Kyujo Trivelpiece checks in

It's so nice to see old names and faces...

Here is my take on my very short Abbey experience. My husband and I arrived in 1972, promptly became monks, then pregnant and within a year had left so that we could support our family by working in Eugene, where we were affiliated with the Singers at the Eugene Priory. We stayed involved, helped finance and worked on Kannon Del, and when our son was 2 we planned to move back and continue our training. When we arrived we realized that we were not ready to turn over the responsibility of parenting to a group. Within 24 hours we left and went back to Eugene.

Now I must say that I was treated with great kindness by Roshi and others all along. When I became pregnant she congratulated us and said that's what married couples should do. When we decided to leave Kannon Del the message I got was that doing the training of a householder was second only to that of a monk, and she wished us well.

Fast forward - we have been married 40 years, our son is 37 and has two sons of his own. They live nearby and fill my heart with wonder. I am retired (worked as a librarian) and now teach horseback riding to youngsters.

Best wishes to all

Ann Kyujo Warrington Trivelpiece
http//:www.firstrides.com

Hi Ann, and welcome to the Forum!

It is great to see you here. And thank you for providing some updated information about what you and Jim have been doing!

At the risk of sounding cliched, it sometimes seems to me that our time, some 40 years ago at the Abbey, was only yesterday!

Ann, I believe that I and my wife, Jeanette, may have been contemporaries of you and your husband at the Eugene Priory in the 1972-74 era. We were married at the Priory by the Singers in Sept. 1973. Henry (Kaizan) was also present around that time. I went on to be active as a lay minister for a time in the OBC but left in 1987. I remain grateful for the training experience and for the wonderful wedding ceremony we had in 1973 through the Singers. We are still married and happily, and have a daughter who was raised as a Zen Buddhist and still has a practice. When Jeanette and I went through Jukai in 1978 we stayed at Kannon Dell and my daughter stayed with the other kids there during the day. Glad you made the connection here. There is room for many narratives and experiences.