More poetry musings about my wonderful Japanese friends!

(More poems about the connections I've made with new Japanese friends since January. I'm scheduling this to post while we are somewhere in the Pacific.)

1-17-26

It was so good to be back at Friendship!

Already, after my first day back,

    I feel like I've made better connections

        than in the previous entire year I served

I re-connected with several familiar faces

    like Ria, whose kids go to Summit, where I used to teach

    and Katsuko, who I met up with at the library to learn some Japanese basics

    and Maho, who I'm glad I recognized after meeting her "randomly" at Central

I had a great table discussion about sports

    with Megumi

            Ayana

            Nanako

       and Eriko

I used a lot of Japanese all morning,

    even commenting on how the bathroom line was "nagai"

And then I played Mexican train dominoes

        with Natsumi

                Yoshie

                Mai

                Ai

        and Sunny

The games group is perfect

    because I like games

                    there are many Japanese ladies in there

                    it's informal, and we can really get to know each other

And then I get to connect with fellow moms

    when I pick up my boys

SO GOOD!

3-28-26

My cup overflows...

For months, I had prayed

    for a "nihongo tomodachi" (Japanese language friend)

        to help me practice Japanese

Now, I have too many to count!

Maho, who I helped to get a library card

Nanako, who has given me famous Japanese pop songs to learn

Honami, who met up with me at the park to sing

Yuria, who introduced me to "melon pan"

Shiori, who I got to introduce to Friendship and friendship

Erina, who I recommended St. Louis as a destination

Ibuki, who said she's "not a Christian yet"

Asami, who brought her oldest son to a game night

Sunny, who is moving to Osaka in April!

Natsumi, who we got to celebrate her birthday at our house

Sanae, who is from Ikebukuro, where the Kettemans are planting a church

Eiko, Chiaki, Marie, Saori, who live in my in-laws' neighborhood

Ayana, Maika, Mariko, other members of the Fab Five I'm meeting with this week

Ena, who I connected with "randomly" at the park before she even moved here

Nao and Hiroka, who are in my games group and came to the park meet-up

Kazumi, who I met at the library

Katsuko, who helped in my first language foibles

Miyuki, who I saw at the Asian market, and the other Miyuki, who both came to the park meet-up

Yoshiko and Yuki and Ria, who are in the 1% minority of Japanese Christians

Chihiro and Eriko, who have kids that I do music time with

Haruka and Eri, who will hopefully come to the next play date

Mai and Mariko and Yoshie and Yuki, who are the my games group

Megumi, who I met on my first day at Friendship

Naoko, who I remember from my last time volunteering at Friendship

Tomoe and Yukino, who I serve with in childcare

It looks like You've answered my prayer!

Consecrate it all, Lord!

Use every interaction

                conversation

                connection

Some plant

Some water

    but You bring the growth!

4-8-26

I was stressed out beforehand

    thinking about the cleanliness of Japanese homes

        compared to our home

            with its carpet stains

            and wall markings

        and the notion that our house "isn't inviteable"

But I can't wait around until it's perfect

So I spent hours on Saturday and on Sunday afternoon

    cleaning and tidying (and shoving) and prepping

        and it all came together

8 guests didn't even feel as crowded

    as I had expected

There was a bounty of food, including 2 Japanese dishes

Everything worked out

The language barrier was overcome by a combo of my Japanese

                                                                        their English

                                                                        working together

                                                                        and Google translate

We visited and conversed and laughed

I bumbled along in my broken Japanese

The fellas went downstairs for Smash Bros

The gals (and little girls) stayed upstairs for music and dancing

I sang Japanese kid songs and pop songs

We snapped a timer photo

Lucas gave magazines and books as parting gifts

Yuria's face said it all -- "so happy"

My words are limited, too, but I was "hontouni ureshi" (really happy)

Our family was a team--prepping, interacting, serving

A "sutekina ban" (lovely evening) indeed

9-10-26

It really couldn't have gone any better

    (aside from maybe having some deeper conversations, 

        which is hard to do with 10 children running around!)
24ish hours together

Two families (one Japanese, one American) joining us for their first camping trip

Beautiful drive, scenery

Extended time to chat, relax, play

Taking over all the shelter tables

Hike down to the lake to explore, skip rocks

Lots of time around the campfire

Hot dogs and corn-on-the-cob and marshmallows over the fire

Onigiris, ramen, and yakiimo

Night games and shadow puppet stories 

Mercy Watson by flashlight

More stars than the city lights let us see

Surviving a night in the tent

Lots of caterpillars (big, fat ones and little, fuzzy ones) and a dead snake

Next day - impromptu lake swimming in clothes

Inter-mingling families, helping each other out

No ticks!

Only $8 per adult

No minimum-night restrictions like Labor Day weekend at the state parks

Room to spread out and roam

Some of my favorite people --

    Naho, Akihiro, Hiroto, Shoki,

    Sarah, Brenden, Marley, Auggie, Emmett

    Carter, Calvin, Cooper, Colson, Chance

Thanks be to God!

9-21-26 

An Early Thanksgiving

My heart and belly are full

Uncle Norman's 3rd Thanksgiving with us

    This time, we celebrated 2 months early and spent the whole day together

        Family indeed

            or, as he would say,

                he's my "pecan-tan brother"

Introducing Norman

    to two Japanese families I love

        was a delight

He learned some Japanese language and culture

They got to break bread with an old black man from the Jersey ghetto

Giving my Japanese friends

    a literal taste of an American holiday,

        not just at an event somewhere

            but in our home

Taking turns around the table

    sharing 5 kernels of gratitude

Eating a bountiful feast of all my favorites

    then talking and laughing and playing games together

I'm a connector, at heart,

    and this was a divine connection

We didn't want the night to end

    because that meant this beautiful one-night-only connection 

                                                        with these specific people

                                                            was over

We're leaving soon for Japan,

    and both families will have moved by the time we get back

I took Norman home 12 hours after I picked him up

    A little wistful, but mostly grateful

Use it all, God!

Chance's Pre-Trip Perspective

(I'm scheduling this to post on Chance's 4th birthday when we are somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. Thankfully, his birthday is not the day we skip when we cross the International Date Line)

Chance, Age 3

What are you excited about on the big boat?

Ice cream! Hide duckies! We watched a video so I know a lot of the things that are there. I want to go on all of the different floors. 

What will you do on your birthday on the big boat?

I can only go where you go. We should just have my cake on the island.

What are you excited to do in Japan?

"There is not any videos at Japan, only on the big boat" (so he doesn't know what to expect!)

What are you nervous about?

I'm not scared about anything! There's nothing to be scared about.

What do you think about Japanese food?

I don't like any Japanese food.

Why are we going to Japan?

I don't know.

What are some Japanese words/phrases you already know?

arigatou (thank you), sumimasen (excuse me), akete kudasai (open please), mizu (water)

More poetry musings pre-trip

9-24-26 This morning, I spent some time reading through my poetry notebook from less than a year ago when we booked our cruise to Japan. So much has fallen into place since then! I'm "scheduling" this to be posted while we are in the middle of the Pacific, since we won't have Internet access on board. Once we arrive in Japan, I'll fill you in on all that happened between LA and Tokyo!

11-10-25

My brain is overrun

    by the possibility

We've been talking about it

    for seven YEARS

        and dreaming about it

            for even longer

Wait until your youngest

    (which became Chance) turns 4

Well, looks like he'll turn 4 on the way over

    because the dreaming

        has turned into researching

        has turned into PLANNING

            with actual DATES

We're thisclose to booking

    a 16-night

        $4500 (total!)

        transpacific

        worldschooling cruise

    experiencing 3 Japanese ports

    and arriving in Tokyo in style

        (and not jet-lagged!)

Eeee!!! Is this really happening?

            Is this my real life?

Consecrate it all, Lord.

11-13-25

I used to view our potential year in Japan

    as a once-in-a-lifetime

            pinnacle-of-childhood opportunity

But I was also overwhelmed

                    (to the point of paralysis)

    about how to make that work for a family of 7

Two months seems a lot more do-able

                    (although still overwhelming)

        and can give us a taste

Maybe we can go back when the little 3 are older

Maybe one of the boys would want to return to study or on mission

Maybe Lucas and I can do a year as empty nesters

Yes, a year as a family would be quite the adventure

    but if it's so overwhelming that it never happens,

        then the dream becomes a regret

A scaled-down two-month adventure

    that actually happens 

        could be a memorable one-and-done

        but could also be a springboard for more

11-13-25

I get a little embarrassed

    thinking about the expense of

        a two-month-long international trip

            for our family of seven!

    but this isn't just a tourist vacation,

        it's an eternal investment

            in the lives we'll interact with

                on the cruise

                local Japanese (both there and here)

                missionaries

            in the connections it creates for Lucas

                both on the ground

                and back home

            in the way it opens our boys' eyes

                being in the minority

                gaining God's heart for the nations

                immersing in the language and culture

            in my roles

                as an intercessor for Japan

                as a connector with any future Japanese I meet

            in our family

                 with lifelong memories

                with a broader worldview

                with an I-can-do-it attitude toward international travel

Consecrate it all, Lord, for Your glory

                                and for Your purposes

12-23-25

I had said I wanted to be home

    in time for Christmas next year

        but maybe I don't...

Maybe physically removing ourselves

    from all the pressure of doing and spending

        is just what we need

I tried to be more planned

                        and do less

                        and buy less this year,

        but I've gotten caught up in all the hoopla again

It seems extreme to go to Japan 

    for a "reset"

        but then hopefully we'd come back

                                    more appreciative

                                and more aware of what truly matters

                                        and how little we really need

                                        in regards to activities

                                            and to stuff

In my "mean mom mode," I declared,

    "We're skipping Christmas next year!"

            (which made Cooper cry)

    but of course we're not skipping Christmas

                                        (the celebration of Jesus' birthday!)

                just all the commercialized, pressure-filled hoopla

I can't take it anymore!

    Japan (or Hawaii) is calling...

[9-24-26 update: We will miss the entire Christmas season in Kentucky. We do get to stop for 2 nights in Hawaii (since the multi-leg trip was the same trip as flying more direct and since Hawaii is one of only 4 states left out of 50 for me!). Lord willing, we'll arrive in Indiana on Christmas Eve, spend Christmas morning with my mom, then drive back to Lexington on Christmas day. A reset indeed...]

4-12-26

4 churches

    in 2 days

        over Easter weekend

Ashland

    for Resurrection Rally

        sharing the Gospel message and songs

            before the egg hunt

Southland

    for a baptism service

        cheering on

             one of my 5th grade girls

FAC

    for Sunday service and serving

        joining our church family

            to celebrate that "He is Risen indeed!"

Izumi

    for bilingual Japanese service and potluck

        sharing the hope of Easter

            with some who have never heard

4 churches

No competition

We need them all

Different types and sizes

    for different people

Happy Easter, indeed.