My Dear Omega Family:
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! Like many of you, the holiday season of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are my favorite. Ever since I was a little boy this time of year has always felt magical to me. As I consider the reasons why I feel this way during the holiday season, I have come to the conclusion that it is because of three reasons: 1) I get to slow down and just “BE” – and I really do cherish the slower pace, 2) I love to see and feel all the kind acts of service and genuine love, 3) I love to be around and remember all the wonderful people that I love and who have made an impact in my life.
For the past almost 20 years, I have made it a tradition to sit down, reflect on the past year that we have had here at Omega, then try and accurately write my feelings about those lessons. Sometimes these memories, lessons, and feelings come rushing back easily, and other times I have to really dig deep. As I have thought about you and our experiences over 2022, the subject of this year’s letter has become very clear to me – LEGACY.
There is a book of scripture that I love dearly, called the Book of Mormon. In this book the word “REMEMBER” appears some 220 times. I have often thought about why this word is mentioned so many times. I think one of the reasons is that we should all cultivate a habit of remembering and retaining in our hearts the various evidences in our lives that lets us know that we are loved, we are known, and that there is a reason we are in each other’s lives at this very point in time. This type of pondering and refection brings a tremendous feeling of gratitude in my heart for you and for our current journey together. However, part of this gratitude also needs to be attributed to all those Omega family members who came before us – those who helped pave the way for what we enjoy today. Like our individual families, Omega also has a genealogy, and we would not have what we have today without their sacrifice, effort, and love for this Omega Martial Art family. Over the past 40 years, Omega has had thousands of students, instructors, and office staff who have come, who have stayed, and who have gone – they all have left their mark and left Omega better then they found it. This is what leaving a Legacy is all about… leaving things better than when you found it.
When I think of those that truly have left their Legacy at Omega, I first think of the founder of Omega Martial Arts – Soki Bob Davis. He showed tremendous courage and resilience when his original master was called back to China, and he had to find another master to train under. Due to differences in philosophies and temperament, Soki Davis was stripped of his 5 th DAN Black Belt, and he was forced to leave that organization. This experience motivated him to begin Omega Karate in Parker, Colorado (1983). Myself, my brothers (Jason and Matt), my mom, and later my other siblings (Rex and Jami) became the very first new students of Omega Karate. This legacy of humble beginnings with only a few students, training in a very small dojang, helps me feel so much gratitude for what we have now. Soki Bob Davis passed away in the summer of 2019. I love him dearly and I was privileged to train under such a great master.
I then think of my mom, Shihan Jan Davis, and the gigantic legacy that she left on Omega Utah. With her 5 children in tow, having newly been divorced, she brought Omega Karate from Colorado to Utah in 1987. The original plan was NOT to start a martial art school back then. She needed to find an occupation that would allow her to raise her children. However, a very timely visit from Soki Davis at the latter end of 1987, some personal training in our garage, and some very encouraging words, the young Davis family took the leap and started Omega Karate – Utah.
For the next 27 years, Shihan Jan’s reach and legacy grew exponentially. Some of you knew her personally and had the privilege of training with her, sitting and being counseled by her, and having her look into your soul in the way only she could. She loved our Omega Family and sacrificed so much for us. Her ability to touch “the one” was incredible and she always made that one person feel like they were the most important to her. I love her and will always love her – she passed away from cancer in November of 2014.
I could go on and on about all the wonderful people who have made such an impact on me and our Omega Family. The reality of it is that we will always have the eb and flow of Omega family members coming and going each year… and that is ok. Life will always bring the right people, at the right time, into our lives – and what an honor it is to have that precious time together. When I think back on this year, we have had some amazing students, long time black belt instructors, and amazing office staff move on to other ventures in their lives. I love and honor them and the Legacy that they left on me and the Omega Family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I turn to you now – those that are reading this letter. Life is short and sometimes the time we have together is either long or short. I then ask – What kind of Legacy do you want to leave? I pray that whatever that Legacy is or will be – please do your very best to leave it better than you found it!
I love you all with my whole heart and please have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Shihan Richard
