Entering the Stream

Tomorrow before dawn, I leave for the land of my Italian ancestors. I think of Thich Nhat Hanh at age 92 returning to his homeland of Viet Nam. He is reconnecting to the stream that came before him, and he knows the stream will continue to flow after him. He is teaching us to let go into the stream, to let go of him as teacher, to release all our own separations, to release even our own lives. This great teacher shows us how to see ourselves as empty of a separate self, and full of our ancestors. I give thanks to dear Thay, and  I ask blessings, protection, and guidance on my journey from my dear ancestors, especially my grandmother (below), Maria Angelina Dal Vago Sartori.

Thich Nhat Hanh