In Tribute...

After a tumultuous first day at work (one of my sups I'm determined has it in for me)...

I come across this.

http://www.ksdsusa.com/tribute_to_our_grand_master_rich.htm

To you, this doesn't mean much.

To me, this is my Master.

Ten years ago, when my body was far less culled by hauling crap around for everyone and their grandmother (because they think big guys = strong), I was a student of the Kajukembo martial arts defense class. Kajukembo -- though I will not bore you with miniscule details -- is a combined art of several well-known martial arts, developed in Hawaii in the 1930s by several masters of each art. My Master was trained under one of the founders directly.

This man was the key to it. Normally I'd turn away from this kind of discipline, but this man was someone I idolized. He was very benign and kind, almost fatherly...until you stepped onto the mat for a day of training.

I don't speak of this man much, because I am ashamed to admit that I fell out of favor with his class due to a problem with one of my friends who was also attending. In short, they paired us up to spar, and my friend, being cocky and competitive, took a couple of roundhouse shots at my eye. I had to hold myself back and was no longer fighting in proper form...I wanted to kick his ass from here to hell during that incident. But much like a Jedi, we were taught never to hate during a fight.

Anyway back to my Master. Richard was an 8th degree black belt. VERY few people in the world held a rank higher than he did that were still actively teaching at the time. He was so kind, he would let anyone in his class who wished to learn, yet his classes were small...which gave a family-kind of atmosphere. He had females in his class as well as males. And he always preached quality over quantity, and he NEVER emphasised getting to your next belt, just learning to be a more effective fighter.

I can't say I knew him as well as others, but I definitely knew him long enough to know that he was the kind of person you only read about or see in some cheesy martial arts movie, only he's the real thing. You look at a man like him demonstrate with his cobra-fast hands, and you see so much knowledge you want to just sap up like a sponge.

But through it all, he was just a kind man. I was on this website reading about how he had been promoted to Grand Master. I was so excited to see that, so honored to know I had been trained by him......then I clicked on the link above.......and went into total shock for several hours.....

You will be missed very much. I only wish I could have said goodbye.

May your soul rest in peace, Sijo.