Dear Friends:

Happy New Year! I hope your 2011 was a good one and you were able to survive the challenges ban pen fu gyo! Let's make 2012 a year where we don't just survive, but thrive! It's mostly up to us, you know....

2011 was an amazing year for me; many wonderful things happened but we also lost a few more of our buyū around the world. That circle of life just keeps turning. I am still missing Buyū Dojo co-founder Mark Hodel deeply. His impact on so many Bujinkan members persists.

Mark was also the co-publisher of Robert L. Humphrey's book "Values For A New Millennium." Dr. Humphrey's Dual Life Values theory is an integral part to my and many other people's view of warriorship.

Mark Hodel's Memorial Page is here. Please consider leaving a remembrance on the comment wall if you haven't done so already or just check in with Mark-san to say "hello, we miss you."

Sadly, we also lost longtime buyū Abi Allen and Kathy Baylor in 2011. Paul Fisher, Doug Wilson, a group of other friends and I attended Kathy's memorial in NYC. A beautiful, bittersweet ceremony and a training event was held in her honor.