Michael Scott

Michael Scott - Reflections of the Month Today is

To My Teacher

                                                                                   An old grave hidden away at the foot of a deserted hill,
                                                                                   Overrun with rank weeds growing unchecked year after year;
                                                                                   There is no one left to tend the tomb,
                                                                                   And only an occasional woodcutter passes by.
                                                                                   Once I was his pupil, a youth with shaggy hair,
                                                                                   Learning deeply from him by the Narrow River,
                                                                                   One morning I set off on my solitary journey
                                                                                   And the years passed between us in silence.
                                                                                   Now I have returned to find him at rest here;
                                                                                   How can I honor his departed spirit?
                                                                                   I pour a dipper of water over his tombstone
                                                                                   And offer a silent prayer.
                                                                                   The sun suddenly disappears behind the hill
                                                                                   And I’m enveloped by the roar of the wind in the pines.
                                                                                   I try to pull myself away but cannot;
                                                                                   A flood of tears soaks my sleeves.

--From "Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf" Zen Poems of Ryokan translated by John Stevens

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Co-Parenting: Things to Consider

Divorce: Things to Consider

Mediation: Things to Consider

Talking to the Kids: Things to Consider

Questions and Answers: Trauma of Divorce

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Michael Scott is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a child custody mediator. He has been a therapist since 1982 and maintains a private practice in Santa Cruz, CA. Since 1985, Michael has served as a child custody mediator for The County of Santa Cruz Superior Court. He is an educator offering workshops both nationally and internationally on marriage, divorce, parenting, education, personal and professional development, conflict resolution, and the developmental needs of children.

333 Church St., Suite B * Santa Cruz, CA 95060 * (831)423-0521

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