How have you been?
Today’s post is a little different in tone…
Last week, I returned to my family home in Morioka to help整理 things.
The photo shows my parents’ house—about 35 years old, and at the time, it had a slightly modern feel.
Inside, there were many belongings—things that, to be honest, I initially felt were unnecessary.
But at the same time, I came across many things and stories I had never known before.
One of them was about my parents’ marriage.
To be honest, I had never really asked about my family or my parents.
I had never taken the time to hear their stories.
Just when I thought, “Next time I see them, I should ask…”
my mother suddenly passed away, and my father’s memory gradually began to fade.
During this recent整理, I found documents such as their family registry and even the seating chart from their wedding.
I believe there were many things we truly wanted to share with each other—
things I should have known.
Yet, I had turned away from them.
At the same time as feeling my own immaturity,
I also felt that these pieces of paper, in their own way,
were teaching me—one last time—about my roots, my history,
and the meaning of my being here today.
With all of these emotions in mind,
I revisited a collage I had once created of my parents and traditional Japanese patterns.
Along with the image of a meeting with Sota that never came to be…
By the way, the traditional motif of the crane symbolizes
“marital harmony and lifelong partnership.”
