cook

Ana, wisteria, and stone sculpture

I am feeling numb from the earthquake in Japan. 9.0 in the rector scale.  It took me the whole day to reach my family. My family in Tokyo was fine but I have distant relatives in Iwaki, Fukushima where the nuclear power plant exploded.  I am concerned for their lives.   I've been in touch with family and friends from all over the world who have called or e mailed me to find out if my family was okay. In times of crisis of this scale, we feel helpless.  Someone in Japan described the shaking buildings like a trembling leaf,  and the earth like a quivering jello.  A friend in Niigata is trying to create a special ribbon that ties people together - not just the Japanese but everyone in the world. 

I've been through two major earthquakes in LA.  The first one happened when we lived in Monterey Park. My old soba cups fell from the shelves and I broke many. But we were okay.  My friends from Japan helped replace some of my broken china. In the second earthquake, the house shook so hard, I thought I was going to die.  I was scared for a long time.  My assistant left LA and moved back to Georgia. But again, we were lucky. Some people were not.

The Japanese wisteria tree  and Sakai's sculpture in the patio make me connected to Japan.  We are all tied ot  Japan in one way or another - by land, by sea, by blood, by spirit.  Today, I prayed a lot.