Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,
Just a quick reminder that belt test for the main school will be held
next Saturday morning March 2nd. White belts at karate-tots at 9,
Yellow and Orange belts at 9:30 and Green through Purple at 10. There
will be a brown belt workout and test from 1-2:30 and also a BBC
seminar on the kata sandan from 2:30 - 4. Hope to see you there.

Lesson of the Week –
This week's lesson comes from Frederic Absher's book
entitled "Kojosho". If you would like your own copy of this work, you
can obtain more information at www.kojosho.com.

The Story Of The Stone

"Traditionally, the instructor gives every promising Kojosho
student an unusual gift. On some momentous day, an insignificant
stone is picked off the ground and formally presented to the eager
student.
Nothing has intrinsic value. The worth of any object is
determined not by its essential nature, but by the price a person is
willing to pay. A diamond can have utilitarian value as a cutting
tool and an aesthetic value as a gemstone, but its value is measured
by the price it commands in the marketplace.
An object is given worth by the person who possesses it
because that person lends value to the object. Technical expertise in
karate cannot be bought with money. Its price is years of effort,
countless attempts, innumerable failures, and finally some measure of
success. The value the student places on his or her training is
readily apparent to all, and the superior student cherishes all
martial arts, all instructors, and thereby enriches him or herself.
The warrior who owns a priceless sword does not place it in
the hands of a child. Ignorant of its worth, the child will not value
the treasure or treat it with responsibility or respect. To a child,
a sword is just another toy, and in play, without care, that child
will drag the most priceless sword through the mud.
To most people, Kojosho training is as worthless as any stone
on the ground, unknown and unimportant. It is the responsibility of
the instructor to show his students the respect he has for his art
and to teach them to treat it with reverence. The most insignificant
stone, when presented by an instructor, gains in value when guarded
and cherished. The student who makes the commitment lends to Kojosho
the value of personal devotion."

I hope these words help you reflect on what the value of your
training is to you. There are many teachers out there that are living
treasures, who have dedicated their entire lives in giving this
priceless gift to others. Most people wait until it is too late, and
then realize what a true gift they had in their hands.
How do you acknowledge this respect? How do you show the
value of this priceless gift? Well, it is not by what you say. It is
what you do. Actions are the only thing that truly shows how you feel
about something. Each of our actions, in and out of the dojo,
displays our inner feelings as to the value of our school, our art
and our teacher. Ah, now here is the real question, "Are your current
actions, congruent with your beliefs of what the value is of the
martial arts in your life?" If not, what changes are we going to
implement next week?

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan