Love from Japan

    Sometimes love comes in unexpected ways.  Sometimes love comes from far away places to you.  Sometimes love comes shown from across the ocean.  Sometimes love comes in the form of a young Japanese family, the mom being my 'sister' whom I had not seen since 1986, on her last brief visit after she left our home in 1979.  My little sister Reiko, my Japanese sister via a foreign exchange program.  Reiko came to us in 1978 to study here in America, somehow I believe God placed her in our home back then for that year, but in our hearts forever.  She was only 15 when she came, and to me, she has always been one of the bravest person's alive.  To come to a foreign country, and stay for almost a whole year at such a young age was amazing to me.  She never complained, she never showed that she was homesick, even if she was.  She was here to learn, to experience a different culture and language.

      Several weeks ago, I received an email from her that she and her three children wanted to come and visit for a few days.  I was thrilled, and so was the rest of my family.  Although she said, she'd stay at hotel and take a taxi, I insisted she stay with me and Kristi and I'd take her where ever she wants, as hailing a taxi in Bismarck in not like hailing a taxi in Tokyo.

      The last few days, has just been wonderful, meeting her children, Yoko, Elena (twins) and Jun.    We've been trying to pack as much into a day as possible to let the children experience as much of a North Dakota experience as possible.  We've toured the capital, had lunch on the 18th floor,  visited the gift shop, went to the Shaw farm, Jun got a ride on Grandpa Don's tractor, they threw snow balls and sticks out onto a frozen Harmon Lake, went to the YMCA and played basketball with Philip (who came home briefly to meet them on Wed night), ordered Pizza Hut pizza,  toured Mandan High School and the First Presbyterian Church, visited my Uncle Lewie and Auntie Elsie, went shopping at Kirkwood, and last night we (the whole Shaw family) ate at Kobe's Japanese Restaurant.  Today we'll go to a party at LaRue and Tracie's and tonight they will stay at a hotel to experience an American Hotel with big beds and pool. Of course doing all this while being extremely jet lagged and tired.   For the children, this is the first time, they've seen such wide open spaces as North Dakota has in abundance.  Unfortunately our North Dakota weather did not cooperate in presenting itself in a nice spring fashion, so they got to experience more of our North Dakota winter that seems to never end this year.

     But what really touched my heart, was something Reiko said yesterday while she was being interviewed by the Mandan News.  She was asked why she came back now at this time.  She said several factors, one the children were on 'spring break' which is actually the time in between school years, as their school year runs from April to March every year.  Next she was in between jobs, (She's a bond analysts in the banking world) and in a short break herself.  Then she said, "Kelley's husband, Todd, just died, and she wanted to come to see me, after such a sad event."  That's love in action to me.  To come from the other side of the globe, to say, I love you and care how you're doing after the loss of Todd.  That's wrapping big arms of love around me and my kids in ways I don't think Reiko even realizes  she was doing.  Thank you Reiko you're a very special person and I love you very much!

Mom being silly and finally getting the seaweed into her chopsticks, at Kobe's.  It actually tasted pretty good.

(I'm sorry I had to remove the rest of the pictures, as Reiko was uncomfortable with any pictures of her or her children on line.)