We Are All Connected, Part Two

My thoughts continue to turn to the people of Japan. I keep remembering the openness of the people we met when my husband, daughter, and I lived in Japan for several months.

One Saturday morning we struck up a conversation with the Arai family, with their two children Shota and Etsuki, at the playground. They invited us to dinner at their apartment, and we had fun trying to communicate in our halting Japanese. They forgave our pronunciation and grammar gaffes. We had them over for dinner as well, and they continued to send us handmade presents for my daughter and photo updates of their children for several years.

Seki-san was my Japanese teacher at The International Center, and she opened her home to teach me and other foreign students calligraphy, ikebana (flower arranging), and the the tea ceremony. On Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri), she invited my father and stepmother, who were visiting us, to see a home altar displaying tiers of traditional dolls. (She called my father John Wayne.) A few years later Seki-san and her family visited us in California, and she brought my daughter a cotton yukata and silk obi that my daughter wore for many years.

There are so many other stories I can tell like those. The spirit of hospitality and generosity of the people we met in Japan in that short period of time is something I've tried to pass on since then. I know that they would reach out to help others in need, and I'm hoping that the world community will open their hearts (and wallets) to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

I will be taking part in the Crafting for Courage sale of handmade items and supplies later this week. Joanie of ninimakes got the ball rolling for this effort, and she designed the banner at the top of this post. Margie of Resurrection Fern carved the dragonfly stamp and discusses its symbolism here. All sale proceeds will be donated to the Save the Children Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief.

I'll give you more details soon. I am planning to donate a few bunnies that have been hopping around the house lately.

This one I made for my son one Saturday morning that we crafted together. It's the third bunny in a row that he has requested. The first one was made from felt, the second from a thrifted faux velvet dress that we chose for its texture, and this one from my stash of felted sweaters. He carries spring with him, as you can see, and he is a very curious fellow. You can see that he is very interested in the neuroscience of chronic pain. He studied the brain scans from a recent issue of Time Magazine for several days.

Hope you have a wonderfully happy and sunny first week of spring!