One of the first things that caught my attention when I visited IOBT in 2002 was the  Buddhist teaching of interconnection, the insight that none of us is ever really alone. My life today is only possible because of those who came before me. And what I do  today makes a difference. My choices affect my life, the lives of people around me, and  the people who come after me. Obon season is a great time to reflect on this interconnection. Our annual Obon rituals  matter because help us see first-hand that our community does really include people  from the past, present, and even future. Visiting cemeteries reminds me that my life is  the way that it is because of all these people. People buried in these graves, both  marked and unmarked, made my life possible. They created the communities, the  churches, the schools, the railroads, the parks, the farms and the businesses that  nurtured us as we were growing up, that continue to support us now, a...