T-shirt seen on a young man at Keells Supermarket. We did not know at the time that this was a quote by Ralph Waldo Emeerson.
It's not Length of Life, but Depth of Life, December 29, 2018

We've always tried to be well-informed. Even when traveling in remote places, we tried to get newspapers, magazines, and local literature. While some people may wish to isolate themselves from what's happening in the world, especially with all the current insanity--rise of the racist right, fearmongering, bombing in Yemen, attacks on journalists, loss of healthcare, and children in cages--we believe it's even more important to be as aware as possible, since forewarned means fore-armed. Knowing what's happening means being able to respond wisely, to join forces with kindred spirits, and to stand up for what's right.

We particularly want to know what's really going on behind the scenes. Since the main-stream media is corporate-owned, it makes sense to follow (and support) a variety of alternative media. Having started well before the Trump era, we depend on intelligent bloggers. Fortunately, via TV, we have access to Alazeera, giving us in-depth news from places not noticed by the big news outlets in the US and UK.

Our Favorite Blogs

Musical Parodies

Of course, we are also interested in special issues, for example, Burma, with which we have been involved since 1979. Since early days in Japan, we have been members of Amnesty International (Thank you, Professor Honda!), so human rights is a serious concern. We care about the environment, Black Lives Matter, Gay Rights, and refugees and immigration, as well as animal rights.

At the same time, as Americans, we need to know what is happening in the United States. To a certain extent, we feel responsible for our country's actions, and that has become an overriding concern with this "administration."

Digby said it well on "Hullabaloo":

Trump is the symptom, not the disease. The sickness that pervades the Republican Party has always been part of American culture. We were a slave-owning country for a very long time and we committed genocide on the native inhabitants of this land. Those wounds don't ever fully heal. This revanchist, antediluvian strain in our politics flares up and then retreats over and over again. We are in the midst of a very bad bout at the moment.

The Trump crisis is life-threatening mainly because of the complex nature of the challenges we face, with technology and globalization transforming everything on the planet at the same time that we must deal with the existential threat of climate change. The alliances that have sustained the world in the post WWII era are fraying and adversaries are flexing their economic and technological muscle, pushing the boundaries to see how far they can go. This man's overwhelming incompetence combined with the malevolence and ideological extremism of his party is setting the whole world on a course from which it may not be able to recover.

But there are signs that the country is waking up. If Trump has done one positive thing it's that by being such a visible and ostentatious asshole, people who didn't pay attention or were only peripherally aware of what has gone wrong in our politics can see it now. It might be possible to break the right-wing fever, at least for a time, and allow this country to gain some strength and heal up. But it's going to get very intense before that happens. This is Donald Trump we're talking about.

As we read about, listen to, and watch the antics of many of the current newsmakers, we recall the verse: "Avoid evil, do good, purify your mind. This is the teaching of all Buddhas." Indeed, isn't that fundamental to being a humane human? What then can we make of those who do not seem to have any moral compass nor any shame, who can lie about anything, who demonstrate no kindness, no compassion, no "fellow feeling" for others, nor any pity for animals? The Trumps, Mike Pence, Stephen Miller, Betsy DeVos, Paul Ryan, Brett Kavanaugh, et al, ad nauseum! We don't think we've ever personally known anybody like them, although we are probably related to some of their hoodwinked supporters. How should we react to them without giving rein to anger or hatred, which are undoubtedly unwholesome emotions?

The Buddha gave instruction about how to overcome anger with four kinds of people. His explanation regarding the fourth type is relevant here:

One might get angry with a person whose ways are impure in both deed and word and who never achieves mental clarity or mental calm. Suppose a person who was grievously ill were to go along the highway with no village anywhere nearby. If someone else were to see him, he might raise pity and compassion in that second person, who might say to himself, "Alas! That poor man needs proper food, proper medicine, proper assistance, or a guide to lead him to a village, lest he suffer even more or die here." In the same way, with a person whose ways are impure in both deed and word and who never obtains mental clarity or mental calm, pity and compassion should arise, so that one says to himself, "Alas! He should give up his bad habits and develop good habits, so that, on the breaking up of the body after death, he is not reborn in a miserable realm." In this way, anger with that person should be subdued."

--Anguttara Nikaya 5, 162

It's not sufficient, however, just to subdue anger, even righteous anger. Of course, we have to resist, but, in doing that, we must use metta and skillful means. For our own sakes, as hard as it may be, we must, as the example above teaches, develop loving-kindness toward even the worst and most morally repulsive people.

We should refrain from any action for which the wise would blame us.

We should always think, "May all beings be well and secure! May all beings be happy!

"Whatever living beings there be, without exception--weak or strong; long or short; stout, middle-sized, or thin; large or small; seen or unseen; living near or far; born or yet to be born--may all beings be happy!

"Let none deceive another nor despise anyone at all. In either anger or ill-will, may none wish harm upon another."'

Just as with her own life a mother protects her only child, one should cultivate boundless loving-kindness toward all beings.

We should radiate boundless loving-kindness throughout the universe--above, below, and all around--unhindered, without the slightest ill-will, and without a trace of enmity.

While standing, walking, sitting, or lying down--whenever awake--we should develop this mindfulness. This is what is called divine abiding.

--Mettta Sutta

Another issue that is dominating so much of the news today is inequality. We are not refering to race,but to wealth. We remember reading about the Gilded Age with the Rockefellers, the Astors, the Carnegies, and the Vanderbilts, but what we are seeing today is more extreme than that.

According to an Oxfam report published at the beginning of 2018, the world's richest 1% possess 82% of the wealth, and 42 people hold the same wealth as 3.7 billion people, half the population of the world. At the top of this pyramid is one man, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post. His fortune is reportedly worth $150 billion. That is two million times more than the worth of the average American family.

Every religion praises generosity and caring for those less fortunate. Christianity teaches that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter heaven.

Bezos, however, has donated much less to charity than many other billionaires, such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, for example. In the spring of 2018, he said, "The only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel. I am going to use my financial lottery winnings from Amazon to fund that." In contrast, half of Amazon's employees make less than $30,000 a year, and, in at least one state, many workers are receiving food stamps.

Jeff Bezos is only the most glaring example of the members of the 1% who possess more than they could ever use in a lifetime. Too many of them seem to revel in depriving others of decent livelihoods, health care, housing, comfort or security. The taint of stinginess indeed obsesses their hard hearts. Would that all the wealthiest of the world find empathy and learn the joys of giving in order to help relieve the suffering and hardships of the many.

A Rainless Cloud

The Buddha said, "There are three kinds of persons in the world. What three? One who is like a rainless cloud, one who rains locally, and one who rains everywhere.

"What kind of person is like a rainless cloud? A certain person never gives to anyone. He does not give food, drink, clothing, garlands, incense, medicine, lodging, or lamps to ascetics, the poor, or the needy. This kind of person is like a rainless cloud.

"What kind of person rains locally? A certain person gives to some but not to others. He gives food, drink, clothing, garlands, incense, medicine, lodging, and lamps only to some ascetics and to some of the poor and the needy, but not to others. This kind of person rains locally.

"What kind of person rains everywhere? A certain person gives to all. He gives food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, incense, medicine, lodging, and lamps to all ascetics and to the poor and the needy. This kind of person rains everywhere.

"These are the three kinds of persons in the world.”

--Itivuttaka 75

The famine in Yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis in a century, followed by the ongoing devastation in Syria, and conflicts and economic collapse in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rohingya genocide continues, and Afghanistan has been embroiled in warfare for forty years without a glimmer of peace in sight. It is estimated that more than 132 million people around the world will need humanitarian assistance in 2019 at a cost of about $25 billion.

Although it is no more than a drop in the bucket, with friends and neighbors, we have begun planning an Oxfam Hunger Banquet , which we hope to hold in Kandy in 2019. As far as we know, the first in Sri Lanka.

Another topic of continuing interest is climate catastrophe. We extensively discussed this in our last report, but the crisis has only worsened under Trump. Even last month's COP24 2018 climate conference, in Poland did little to quell fears that the future will be horrific, and the tipping point is inevitable.

One of the most touching speeches at the conference was given by Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old Swedish climate activist. Speaking on behalf of the world’s youth, she chastised world leaders:

Until you start focusing on what needs to be done, rather than what is politically possible, there is no hope. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. We need to keep the fossil fuels in the ground, and we need to focus on equity. And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, then maybe we should change the system itself

In another speech to the UN Secretary General, she declared:

Today we use 100 million barrels of oil every single day. There are no politics to change that. There are no rules to keep that oil in the ground.

So we can't save the world by playing by the rules. Because the rules have to be changed. ...

We have come here to let them [world leaders] know that change is coming whether they like it or not. The people will rise to the challenge. And since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago

An even direr warning was given by Sir David Attenborough:

Right now, we're facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change. If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.

Click to enlarge
We hope that civilization will last at least throughout the coming year, for which we extend to all of you warmest greetings and the wish for the blessings of peace, good health, friendship,and contentment. Here is a New Year's Card we have created. As a new year approaches, we prepare to reflect on the past and make resolutions for the future. Visakha's mother always liked to give clocks, watches, and calendars as presents, saying "It's wonderful to be able to gift someone time!" With that in mind, we have also created, using the same photo as in the card, a Buddhist Relief Mission calendar. It is unique in that it indicates holidays with symbols of the respective country (Canada, Great Britain, Sri Lanka, and the United States) or religion (Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim). A few other holidays, such as Groundhog Day and Bastille Day, are also marked. The calendar can be downloaded here.

Our friend, Rosalie Giffoniello is a retired special education teacher who, many years ago, founded Empower the Children, an NGO in Kolkata, India. She has added Sri Lanka to her annual schedule, and, for the last two years, has accomplished a tremendous amount, both in both teaching children and training teachers. Here is a short report she submitted before she left this month.

I was visiting Ken and Visakha in the fall of 2016, and they suggested I visit various special needs schools in Kandy with the consideration of teaching an interactive language program developed by speech therapists in New Jersey, USA. The interactive language program integrates visual, auditory, and tactile modalities with fine motor and gross motor activities so that each student's learning style is addressed. Emphasis is on creativity rather than rote memorization which engages the students' imagination and makes the teacher's role more enjoyable.

I met with, Namalika Dissanayake, the principal of Blue Rose School and Sashi Stephens, Director of the Women's Development Center and they were both receptive to the idea, so I returned in the fall of 2017 and then again in 2018, remaining each time for three months. It has proved to be a rewarding experience. At Blue Rose and Sahana Schools I teach five days a week, with my 75 students ranging in age between 8-20 years. The students are very sweet and cooperative, and the teachers are eager to learn new teaching strategies.

The teachers at Blue Rose School requested additional training, so in December I conducted a 3-day workshop on Learning Styles and Language Development. It was very well received, and the teachers demonstrated a strong commitment to building upon what they already know. In addition, Namalika and I renovated a "dark room" and created a bright, well equipped sensory/speech room in time for the newly hired speech therapist.

The teachers are determined to help their students meet their full potential, but they are working at a disadvantage. There are very few certification courses in Sri Lanka and none in Kandy, so the Kandy teachers are unable to move to the next level--full certification. Hopefully, Peradeniya University will approve a certification course in the near future.

Next stop is Kolkata where I teach the children living in the slums. Looking forward to returning to Kandy in September 2019.

Click here to read an interview of Rosalie in California.

Jataka Tales of the Buddha: An Anthology continues to sell briskly. Sales of the Kindle edition are steady, and the printed sets sell out as fast as we can send them to Amazon. We also receive regular orders ourselves, both individual and bulk. It is heartening that there is such interest in these wonderful, teaching tales ull, as they are, with morality,.wisdom,compassion, and friendship

STOP THE PRESSES! TWO WEDDINGS IN 2019!
Giving us joy for the New Year!
Shawna and David
Mike and Rushma

While we were in Bangkok, we were delighted to help Shawna order and design her wedding dress from Julie. The ceremony is set for January 11, Shawna's beloved late grandmother’s birthday.

Mike and Rushma have alsoset their dates: August16 amd 18. We will be honored to attend both ceremonies. Congratulations!

11 kinds of cheese at high tea on December 8
Speaking of Bangkok, we had a pleasant two weeks there in November. It was fun to fill a suitcase with dried fruit, exotic crackers, sweets, biscuits, and whatnot to be served at our high tea on December 8, which was the planning meeting for the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. We did other shopping as well. Some of the shopping was really meeting old friends. Our first stop was Modern Optical in CP Tower on Silom Road. We have known the saleswoman, Da, for more than twenty-five years. We first met her when she and her colleague, now retired, were working at the shop on Sukhumvit. In the early nineties, they both donated the clothes their children had outgrown to Burmese refugees. Now Da’s daughter has an excellent position with a company in Bangkok.

Anagarika Dhammapala, wearing the ansa that Julie is copying
Every year, we spend as much time as we can with Julie and Moon. Julie Thai Cotton and Silk has become Julie Apparel and Accessories, but she is still the best dressmaker in Bangkok. We have been visiting the shop since 1983. For most of that time her shop was conveniently located on New Road (Charoen Krung) near Oriental Hotel. Now, her shop is further south, but she still welcomes all customers, old and new. She will even fetch them from the nearest BTS station. Anyone can also order specially-tailored clothes online, without visiting Bangkok at all. We were intrigued by some amazing fabric, order-made into outfits for a trendy customer in New York! Old friend Terry, now Angarika Dhammapala, needed some traditional white sarongs, shirts, and robes suitable for his left-home status, unavailable in the US, so we ordered those made up for him while we were there. Dorothy wanted a blouse of blue and Dushy wanted some Thai cotton. Julie and Moon did all that as well as make up some new outfits for Visakha from sari material. Who’s spoiled? We are!

It was Kitti of Sindoo Tailor, who introduced us to Julie way back when. Sindoo has made most of Ken's clothes since then. First it was safari suits; then Thai-style, long-sleeve shirts of Northern Thai hand-woven ikot. We hadn't visited for the last couple of years, but we were pleased to find that Kitti is still there, and that the shop seems to be prospering. Ken can seldom wear any of his long-sleeve shirts in Sri Lanka, but he has decided to return to the safari-suit style, and he had two new light-weight suits made. Unfortunately, Sindoo has no website, but, if you are in Bangkok and looking for a tailor, we're sure you will be pleased.

One of our oldest friends in Bangkok is Assajita. He was a young monk at Wat Sraket in the early eighties. After he received his master's degree at MahaChula University, he disrobed and accepted a position at Matichon, the leading newspaper in Thailand. Now he is owner and manager of Himalaya Residence on Sukhumvit 31. We cannot recommend Himalaya Residence too highly! It is the perfect, friendly retreat in that huge, frenetic metropolis of 13 million people. Our room was spacious, quiet, and conducive to meditation, work, and entertaining friends. The restaurant serves fabulous Himalayan food and excellent chai.

Richard arrived at the hotel the day after we did. We had not met him since we left Japan in 1999. We have, of course, followed his reportage on Burma, first on the border with Frontier Mosaic, and most recently on the Rohingya crisis. His latest book, Trail of Fears, is available on Amazon. It is a moving,accessible description of one vulnerable family caught up in that horrific situation. We were glad to be able to catch up on the last twenty years with Richard and all about Burma, with which he is so familiar.
David maintains a website, NoblePath, which provides downloadable educational materials for (i) Dhamma practice and (ii) English language learning.
David and Ae arrived a few days after Richard left. The last time we saw David was two years ago, before his heart surgery. Now he looks much better and is much stronger. Of course, just arriving from Canada, he was jet lagged, but he quickly adjusted, and it was great to see him so relaxed and unworried. He wanted us to spend a few days at his residence in Ratchburi, but we were too busy in Bangkok to leave. Next time?

Shawna arrived at exactly the same time as David, and we spent four lovely days with her. In addition to Julie's, we went with her to Modern Optical. For several years, Shawna has depended exclusively on Da for all her eyewear.


Click the photo to see more photos of Fidel
Shawna also introduced us to Fidel, an Ethiopian restaurant on Soi Nana, near our old Consortium office. Shawna was eager to dine there because she had worked, long ago, in an Ethiopian restaurant in California. She was impressed with the authenticity of Fidel. Both times we went there (The second was with Assajita.), we were the only non-Ethiopians present.

A propos to Ethipian restaruants, we remember taking Ken's dad to one in Columbus, Ohio. He was amazed at both the ambience and the food. We clearly remember that the coffee was served on a tray with frankincense wafting from a small burner. From our friend, Edith Mirante, we just received a New Year's message with a photo of her beside a frankincense tree in Oman. We had never before seen such a tree.

Click the photo to see more photos of Wat Napaphong.
We had the chance to visit two meditation centers in Bangkok, but, unfortunately, we didn't stay in either long enough for much meditation. Julie, Moon, and her husband took us to the first, Wat Napahpong, which was established by a student of Ajahn Chah. It is set in a forest north of the city, a bit of a trek to reach, but well worth the effort. The open-air gift shop had lots of books, CDs, T-shirts, and other items. We were delighted to find Buddhawajana, a set of 13 books, selections from the Tipitaka, mostly Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations, arranged by theme. Of course, we have all the translations of the Nikayas in our library, but it is extremely convenient to have so many references sorted by topic, for example, Giving, Kamma, Control of the Sense Faculties, and the Realms of Existence. The books come in an attractive wooden carrying case.
Click the photo to see more photos off Buddhadasa Indapanno.
Assajita took us to the second, Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives (on that website, scroll down to the bottom), which is a branch of Suan Mokh, Ajahn Buddhadasa's monastery in southern Thailand. The compound is beautifully landscaped to resemble Suan Mokh itself. Being a weekday, it was very quiet and virtually empty, so we could enjoy the peaceful silence. As you can see from the photo from the website, the garden is full on weekends and full-moon days. Our visit there was primarily to inquire whether it would be possible to place copies of Jataka Tales in the bookstore. Unfortunately, the bookstore was under renovation, but Assajita will follow up on that.

The last two nights in Bangkok, we stayed at Doubletree, compliments of our Hilton Honors American Express credit card. It was fun to be spoiled in five-star comfort, but the biggest surprise was finding, in the drawer of the nightstand, instead of the Gideon Bible, two Buddhist books: The Teaching of the Buddha and Without and Within. The latter is published by BIA (above). It is such a beautiful book that we asked the front desk how we could get it, and the clerk immediately gave us permission to take the room copy. Thank you, Hilton Hotels!

Click the photo to read Calvin's letter and to see more photos of the meditation pagoda.
We just received a new letter from Calvin and learned that he and Ven. Thubten Chodron are preparing a new publication, Unlocking Your Potential: How to Get Out of Your Own Way, a workbook to help those who are incarcerated. That's brilliant and has us very excited. Here is his letter, and some photos of the Sangha event we mentioned in our last report.


Click to read the article.

For years, we have heard complaints, "I never give to big NGOs, because too much of every donation goes to pay the exorbitant salary of the CEO and office expenses." Organizations like Oxfam and International Rescue Committee organize and manage vast relief programs in every corner of the globe. This involves maintaining offices, staff, and facilities. The success of every program depends largely on the planning, which has to be done before anyone is placed in the field. This requires an administration. To this extent, each such organization is similar to a commercial corporation in structure. The big difference is that a corporation receives its principal income from sales or services, whereas an NGO is almost entirely dependent on donations. All the "overhead" has to come from donations. Furthermore, in order to maintain a competent administration (including a CEO) and staff, an NGO must attract and keep talented, skillful personnel. We have personally observed this. Buddhist Relief Mission is a small organization, with no overhead; donations we receive are used 100% for relief. We have no salaries, no office expenses, and no vehicles. During our work in refugee camps in Thailand, for example, we were grateful to IRC for providing transportation and accommodation, as well as for helping us to gain access to camps. They were able to do this because they had the staff and facilities, basically "overhead." We also must appreciate that Oxfam America, although the organization cannot officially recognize our event, has made available all of their materials at no charge. It certainly took a lot of effort and imagination on the part of their staff to create the brilliant toolkit and banquet supplies. Thank you.

It is true, however, that not all big charitable organizations are the same. Some are more reputable, effective, and efficient than others. Before making a large donation, it is easy and reasonable to check on the organization. Here is an informative website:

Click to read the article.

Charity Watch gives a basic rating with information about many American NGOs.

Click the photo to see more photos of the dana.
On November 7, all the monks and novices of Vajirarama, where we teach English, came to our house for dana. Unfortunately, the chief monk, Ven. Dhammavilasa, was indisposed and could not come, but twenty-five sangha members and four temple boys came in a caravan of ten three-wheelers. The Dhamma lesson was given by a visiting Bulgarian monk. It was a wonderful day.
Click the photo to see more photos of the visit to the Vedda village.

Just before we left for Bandkok, Mohan, the director of the Kandy Cancer Center, invited us to join a medical and relief visit to a Vedda village near Mahiyangana. We donated a box of notebooks, pens, and pencils, but the trip was scheduled for while we were away. In our place, Lily joined and had a wonderful time. She was especially touched by the plight of one young girl, whose mother is a handicapped single parent. Lily has recruited her daughter Surangi, a skilled seamstress, to make school uniforms for the girl, with darts that can be let out as she grows.

Click the photo to see more photos of the party
Several months ago, we met Dushy's father in Colombo, but he doesn't get around much, so we had not seen him again. He lives with one of Dushy's sisters in a new house which they have built on the homestead in Ratmalana. In late October, we prepared a big lunch, loaded in Tissa's van, and headed south. It was a lovely party with Dushy, her father, her sister, Lal, Vivi, Lily, Nimal, and Tissa.

Leo and Nezumi modeling their BirdsBeSafe collars
Nezumi has happily recovered from an infected back foot. She had to wear the cone collar again for what seemed like an eon, and she was not at all happy about that. Leo, on the other hand, is both genki and feisty. As we mentioned in our last report, he loves vehicles. Some weeks back, we left with Ashoka to go to Subhodarama for class. We go via the new bridge, which means that we can coast, from a point just beyond our house, two kilometers down the hill to the river. About one minute into our coast, we heard a loud "Thump" when something fell (or leapt?) from the roof. Ashoka immediately braked and looked back. "Leo!" he shouted. He and Ken got out and scanned the trees and bushes in the gully beside the road. "Leo! Leo!" Ashoka called, as he climbed down the precipiyous cliff. He spotted some movement, but Ken could not see anything. "Come on!" he coaxed. A young man on a motorcycle, whom Ashoka knew, stopped and asked if he could help. As Ashoka reached to grab poor Leo, the young man stretched his arms to lift him up. Poor Leo was trembling from shock. The man handed him to Ken, who put him in Visakha's arms to hold and comfort. We thanked the young man profusely, and returned home with the rascal. Giving him to Lily, we explained what had happened. Lily scolded him and warned him not to pull that trick again. Obviously, he didn't listen. He still climbs on or into every three-wheeler that parks in our yard, but, now, we check every time anybody goes out the gate.

Some time ago, we received a phone call in English from a young man, asking whether Buddhist Relief Mission could help rebuild a monastery in Kurunegala Province. We asked our caller to send details about the project by email and agreed to consider it. A few days later, we received these photos and an explanation: Manjula is a university student. He told us that in a poor rural village there were three monks staying in a ramshackle monastery with neither a proper water supply nor a toilet. Manjula and his friends have taken it upon themselves to improve the condition of the monastery, but they are very short of funds. After we returned from Thailand, Manjula called again. We'd hoped to be able to visit while he was free to guide us there, but that hasn't worked out yet. He and his friends are firm in their intention to rebuild, and we are impressed by this initiative. We hope that, early in the New Year, we will be able to see the monastery for ourselves and to offer some assistance. We are accepting donations for this project, as well.

In our garden
Ashoka, his daughters, and his niece on a Christmas visit
Wattalapan became a souffle!
Nanit, a worker at Himalaya
Dushy came from Colombo and stayed a few days.
Vivi and Lal also visited.
These photos were pposted on Facebook on their wedding anniversary.
Che visited Ven. Pannasila in Nagpur
Raiv, Shilar, and Visakha in Kolkata
We dedicate this report to our dear frend,Valerie, who is recovering from cancer in Baltimore. For many hears, she has tirelessly devoted herself to assisting Burmese refugees. May she quickly regain her health and continue her marvelous work. This photo, with Jason and Eid, was taken in Bangkok in 2014, the last time we were together.


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