Congratulations to the following students who earned promotions.

• Junior Yellow Belt - Baron Markowitz, Ethan Sandrue, Marta Mychak, Julia Mychak,
• Junior Orange Belt - Matthew Fontana
• Junior Green Belt #1 - Felix Taschereau
• Junior Purple Belt #1 - Jason Reinbold, William Hunt, Kyle Wheeler
• Senior Yellow Belt - Keith O'Hara
• Senior Green Belt - Nicole Parks, Bruce Leal, Stefan Leal, Sean Meehan

In the martial arts, we often think of the beginner's mind.  As we are performing drills, kata, sparring techniques and repetitive exercises, we try to approach them as though it is the first time we have encountered them, keeping the training fresh.  We try not to just do forms from memory but to make each exercise and kata as though we are actually seeing and reacting to a real attacker.  In kata we try to make each series of moves flow together.  We look before turning because one must see what is happening before reacting to the encounter.  Success and progress are most often made in small increments.  At times students become discouraged because often progress does not come quickly, nor do promotions which must be earned and not bought every 4 to 6 weeks as in more commercial neighboring martial arts schools.

JULY 25 & 26 - - KARATE OVERNIGHT AND DAY TRAINING -

 Arrive 7 P.M. Friday or 9 A. M. Saturday

STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND FOR NUMEROUS REASONS . .

• A great deal of training and fun is had by all. Meet students and instructors from other dojo.
• A demonstration of karate proficiency will be conducted by the students and black belts.

Follow Route 46 west out of Hackettstown, through Great Meadows ...
Pass Herby's Ice Cream Stand on right
St. Peter & Paul Church on right at the corner of HOPE ROAD

One & 1/4 mile from the Church look for a left-hand turn off Route 46 ... to PEQUEST ROAD. There is a small sign for Warren Acres and Warren Haven on the left) & the ROXBURY RADIATOR SHOP ON RIGHT. As you bear left onto PEQUEST ROAD - Pass the trucking company - Cross the bridge - Bear right at the crest of the hill --- staying on PEQUEST Rd. - Less than 100 yards turn left onto DEERFIELD ROAD ... follow to the end and take the gravel driveway up the hill to our house.

If you pass the Pequest Liquor Store on the Right YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR - - -

BRING:

TENT AND SLEEPING BAG - IF YOU ARE STAYING THE NIGHT AND IF YOU WANT ONE . . (PARENTS MAY STAY WITH YOUNG CHILDREN). All equipment needed to participate in the activities - gi, spare socks, OLD sneakers as we GO into the river, through the woods and who knows where else; sparring equipment - - - NO SOCKS & SNEAKERS, YOU WILL BE WATCHING INSTEAD OF PARTICIPATING. Chairs for the demonstration & cover dish dinner after the camp or activity

A cover dish item or something to be used for the dinner after the activity --- see Mrs. Hughes to sign up so we do not have too many similar dishes - Clean dry clothes for those participating in the dojo activity

WE WILL PROVIDE - - - BREAKFAST, LUNCH, SNACKS AND DRINKS DURING THE KARATE CAMPS, PLATES, NAPKINS, DRINKS AND HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS FOR THE COVER DISH AFTER THE SESSIONS

If you want other types of meats --- steak, chicken (etc) bring it and I'll cook it on the grill.

THE DEMONSTRATION, FOLLOWED BY THE COVER DISH MEAL, WILL BEGIN AT 3:30 P. M.

THE COST WILL BE $20.00 PER STUDENT.

CALL 637-6304 - IF THE WEATHER IS BAD.

No event is mandatory ... but something can be learned at each event you or your child may even have fun

PRE-REGISTER TO ATTEND BY JULY 23RD

The Isshin-ryu World Karate Championships were held in Dallas, Texas June 27th and 28th. It was good seeing old friends and making new ones. Natalie Aleman won 3rd place in the Teen Age Brown Belt Kata Division. Mrs. Hughes won 2nd Place in Men's and Women's kata for 1st - 5th Degree Black Belts. Sensei won 2nd Place in the Master's Division for Kata.

My Instructor, Master Duessel, will be at our home and dojo August 8^th - 10^th.   A number of seminars will be conducted while he is here  . . .  More information will be forthcoming - - PLAN TO ATTEND SENSEI DOES NOT TRAVEL HERE OFTEN.

The dojo is open all summer.  To stay sharp continued practice is needed.  If you are going on vacation, let us know and you may make up the class before or after the trip. Do not let this valuable time or the progress you have made during the year be wasted. 

Hangin' On

"Sustained winds of 50 miles per hour and higher," blared the radio. My wife was listening to the radio. She has a love-hate relationship with  Minnesota weather, which has turned her into a bit of a weather junkie. She finds our weather both intriguing and frightening. Her feelings are not unlike those of a child watching a particularly scary horror movie, nearly scared to death, yet seldom feeling so alive. On this particular day, lightning filled the sky and rumbling thunder shook the house. Rain began to fall. The trees were bending in the strong wind. However, it was none of these things that was commanding my attention. It was a little blue and white bird that I could not take my eyes off of.  I was looking at a Tree Swallow - a small bird that nests in an old bluebird box in our rural yard. The tiny swallow, weighing at most three-quarters of an ounce, was hanging on with dear life to a small branch of a tree. Its mate was sitting on eggs inside the nest cavity.  The wind blew harder and harder, almost as though it was determined to shake the tiny bird free from its perch. The bird's plight caused me to reflect on the trials of a friend.

     When my friend, Keith, broke his leg, he felt that it was the last straw. Keith, a farmer all of his life, had been suffering from leukemia for a year and a half, and a bone marrow transplant had produced disappointing results. The leukemia had gone into remission, but the bone marrow hadn't started reproducing as everyone had hoped. Things just hadn't been working out. Keith was pulling a wagon with a four-wheeler when a freak accident happened, breaking his leg. It was one of those cases where just as you think that things can't possibly get any worse, they get worse. Keith found himself laid up and with 160 acres of beans in the fields that needed harvesting.  It looked as if his wife and his 82-year-old father would have to try to harvest the beans. Things were looking bad. Then a miracle happened. The miracle came in the form of good neighbors. In the spirit of good Samaritans, two neighbors organized five volunteer crews. Trucks and combines poured into Keith's fields and made short work of the harvest. In less than three hours, Keith's fields were bean-free. The project took longer to plan than to do.

     I believe that neighbors are meant to help neighbors. I once tried to talk my father into buying a neighbor's farm. The neighbor wasn't much of a farmer and really didn't tend to his business. Besides, we could have used a little extra land. I will never forget my father's answer to one of my pleas. It was one of  those responses that comes with its very own life's lesson. He told me that he would rather have the neighbor than the neighbor's land. At the time, I thought he was terribly old-fashioned and had let his feelings  get in the way of good business sense. Watching the neighboring farmers harvest Keith's beans made me realize how right my father was. I felt good watching so many people get together to help a neighbor who was down on his luck. I knew that Keith would reciprocate if given the chance. A fund raiser was organized for Keith and many people worked and donated to a worthy cause. A meal was served to an overflowing crowd at the local school. As I remembered these events, my thoughts and prayers were with Keith. I hoped for his rapid and complete recovery.

My thoughts left Keith and his bean harvest when I heard a loud crack, followed by a deafening crash. The fierce wind had blown down a large tree that had been standing forever and a day in our yard. I looked at the fallen tree with a touch of sadness. I could plant another tree and I would, but I would never see one of the same size in its place. Then I  remembered the Tree Swallow. My eyes sought the bird. I looked at the branch and saw that the small bird was still hanging on despite the heavy wind, the thunder, the lightning, the rain and the falling tree. My spirit soared because I knew, as one is allowed to know these things, that my friend Keith was going to be all right.

Al Batt

Life is a learning experience. Whether building a business, relationship, network, team, career or even a family, it is important to stay focused on learning from your experiences. What many deem "mistakes" are often the springboard for major accomplishments.

"Thomas Edison was working with a lab assistant," says Zig Ziglar, "who was coming up dry after over 700 experiments. In discouragement, the assistant told Edison that after all these mistakes, errors, and false starts, he simply didn't believe that the project was valid. Edison quickly told him that he wasn't wasting his time and that the assistant now knew more about the project than anybody alive. Edison wisely observed that the assistant hadn't made mistakes but instead had acquired an education as to what didn't work. The assistant went back to his project with renewed vigor."

"If you take Edison's approach to life," Continues Zig, "you end up accomplishing much, much more. You need to understand that after every mistake you can look back and grow from the experience so that you can move forward with confidence and avoid making the same mistake again."   1. Don't let a mistake depress or discourage you.  2. Admit the mistake.  3. Understand that when you confront your mistakes, you can take full advantage of them as the positive experiences they can be. When you ignore mistakes or try to conceal them, they almost always have a negative impact.   c. 2003 5Pillars.com