After a brief hiatus, I'm ready to resume where I left off.
Last week I visited J. in--very appropriately named--Woodland. (Note to self: when traveling to a new place, especially a rural town, remember to bring a map.) J.'s house was hard to find. I drove past main street, past the main highway, grasslands, horse pastures, a small airport, and finally, I reached her gated community. Her house was surrounded by a community of new luxury homes.. not what one would expect on the rugged drive there. J.'s home interior was decorated in a neo-Victorian style. Her brother built her a butsudan with iridescent pink and green glass on the doors. She has two cats, a bunny, and a wonderful husband. In her office she has hung small still-life paintings, which she said she is tired of doing and wants to branch out to paint other things. We discussed so many things, how she stopped practicing for over ten years after a terrible tragedy, why she began chanting again, how she will never quit, and what she has learned.

I met up with N., E., and M. again this week. It's been hard trying to set up visits with new people for the first time. But I will keep trying until I do. The people who are the hardest to pin down usually are the ones that need the most support.