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Bell

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Dear community, we are August [br]the 10th in the year 2023,

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and we are celebrating, savoring[br]the last day of our Wake Up retreat,

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"Love in Action", here [br]in the Upper Hamlet,

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in the Still Water meditation hall.

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I'm having an interesting [br]moment sitting here.

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When we first started creating[br]youth retreats, about 15 years ago,

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it was a real challenge to try and[br]find enough young people

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to have a retreat.

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And first there was forty, then[br]the next year there was like 65,

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and then I remember [br]the year we hit 100,

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and we were so excited that[br]we had 100 registrations!

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And we went to report to Thay.[br]This must have been around 2010.

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Thay, there's a hundred [br]young people in Europe

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that want to learn about mindfulness.

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Can you believe it?

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And he was like - well done!

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And then, we started to [br]create the Wake Up movement.

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And I said (to Thay) it's a little [br]bit overwhelming!

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And he said, and he lit up with sparkles,

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excellent, it should feel overwhelming!