I like to move it, move it.

Funny how things can happen. Last week I had planned to go to the monthly YMD meeting, when one of my friends called me on Thursday if I could help moving a member in Vught to her new location in Tilburg. Knowing that she had an accident a few weeks earlier, I decided that helping her relocate was more important to me then the YMD meeting.
So, last Saturday I went to my friend first to do some daimoku and gongyo before going to relocate our mutual friend to Tilburg. We just arrived when her father also arrived and we started to move things out and into the van and trailer. By 10.00 hrs we all left for Tilburg where a friend of one of her house mates already waited to help us move her into her room. After some organizing we had everything except a small couch and dishwasher on her room and we where by 12.00 hrs with our selfs. While my friend and I tried with the help of this other friend to get the couch 2 stories up, our lovely lady went to do some groceries. We got the dishwasher up but somehow this couch didn't want to get up the last floor. What ever we tried it just didn't go up. So after a call to her father we decided to put it somehow into a sort of storage till her father could pick it up. Luckily for her,one of her new house mates offered her the chance to put the couch on this house mates room. By the time it was 15.30 hrs we were finished moving her and my friend and I left for Vught again.
After some shopping in Vught we went to my friends place to drink something and I went back to my home. Since I was growing hungry, I decided to make a stop at the MacDrive in Veldhoven. I learned that it was redecorated and I wanted to check it out. If I had to grade it, it would have failed major time! No atmosphere left, no thinks that reminded you to the original theme, aviation. after all, this MacDrive is located near Eindhoven Airport. So next time I want to eat MacDonald's I think I stop at the MacDrive of Best, which has a lovely Rock 'n' Roll theme. Has a good and nice atmosphere and you have somethings to look at while eating your fries and burger.
Like Nichiren Daishonin once said; Invisible benefits give visible rewards. So lets hope and chant that I also find me a nice apartment or house for Kosen Rufu so my girlfriend can stay with me.
André

One piece at the time

First of all a very happy new year to all my readers.
Reflecting back on last year (2007) I must say that a lot has happened to me. First my girlfriend went back to India in February, I started working for a new gardening company, went to Trets as a Keibi again, making some new friends and spending Christmas and old years day alone with my parents and some house mates. And last but not least I turned 37. Still a whole life in front of me.
I also had not such a good start of the year. After going to the Cultural Center of SGINL for the New Years gongyo, which was awesome with some 150 attendants, I got a bad case of stomach flu. I will spare you all the unpleasant details. It also meant that I had to mis the new year reception of the chapter Eindhoven. Yes, chapter Eindhoven, since we are from January 1st a self contained chapter. And this date also called for a new region. Namely SGINL region Tilburg-Eindhoven-Limburg a.k.a. TEL.
My goals for this year are:

• Getting married with my girlfriend
• Making my own bussines to a great success
• Going both to Milan and Trets
• At least 3 new Gohonzon members in my district
• Finding a suitable house for Kosen Rufu
• Making this year's SGI theme to a great success
• Reconstructing the SGINL Cultural Center's garden to it's former glory

As you can see, it's a small list but one that is very ambitious. It shall involve a whole lot of daimoku to realize all those goals, but like President Ikeda always says: "nothing is impossible as long as you believe in it."
Have a good and dynamic year.
André