July 10th
It has been a challenging stretch for our group here in Shangri-La. We had just returned to the Bodhi Inn for lunch after moving into home stays when we heard of Dave's passing. The news hit our group very hard, and we took the entire day to help the group process the tragedy. While acknowledging that everyone grieves in a different way, we asked that students spend time during the day as a group. We spoke about how it is okay to feel whatever each student is feeling. We walked slowly in the rain up to a very special temple overlooking the town. We lit candles, sat in a circle around the lights, held hands, prayed, cried, and shared thoughts, feelings, stories and memories of our dear friend, mentor, teacher, and pillar of the Proctor community.
Last night, rather than sending students back into their home stays, we stayed another night at the hotel together so that we could be all together.
Our hearts go out to Dave's immediate family, and to everyone in the Proctor community.
