You are a very special manifestation of the spirit of Sullivan Ballou. We know you are an accomplished scholar of ancient religions and literature, an ordained Lutheran minister, fluent in at least five languages, a world traveler. Yet despite the recognition and status available to you in an academic or ministerial career, you devote yourself in humble and selfless service to others. It is not surprising that it is at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center that you function as the administrator and manager, where you are a servant among servants. Your friends there call you the glue that holds that place of peace and compassion together. Of course you admirably perform all the tasks of an administrator—you handle the finances, insurance, audits, books, website, and membership records of the organization, as well as managing the building itself and supporting the board of directors. You are the person who responds in the middle of the night to plumbing problems, shovels the walk, or takes out the garbage when it needs to be done.
But more than an administrator, you are a caretaker in the finest sense of the word. You respond to the needs of the people in the Zen Center community, which can mean poverty, mental health challenges, having someone to talk to who will listen fully and keep a confidence. You have a deep understanding of the personalities at the Zen Center and are able to weave disparate people and their diverse philosophies together into a beautiful and functional fabric. You speak up in a clear voice when something needs to be said.
And you do all of this with humility, warmth and humor.
We are fortunate to have had seen just a small example of your positive attitude and open helpfulness ourselves, when we came to you at the last minute needing space for an event. The natural reaction to such an inconvenience would have been to say no, but that is not your way.
We have heard that this prayer is said at the Zen Center:
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways,
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Congratulations!
Elissa and Bruce Peterson, Founding Members