Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving Day (a holiday in the United States) is a good time to stop the normal movement through life and spend time with family and friends. They are the center of our lives.

I think today of decades of enjoyment practicing my arts with so many friends, being able to share with so many students as each found their own voice in life.

From that first Bruce Tegner paperback on Karate, to Rich Durich my college roomate and his own studies in Shotokan with Okasaki Sensei at Temple, to starting Isshinryu under Tom Lewis, Dennis Lockwood, Al Bailey, Marvin Jones, Reese Rigby and all the rest in the Salisbury, Md. area.

To Frank Traojanowicz and his Scranton Karate School and their Tang Soo Do studies.

To Charles Murray and his personal instruction to my Sho-Dan in Isshinryu.

To my Pennsylvania years, training with David Brojack (Kempo Goju), Carl Long (Shorin ryu Honda Katsu in those days), many times many fellow tournament competitors.

To my beginning path in Yang Tai Chi Chaun with Ernest Rothrock, and then his continuing studies in many Chinese arts and our lifetime friendship. Words cannot express how he shaped my existence.

To my studies in Shotokan, Aikido, Kobudo and Timande with Tristan Sutrisno, the friendship he displayed sharing so much of his arts over the years, profoundly influencing my own studies.

To my friends in New Hampshire: Bill Johnson (Tae Kwon Do), Richard Bernard (Goju and Shorin Ryu) and Garry Gerossie (Isshinryu).

To uncountable students (both past and of course current) through the Providence Full Gospel Tabernacle, the Scranton Boys Club and the Derry Boys Club. Sharing with them was never just about karate, but showing how they can learn and grow by their efforts. Karate was just the way we spend our time togegher.

To those individuals who went a little bit further into dan studies with me:

Roy Blackwell, Mike Toomey, Maureen Smith (foremost wife and educator extradionare), Cindy Robinson, Young Lee, Mike Cassidy, Dennis Driscoll, Andrew Ware, Tom Chan, Jed Kukowski, Luke Hodgkins, Paul Thorington, Chirine Abi-Aad, Paul Harper, Claudette Macomber, John Dinger, Victor Michael Smith, Rabih Abi-Aad. Their studies have always enriched my life. (and yes it may be that Marc Fryberg is pushing on that door too)

Then there are those friends who've reached out over the internet

Joe Swift who has more hats than I can begin to mention, friend, husband, meteorologist, tranlsator, and of course martial artist supreme! Instructor of the Mushikan Tokyo Dojo, author and tranlsator of many martial texts working extremely hard to allow the world to see beyond language barriers.

Kevin Matthews, a real fluffy bunny who's infrequent phone converstaions keep us chatting way too long.

Chrisopher Caille (creator and owner of FightingArts.com), who had the vision and the will.

Patrick McCarthy translation collaborations and fast martial fellow (someday may we meet).

And Mario McKenna (Canada), and Fernando Camara (Brasil), and Fred Loese (Cambridge, Ma), and Rommney Taylor (Buffalo, NY), and Steve Wilson (Colorado), and George Donahue (someplace) and then so many, many, many, many others from Bunkai Unlimited, Pleasant Isshinryu, the Original Isshinryu List, the Cyber Dojo, Isshinryu4U, Koshi-people, Prisshin, Sabaki, FightingArts.com forums, eBudo forums, Uechi Ryu forums and of course more.

Paul Williams, the real funkydragon who created my original website.

BTW I havn't forgotten anyone, though I may be too choked with emotion at this instant to be able to pull the appropriate names forth (How's that for covering any omissions!).

To all who share (Past, Present and future) this is but the beginning.

To YouTube and the over 10,000 martial video's I've watched to date (beats sleeping) sharing a world of experience and sweat equity.

To the authors of the 500 books and thousands of magazines I've read over the years.

No matter how hard I try I can't mention everyone and everything personally.

Today as I give thanks, you're all included.

God Bless you all!