More than 150 people showed up to wish Gyokuko (in gold kesa, center) well on her retirement. The group photo shows a portion of those who gathered for a photo after the ceremony. The ceremony was brief and dignified, and after that everyone in the hall got to say thanks in whatever way they wished to in turn.

Gyokuko made a statement, and then listened and bowed as the microphone went around and various people expressed gratitude and best wishes to her. It was wonderful to see people we haven’t seen in a while and to hear stories from such a diverse group about how she had touched lives. There was a lot of laughter and some tears. Several Dharma School children and parents attended and spoke as part of the Sangha, which was explicitly called out as one of Gyokuko’s notable accomplishments – making sure there is room for everyone to be part of what we’re doing here.



After all of that, we had a wonderful lunch prepared by the tenzo, complete with dessert treats.