Bell

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

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

"Love in Action", here 
in the Upper Hamlet,

in the Still Water meditation hall.

I'm having an interesting 
moment sitting here.

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

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

to have a retreat.

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

and then I remember 
the year we hit 100,

and we were so excited that
we had 100 registrations!

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

Thay, there's a hundred 
young people in Europe

that want to learn about mindfulness.

Can you believe it?

And he was like - well done!

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

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

And he said, and he lit up with sparkles,

excellent, it should feel overwhelming!