Denver City Park Spring Volunteer Project 2002
June 15th, 2002
By Gaku Homma Sensei
Nippon Kan Kancho
Today,
I am owner of a 10,000 square foot facility that houses both my
dojo and restaurant. The dojo has many students, and the restaurant
has grown famous and successful. I travel abroad at least four to
five times a year, and our humanitarian service projects are active
and growing. From a business 
perspective
it looks like things are going well. Even now, it is not as it seems.
Like watching a duck glide effortlessly across a pond, one must
remember that the duck paddles madly underneath the water just to
stay on course.
I am the duck. As a duck, I could get out of the water and rest
on the shore, but thinking about my students and my customers keeps
me in the water paddling and quacking forward.
On
June 15th, Nippon Kan held it’s 11th Annual Spring Volunteer
Project with the Denver Parks and Recreation Department. This year,
we planted water plants and water lilies, border rose bushes, crusher
vines and trimmed roses at Denver City Park. Stopping to rest for
a moment I watched my students hard at work. Old memories of that
very same park, and very same lake came back to me.
I
remember sitting at the edge of that lake about 26 years ago. At
that time I had a big dream, but not many students. I had no money,
and no connections to make my dreams come true. I seriously thought
about returning to Japan. Since I had a lot of free time, I used
to come to City Park to watch kids catching crawfish in the lake
with strings and paper clips. I decided one day to try my luck at
catching crawfish. Call it beginners luck, but I caught a bunch
of crawfish that day! I guess I felt the need to show everyone that
I could achieve something, even something as humble as bringing
home a catch of crawfish. Like a cat bringing home a prize catch
of a snake or bird, I wanted to show I was capable.
Now I look over the lake watching 80 of my students knee deep in
the muddy waters planting lilies. How strange life is I reflected,
that life had come full circle to the same spot.
A few years ago, as one of our spring volunteer projects, Nippon
Kan students and friends planted over 50 eight-foot trees in another
park near by. Many years earlier, we used to hold weapon practice
on
Sunday mornings in that park because the dojo space I had rented
was too small to use bokken and jo there. After these Sunday morning
practices we would all pool our meager resources and make breakfast
together.
Another year, Nippon Kan planted overhanging vines to protect the
walls that embank the Platte River trail from graffiti and other
damage. I remember long ago, gathering edible weeds and grasses
along that river trail, when there was only money for rice and eggs.
Never did I think at that time, that years later Nippon Kan would
have a homeless meal service program with the Denver Rescue Mission
that had served almost 30,000 meals in over 11 years.
When I was young, I had big dreams, good health and plenty of energy,
but I spent much time spinning in my tracks. Never in my wildest
dreams did I think we would be planting trees, vines and water lilies
in the very same spots where I had struggled as a youth.
The relationships I have made over the years are like the straw
fibers in a rope. Each fiber is unique, some long, some short, but
when entwined together, they become strong. I have been fortunate
to have met many valuable people in my life, some I have known for
a very long time, some for only a very short period. Peoples lives
change, their priorities and circumstances change, they come and
go. The experiences I have shared with all of those I have met have
helped to make Nippon Kan and I strong… like the rope.
To show my appreciation to everyone individually is difficult. Therefore,
to express my thanks, I have created these volunteer projects and
humanitarian activities. As I stand watching my students at the
lake,
I realize that it is these kinds of activities that in turn have
made our dojo successful and strong. These activities have been
elemental in our development as a dojo.
Watching
my students knee-deep in water lilies, I cannot call them my students,
for as a symbol of life they are my teachers who have given my life
direction. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of them.
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan Kancho