Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Because of the profound way our lives interact with people around us, it is vital that we reach out to others

Daily Guidance Sun 02/26
 

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For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, February 26, 2012

Buddhism teaches that life at each moment embraces all phenomena. This is the doctrine of a life-moment possessing 3,000 realms, which is the Lotus Sutra's ultimate teaching and Buddhism's essence. Because of the profound way our lives interact with people around us, it is vital that we reach out to others, that we be engaged with our environment and with our local community. A self-absorbed practice or theory without action is definitely not Buddhism.

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Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, February 26, 2012

No discrimination exists in Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren teaches that the Buddha and all people are absolutely equal. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in this point is a matter of the utmost importance. Doing so is to embrace the Lotus Sutra. It is also an act of succeeding to the heritage of Buddhism. In this light, we can say that the gist of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra is that all people are equal.

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Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Great Teacher Tz'u-en wrote a work in ten volumes entitled Praising the Profundity of the Lotus Sutra in which he praised the Lotus Sutra, but the Great Teacher Dengyo criticized it, saying, "Though he praises the Lotus Sutra, he destroys its heart." If we consider these examples carefully, we will realize that, among those who read the Lotus Sutra and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 718
On Repaying Debts of Gratitude
Written to Joken-bo and Gijo-bo on July 21, 1276



   


   



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The person who marches on toward hope through sheer force of will-that person is a true optimist

 Daily Guidance Wed 02/22

 

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For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

What was the secret to Edison's success?  He explained that it was to never give up before he succeeded in what he was trying to do.  Not giving up-that's the only way. Once you give up you are defeated.  This is equally true in the realm of faith. Quitting is not faith.  We have to keep chanting until our prayers are answered. That is the correct way of prayer.

 

 

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Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Real optimism should not be confused with a carefree outlook on life, one in which we forfeit responsibility for our lives. The person undefeated by misfortune, poverty, insult and vilification, the person who can bounce back from every adversity and say, "What? That was nothing!"  The person who marches on toward hope through sheer force of will-that person is a true optimist.

 

 

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Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Though this mandala has but five or seven characters, it is the teacher of all Buddhas throughout the three existences and the seal that guarantees the enlightenment of all women.  It will be a lamp in the darkness of the road to the next world and a fine horse to carry you over the mountains of death.  It is like the sun and moon in the heavens or Mount Sumeru on earth. It is a ship to ferry people over the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. It is the teacher who leads all people to Buddhahood and enlightenment.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 414
On Offering Prayers to the Mandala of the Mystic Law
Recipient and date unknown



   

Women's Division Month


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The full and genuine meaning of our humanity is found in tapping the creative fonts of life itself


Daily Guidance Tue 02/21

 

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For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Friendship is strong. Friendship, camaraderie and unity in faith lie at the heart of the SGI. They come before the organization. We must never make the mistake of thinking that it is the other way around. The organization serves as a means for deepening friendship, comradeship and faith. To confuse the means and the end is a terrible mistake.

 

 

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SGI SoCalMember Dennis

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, February 21, 2012

There is no way of life more desolate or more pitiful than one of ignorance of the fundamental joy that issues from the struggle to generate and regenerate one's own life from within.  To be human is much more than the mere biological facts of standing erect and exercising reason and intelligence.  The full and genuine meaning of our humanity is found in tapping the creative fonts of life itself.

 

 

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Daily Wisdom 

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will be your staff to take you safely over the mountains of death. The Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, as well as the four bodhisattvas headed by Superior Practices, will lead you by the hand on your journey. If I, Nichiren, precede you in death, I will come to meet you at your last moment. If you should precede me, I will be sure to tell King Yama all about you. Everything that I tell you is true. According to the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren is the guide who knows the passes and gorges along the way",.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 451
The Swords of Good and Evil
Written to Hojo Yagenta on February 21, 1274



   

Women's Division Month

 

Monday, February 20, 2012

Faith is the source of true strength and courage. Without courage and confidence we cannot be said to have genuine faith

Daily Guidance Mon 02/20

Pres Toda in 1957

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Monday, February 20, 2012

In his later years, President Toda often told his disciples: "Be courageous in faith! No matter what other people may say, advance boldly! Lead confident lives! Make courage the Gakkai's eternal emblem!"  This was the spirit with which he charged us before he died. Faith is the source of true strength and courage. Without courage and confidence we cannot be said to have genuine faith.

 

 

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Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Monday, February 20, 2012

When we plant the seeds of self-doubt, only noxious weeds sprout.  When we limit ourselves with low expectations, the growth of the tree of happiness immediately ceases.  The power of growth, of improvement, the power to overcome all stagnation and break through every obstacle and transform a barren wasteland into a verdant field-that unstoppable power of hope resides right there in your own heart.  It will well up from the rich earth of your innermost being when you face the future without doubt or fear: "I can do more.  I can grow.  I can become a bigger and better human being"-life and faith are a never-ending struggle to grow.

 

 

 

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Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Monday, February 20, 2012

Even an ignorant person can obtain blessings by serving someone who expounds the Lotus Sutra.  No matter if he is a demon or an animal, if someone proclaims even a single verse or phrase of the Lotus Sutra, you must respect him as you would the Buddha. This is what the sutra means when it says, "You should rise and greet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would a Buddha."  You should respect one another as Shakyamuni and Many Treasures did at the ceremony in the "Treasure Tower" chapter.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 757
The Fourteen Slanders
Written to the lay priest Matsuno Rokuro Saemon on December 9, 1276



To live without regret, it is crucial for us to have a concrete purpose and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves

Daily Guidance Sun 02/19

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For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda

Sunday, February 19, 2012

This lifetime will never come again; it is precious and irreplaceable. To live without regret, it is crucial for us to have a concrete purpose and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves. It is equally important that we keep moving toward specific targets steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time.

 

 

 

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Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, February 19, 2012

Chang-an writes, "If one befriends another person but lacks the mercy to correct him, one is in fact his enemy."  The consequences of a grave offense are extremely difficult to erase.  The most important thing is to continually strengthen our wish to benefit others. -Nichiren

 

 

 

Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Sunday, February 19, 2012

Be sure to strengthen your faith, and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions. Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 386
The True Aspect of All Phenomena
Written to Sairen-bo Nichijo on May 17, 1273


   

Women's Division Month

Saturday, February 18, 2012

True individuality never comes to full flower without hard work

Daily Guidance Fri 02/17

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For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Friday, February 17, 2012

Life contains the capacity, like flames that reach toward heaven, to transform suffering and pain into the energy needed for value-creation, into light that illuminates darkness.   Like the wind traversing vast spaces unhindered, life has the power to uproot and overturn all obstacles and difficulties.  Like clear flowing water, it can wash away all stains and impurities. And finally life, like the great earth that sustains plants and vegetation, impartially protects all people with its compassionate, nurturing force.

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Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Friday, February 17, 2012

True individuality never comes to full flower without hard work.  Therefore, you're making a big mistake if you think that who you are right now represents all you are capable of being.


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Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Friday, February 17, 2012

Bodhisattva Superior Practices received the water of wisdom of the Mystic Law from the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and causes it to flow into the wasteland of the people's lives in the evil world of the latter age. This is the function of wisdom.  Shakyamuni Buddha transferred this teaching to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, and now Nichiren propagates it in Japan.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 746
The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood
Written to Soya Jiro Hyoe-no-jo Kyoshin on August 3, 1276


Religion should unite the potential for good in people's hearts toward benefiting society and humanity and creating a better future

Daily Guiance Sat 02/18

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For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Saturday, February 18, 2012

Religious strife must be avoided at all cost; under no circumstance should it be allowed. People may hold different religious beliefs, but the bottom line is that we are all human beings. We all seek happiness and desire peace. Religion should bring people together. It should unite the potential for good in people's hearts toward benefiting society and humanity and creating a better future. 

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Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Saturday, February 18, 2012

Life contains the capacity, like flames that reach toward heaven, to transform suffering and pain into the energy needed for value creation, into light that illuminates darkness. Like the wind traversing vast spaces unhindered, life has the power to uproot and overturn all obstacles and difficulties.  Like clear flowing water, it can wash away all stains and impurities. And finally, life, like the great earth that sustains vegetation, impartially protects all people with its compassionate, nurturing force.

(I realize this is the same guidance as yesterday's For Today and Tomorrow.  Maybe we need to hear it again.)

 

 

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Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Saturday, February 18, 2012

Grass without roots will die in no time and a river without a source will not flow far. A child without parents is looked down upon. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the "Life Span" chapter, is the mother of all Buddhas throughout the ten directions and the three existences of past, present and future.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 184
The Essence of the "Life Span" Chapter
Recipient unknown; written on April 17,1271

Women's Division Month


Friday, February 17, 2012

We should regard as training everything that happens to us in our practice to reach the destination of happiness.

Daily Guidance Thur 02/17

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Thursday, February 16, 2012

I hope you will always live in unity with Nichiren Daishonin pursuing faith as disciples who are "of the same mind as Nichiren."  Unfazed by the petty jealousies of others, please move forward boldly with joy and laughter.

Events

1222 Nichiren Daishonin is born. 

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Thursday, February 16, 2012

In the course of Buddhist practice, various things arise on account of the negative causes and tendencies in our own lives. There may be times when we think, "What did I do to deserve this?"  But we should not be swayed every time such phenomena arise; for it is already certain that we will become happy in the end.  We should regard as training everything that happens to us in our practice to reach the destination of happiness.

 

Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Thursday, February 16, 2012

According to the Buddhist teachings, prior to Shakyamuni slanderous monks would have incurred the death penalty. But since the time of Shakyamuni, the One Who Can Endure, the giving of alms to slanderous monks is forbidden in the sutra teachings.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 23
On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land
Submitted to Hojo Tokiyori on July 16, 1260

Difficulty can be a source of dynamic new growth and positive progress

Daily Guidance Wed 02/15

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Life is full of unexpected suffering. Even so, as Eleanor Roosevelt says: "If you can live through that [a difficult situation] you can live through anything. You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' That's exactly right. Struggling against great difficulty enables us to develop ourselves tremendously. We can call forth and manifest those abilities lying dormant within us. Difficulty can be a source of dynamic new growth and positive progress.


 

 

 

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Endless striving is the only way to realize peace. Negligence resulting from over-confidence and satisfaction invites peril. Peace, once achieved, does not last forever by itself. It requires vigilance throughout all the activities of daily life.

 

 

 

Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

All disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the spirit of many in body but one in mind, transcending all differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death. Herein lies the true goal of Nichiren's propagation. When you are so united, even the great desire for widespread propagation can be fulfilled.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 217
The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life
Written to Sairen-bo Nichijo on February 11, 1272




   


Women's Division Month


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

BEYOND MY WILDEST EXPECTATIONS

BEYOND MY WILDEST EXPECTATIONS – An interview by Julia Kataoka, Staff writer (World Tribune, July 3, 2009)

 

Philip Yi is a master sushi chef and owner of Sushi Central, a restaurant in Los Angeles. He recently won a cook-off on Throwdown! With Bobby Flay, a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges renowned chefs to cook-off of their specialty dish. Mr. Yi is also a former director and instructor of the California Sushi Academy. The World Tribune spoke with Mr. Yi about how his Buddhist practice has informed his actions in society.

 

WT:  How did you encounter Nichiren Buddhism?

 

Philip Yi:  It was after a late night of partying. Eight of us were sitting around, being obnoxious at a restaurant. There were a couple of ladies sitting right behind us, and after they finished eating, one of them threw an old card with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo printed on it on our table and left. They didn't say a word.

  The card circulated around the table. I looked at it, and for whatever reason, I kept it. From that point on, I just kept running into people who practiced Nichiren Buddhism. It took me quite some time from that day to actually go to a meeting and start practicing.

 

WT:  What made you finally start practicing?

 

Yi:  Three years after that night at the restaurant, I moved to Los Angeles from Washington State. I was homeless and on drugs. Eventually, though, I stopped doing drugs and decided to attend my first meeting. I received the Gohonzon soon after.

  When I wasn't looking for a job or working as a temp here and there, I was chanting. I also studied Buddhism, and I participated in as many SGI-USA activities as I could, because I really wanted to understand the practice.

  And sure enough, my situation changed. I began to understand in the depths of my life that without adversities, I could not refine my character as a human being.

 

WT:  Did you always want to be a sushi chef?

 

Yi:  No. I had no idea. I did so many other things in my life. I kind of just ran into it.

  I used to work at a store as a reflexologist. After a few months, the manager, who brought me on, got an opportunity to open a sushi academy, and he asked me to come on board.

  I didn't know anything about sushi, so I started out as a school promoter and eventually became the director. It happened kind of backward. As the director, I started going into the classrooms and developed a passion for sushi.

 

WT:  What did it mean for you to be selected for Throwdown! With Bobby Flay?

 

Yi:  It was a turning point in my life. It happened last October, at a time when our restaurant hit rock bottom. We struggled just to keep our doors open and pay our employees. I was maxing out our credit cards and taking out loans. The restaurant would just be empty from morning until night.

  However, my goal was never to lay off anybody in these tough economic times.

 

WT:  What happened next?

 

Yi:  I went back to the Gohonzon. My prayer was to achieve a victory that would exceed my wildest expectations and show undeniable proof of this practice. Then, just out of the blue, the Food Network called. They asked me to send in an audition tape, so I did.

 

WT:  And you faced an obstacle getting on the show?

 

Yi: Right after I submitted the audition tape, I broke my wrist, which meant I couldn't make sushi, but I continued chanting.

  The day I got my cast off, the network called again and asked me to send in another tape. A few weeks later, someone from the network called and said, "The producers loved you." We started filming soon after.

  I never gave up or compromised: It was a great victory.

 

WT:  How did the show affect your business?

 

Yi:  Our business has picked up and is doing the best it has ever done, and I didn't have to lay anyone off. I feel this is the undeniable proof of this practice. 

 

WTHow has your Buddhist practice influenced your view on success?

 

Yi:  After many years of practice, I've come to realize that every moment is win or lose. Life is not just about having a great restaurant with lots of people, it's about having a high life-condition during times of despair, winning at each moment and not being defeated by setbacks or hardships.

 

WT:  How has Buddhism informed your role in society?

 

Yi:  Recently, I had the opportunity to be in a documentary, and I talked about how I've stopped serving toro and other sushi made from bluefin tuna, because bluefin tuna is fast approaching the endangered species list. I was happy that I could share my view.

  I also try to educate customers when they ask why I don't serve these items. Many of them have told me that they have stopped eating bluefin tuna and toro.

  I don't know what direction this industry will take, but as a chef, as a human being and as a Buddhist, I have to be conscientious about what I'm doing and how I'm affecting the environment.

 

WT:  What would you like to accomplish in the future?

 

Yi:  My challenge right now is to stabilize my business and then open another restaurant.

  Whatever it is I do, I want to fulfill my mission, which, I believe, is to encourage people. On the days when I can't do SGI activities, because I'm working about 12 to 14 hours a day, my restaurant is my Buddha land where I take on my kosen-rufu activities. For my customers, for whomever walks in through that door, through my behavior as a human being, I want to be someone who inspires and gives hope to others.

  I'm chanting to go beyond my wildest expectations.

Like this...strive to be a woman of the 21st century

My Wife and Comrade (Mirror magazine series, 1998)

(From an essay series by Daisaku Ikeda first published in the Philippine magazine Mirror, in 1998)

My wife, Kaneko, is a woman who fills me with admiration. She is a partner and a companion, at times a nurse and an invaluable assistant, at times like a mother, a friend or sister. But most of all she has been my best and closest comrade through all life's struggles.

I was once asked by a women's magazine what award I would give her for her efforts since she married me. This was a very difficult question! In the end I said I would give her a "Smile Award." The magazine people also asked me to express a few words of appreciation to my wife. So I said, "My marriage has been the greatest and most precious happiness in my life. I would tell my wife that if I was to be born again, I would hope to be married to her again and again, in lifetime after lifetime, throughout eternity."

My wife knows the truth about me better than anyone, and I think I know her devotion and patience better than anyone else could. So, I would ask her if she could be there for me always. But maybe this sounds more like a help wanted ad, than a message of thanks!

Generally speaking, Japanese men are rather clumsy when it comes to expressing appreciation, or words of affection to their wives. I hope men in other countries are much better in this respect. Quiet mutual understanding can be fine at times, but if these emotions are expressed verbally, I am sure that the relationship between a husband and wife will become much richer and more fulfilling. When one speaks frankly and openly, from the heart, about the things that matter most, one freely reveals oneself, making it possible to be better understood and loved by others.

Marriage begins, after all, with two strangers thrown together. If you forget this very simple fact, you start to expect more and more from your partner, and this can lead to dissatisfaction and eventually to friction in your relationship. The bond that brings a married couple together must be forged so it is even deeper than the ties between blood relations. And such a bond can only be based on the depth of one's character.

I think what is necessary in a marriage are very ordinary things like care and consideration. Just like the sun, rising from the east every day, something ordinary and constant is always necessary in life. There is no instant magical formula to a good marriage. I think our relationship is in some ways built on very ordinary foundations.

I have a very busy life and Kaneko helps by keeping a record of everything that happens to me. She used to say to me "Such and such happened exactly a year ago," or "It was just like this two years ago." Initially I was very impressed by her good memory. Then I realized the secret was the five-year diary she kept!

I call my wife "Lieutenant," because she is always giving me advice and cautioning me about various matters. Women tend to be more practical than men, and view everything with the strength of a realism rooted in daily life. No man can match a woman's keen intuition to see through to the essence of things, her depth of wisdom and her ability to take calm action.

My wife often worries about my health and my tendency to overwork. When I was young and we were first married, I suffered from TB and I wasn't expected to live beyond 30. It has been wonderful for me to have her watching attentively over me all these years, and seeing her smile often made me feel better than any medicine.

Kaneko is never without a smile. And she is so optimistic that she often amazes me. She says "I've learned a lot, having gone with you through many hardships. And I've come to the point where I am never taken by surprise now, no matter what happens."

When we married, my mentor Mr. Toda gave her the following advice: Whatever unpleasant things may fill your day, always send him--me, that is--off and greet him back home with a smile. This may seem like very simple advice, but I think that it has taken great reserves of strength and wisdom to put into practice every day, as Kaneko has done. I can't describe in words what a positive influence her smile has had on me, particularly at times when I was exhausted or stressed from work. She says that while most people consider a smile the result of happiness, she sees a smile as the cause of happiness.

Her success in following Mr. Toda's words comes from her deep understanding of life. If she wasn't so very strong, I don't think she would have been able to maintain her constant optimism. Her motto is "You may not always win, but never give in to defeat, whatever the circumstances." Her constant encouragement and care have enabled me to overcome great obstacles. In fact I feel that our history is really the history of my wife's daily victories.

Our life together has not been easy. I have been devoting myself to a struggle to create a new age in which human life and happiness are valued above all. It has not been an ordinary life, and every day has been turbulent and eventful. At times I have been the subject of unfounded slanders and criticisms, and I was once jailed on trumped-up charges. I have always been surrounded by people and there are many demands on my attention and time. Yet, somehow, the more hardships we faced, the more we could strengthen our bond as comrades, as human beings, and as a couple. Everyday the bond between us gets deeper and deeper. And I know it will continue to deepen forever.

I have tried to write poems about my wife, and to take photographs of her, but often when we look at each other, we start to laugh, or she starts to scold me. However, I will end by sharing a poem I gave my wife some years ago:

Opening a new path
Together with you,
My inseparable support and companion.