The Quan Yin Family
Chris’
e-mail dated 8/6/2003
Hey, Dad,
Haven’t talked to you in a while. I want to know what’s happening in Austin and if you’re OK. You probably know that I’m going to Egypt this Friday but you didn’t know that I just came back from my state swimming tournament and placed fifth in the 100 yard breaststroke. I hope you can send Your Master my gratitude since She helped when I most needed it. I can’t talk too much now but I’ll see if I can send you another more detailed e-mail tomorrow. Bye, I love you.
Chris’
e-mail dated 8/26/2003
Dad,
Now that I have time to talk, I’ll tell you the story of exactly how your Master helped me at my state swimming championships. I was at the championships and since over the past two years I’ve been doing pretty poorly, I was nervous but also confident since I was placed very high up and expected to win points. Unfortunately, however, in all of my races I did just a little bit below my expectations. I was very angry about this since some of the people whom I used to beat were beating me, especially a little kid that I used to beat easily, and I was always getting places like 9 or 10 in my races, and each time this happened to me, I was very angry. On the third and last day I was very tired since I had swum the most of any swimmer that day and in the evening I was beaten by another kid by barely half a second.At that point I just decided that all my anger has not helping me and I must think about my race. I thought I had warmed up exactly the way I was supposed to, but unfortunately I missed the evening warm-ups on both the second and third days so I was not well prepared. I was expected to do poorly by both my coach and myself, but then after I thought of my race and warmed up during the ten minute break I decided to let patience, training and the wisdom of God and Master Ching Hai take over me and I prayed to Master Ching Hai and said, “Master if I’m truly to fail as a swimmer and drop beyond my place then You shall reveal to me my absolute failure and let me pass on with my life and give me the courage to withstand my humiliation, but if I’m not going to lose then I beg You to give me strength through my upcoming challenge. This is very important to me, and I trained harder than any of those people next to me, and I know that since my coach told me please don’t let all of my hard effort and pain go to waste. This means so much to me that I have never felt like this before, not even when I’m most angry. Help me, Master Ching Hai.”
And during the race I felt calm and peaceful as I have never felt before. I still felt tiredness and pain but it’s like something told me to forget the pain and concentrate on my work since I had worked hard all summer long to achieve this, and when I finished I did better than I ever have in that event. I got fifth place at the state championships even when I was tired and not warmed up going into the race. I know that none of the other swimmers were as tired as I was because some of them purposely cancelled another event to swim well in this one, the 100 yard breaststroke, and none but me swam the longer events. I thank Master Ching Hai for Her gift for She has helped me in a matter of great importance to me. When I swam it was as if the Divine were personally cheering my race. I am glad I had Master Ching Hai.
Thank You, dad and Master. I love You. Good bye to both of You.
