I often refer to myself as a "dig-in-the-dirt" Shin Buddhist. I don't mind getting my hands dirty with the daily struggles of life and sharing those experiences with others. Please excuse my style of 'free-flow" writing, it often lacks structure, yet conveys my emotions in the moment. Just know that when I write, I pour my heart into the words and am sometimes shocked by the results myself. Encountering the teachings of Shinran Shonin has changed me on a very deep level. During 2013, the 10th anniversary of my receiving Tokudo (ordination), I began writing down my daily reflections on my life as a Shin Buddhist. It was a year of struggles, triumphs, emotional highs and lows. Sound familiar? I am simply an extremely foolish being trying my best to find gratefulness in my every day life. It is my hope that by sharing some of my daily reflections, you will catch a glimpse of the familiar and know that you are not alone. It is my hope that by sharing my experience as a Shin Buddhist, you will see that you too are grasped by Compassion and Wisdom. Whether you relate this grasping to the working of Amida Buddha or not, I will leave that for you to decide.