May 2018 WD General Meeting : May-18

Whether it’s WDFD (wd formation day) or this year’s WDGM (wd general meeting), each time it happens that WD has to to run our own district meeting, it’s a challenge and I always thought i would surely be done in this time!! 😰 This year too.. I have absolutely no will to look for my testimonial speakers or hunt for a creative item to have fun with everybody. “Surely, if I will it enough, this WD meeting may disappear on its own, wouldn’t it?” —that’s how much fundamental darkness I always have in my life!!

However, unfortunately or fortunately, I have a nagging consideration at the back of my mind—my freshly minted wd sister has juz joined my district, surely I cannot give her a lousy FIRST WD district meeting, right? 😓

With that as my slight and only motivation, I set forth to chant, to depend on daimoku to elevate my life state, and improve the plight of my non-existent planning for this WDGM.. 🙏🏼

It is exactly for times like this that we need the support of others, that we cannot practice Buddhism in silo, that we may falter and fall if we are alone. 

All thanks to my ever enthusiastic faith buddies who have been updating me on what they were going to do for their meetings, and my leaders who insisted that we all meet and plan together, and who eventually helped me run my rehearsal meeting too. Also thanks to my dearest members who ardently supported me, supported our district; one gamely took up the emcee role, and yet another offered me her house to meet! One good thing led to another, a buddy who must have sensed my inertia, timely offered to relate her testimonial at my meeting!! Immediately I accepted her offer. I have always wanted her to come and share at my meeting but because her meeting is always the same time as mine, it could not happen for years.. Wow! For the first time, I have 2 invited speakers to relate their testimonial at my meeting!!

With all these encouragement, I managed to gather enough steam to put together a decent meeting agenda, and even went all out to reach out to members, friends and acquaintances to invite them to my meeting! To break the monotony of all talk-only, my leader suggested I play something on my flute as a cultural item. It’s a low-hanging fruit.. even though the result may not be fantastic, this is something very simple and easily achievable. Okay, I can do that.

A faith buddy shared with me a very suitable (also reads very easy) music arrangement for a suitable song for this meeting. After a couple of running through, I realized I don’t have the skill to play the piece beautifully all by myself! 😥 

This is when my most most reliable lifelong kosen-rufu partner stepped in.. he didn’t mind to juz strum those chords alongside me, he didn’t mind to attend an all-women meeting to play the song with me, he didn’t mind to spend an entire afternoon at my meeting juz to play the 3-minute song with me!! In fact, he also didn’t mind bringing along his camera to take pictures of my meeting and driving me there and helping me put up & subsequently take down my decorations!! He’s such a dear and an unshakeable pillar of support.. he’s like the formidable genie from Aladdin’s magical lamp!!

Anyway, because of these wonderful people in my life, my meeting was a most awesome one!! What I lacked in terms of attendance, I believe was made up with the earnestness and joy of everyone present. Our WDGM was a success, a resounding victory because of everyone who was there!! I was extremely touched and gratified..❤️❤️

Here are some pictures and a clip from our 2018 WDGM ..