Both my wife and I attended our first retreat 13 years ago to this month. We’ve sat and served several courses at various Centers over the years since we began. I first considered doing a long course, when at the end of a 10-day retreat, I felt that I wanted to stay longer. Also, several times over the years Assistant Teachers have suggested I sign up for a long course, but time, circumstances and perhaps not being ready, have prevented me from doing so before.
It was a beautiful Spring day when our friend and fellow meditator Mary, picked us up and drove us to the Center. Mary returned to Portland after dropping us off. We don’t have a vehicle and we were very grateful to Mary for giving us a ride. Normally, ride-share is not a problem, but these long courses tend to have fewer people attending and less likelihood of someone going there who lives near us.