituality.  But I have fellow monks

much younger than me who have jumped into this full

force,  They are the future and have already added loads

of new material to this retreat,  

So it would seem that I have left my interests, my dedication

over the years in good hands, whether at Southwestern or

the building of new monasteries.  Have to smile because

my young protege at the firm has recently been asked to

design two new Millennial monasteries in Florida and

Louisiana.  It would seem our squatting monks are moving

into a whole new territory, expanding from the Western 

states to the South.

I had to laugh when my young protege suggested I might

fly out to Florida with him.  He wanted to take me on a

tour of the Everglades.  Sounds like an interesting 

proposal.  Though I have been walking with a cane for

awhile, I mused over the prospect  of using it to ward off

an attacking alligator.  What's stopping me?  Maybe I will

go visit the Everglades!