When our youngest daughter was 6 or 7 years old, she made a bouquet of paper flowers from scratch. I was very excited because...
A Flower-Makers’ Great Granddaughter
The Power of Masks
Are we really happy in this lonely game we play… (This Masquerade by Leon Russell) Several months ago, I sang this song for a worship service led by my friend, Mike Jenkins, at our Unitarian Universalist congregation. The song was a good fit to the main message: take off your mental masks so we can … Continue reading The Power of Masks
We Are As Good As We Can Be
Several summers ago I was looking for seashells at the beach during a family vacation. Because my friends and I had agreed to sing songs for an event for people living in poverty with AIDS after the vacation, I decided to bring lots of beautiful, perfect shells for the occasion. My thinking was that since … Continue reading We Are As Good As We Can Be
My Son’s Car Accident: A Mother’s Confession
“Mommy, I crashed your car.” When my son called me in a recent morning, my brain refused to comprehend his words. Then came a mixture of emotions and questions in my mind: Is the car drivable and how much would it cost to repair it? And what about the rate of our insurance? Why did … Continue reading My Son’s Car Accident: A Mother’s Confession
On Being Mother or Ultimate Loneliness
Long, long time ago one afternoon, I was looking at my first baby sleeping in her crib. She was so little and looked helpless in her crib-cage. She looked alone. But I, her mother, was standing outside and just watching her. Ordinarily I would have seen peacefulness or bliss in a sleeping baby. But on … Continue reading On Being Mother or Ultimate Loneliness
Unraveling Tangled Yarns: Unraveling Tangles in My Brain
Last Friday started out to be a very unproductive day. After a couple of hours of struggling to find something meaningful to do, a large tangle of yarns on the floor of a closet drew my attention. The yarns used to be in a large plastic trash bag with the top tied in a knot … Continue reading Unraveling Tangled Yarns: Unraveling Tangles in My Brain
always a friend: a Magnetic Poetry Kit
Some years ago my friend gave me something called a Magnetic Poetry Kit. It is a small plastic case filled with tiny magnetic strips, and a word is printed on each strip. I think it was a Christmas present but I’m not sure. I confess that I wasn’t too keen on it at that time. … Continue reading always a friend: a Magnetic Poetry Kit
Dancing My Own Story
When I grew up in Japan I really loved to dance. Every summer during the Bon festival to honor our ancestors, I joined the circle of Bon odori dance in a park across the street from my home. Everyone danced around the stage in a big circle, copying the good dancers on a small stage … Continue reading Dancing My Own Story
The Pine Prince and The Silver Birch: A Favorite Book from Childhood
“If you like a carousel come over here and if you like an automobile go over there!” said the facilitator. I was attending a retreat, and our activity was to choose between two random things and explain our decisions. Few of the choices seemed relevant to my personal history. But the word "carousel" stirred up … Continue reading The Pine Prince and The Silver Birch: A Favorite Book from Childhood
My Father’s Unfinished Business
My father died in August of 2012 from myelodysplastic syndromes that developed into leukemia. After the diagnosis in 2011, he kept telling my stepmother and me that he had an important unfinished business. It was an interview he had conducted decades ago. He wanted the world to know some important news revealed in the interview. … Continue reading My Father’s Unfinished Business
Accompanist for the Soul 