let us love one another

good morning tohoku! as we find ourselves on the anniversary of hiroshima yesterday... maybe memories come to mind for many. but perhaps the time can be looked upon with remembrance of "peace". ”へいわ”、peace + harmony, is something of virtue here, but we also want to understand how to be peacekeepers. how do we keep peace ( へいわ) in our hearts when our goodness towards others is returned with hate or rejection? as i had mentioned in the last post, we all have the capacity for しゅくふく... to bless life. many times when something has happened to me or someone has said/done something that makes me feel damaged... too often my response is not "blessing life" sad to say.

the longer our hearts remain focused on hurt, the more our hearts begin to rot from anger that grows inside us. as we choose to pray for or しゅくふく(blessing) others even when we are still hurt...we too are blessed。In this, by making peace (へいわ), our hearts become healthy and likewise so do our relationships with one another too.

its beautiful to see + hear of so many people here to help heal tohoku. i hope more people will continue to reach out + serve these communities with big LOVE. the need is great. i say, "tohoku" only and not "japan" as a whole, not out of lack of care for the rest of this nation, but only out of deep heart felt respect for those here in this region. daily life as most know it has returned to normal for most of japan, but reminders of the disasters are everywhere, every minute of the day for people here. i know because I live in it here with you. though i do not understand what you went through, nor what today is like for you, i feel deeply for you!

this video was shot  just days after the disasters here in Tohoku at Magoso Elementary School in Kibera Slums, in Nairobi, Kenya as prayers and song of support to a teacher from here in Sendai (I hope I have that correct??)  it was translated for me today... and I, as well as the rest of those watching, could not hold back the tears we were fighting to restrain.  such empathy as this... in such young hearts... this is truly what we were made to give to one another.

Here are the lyrics they sing (subtitles are in Japanese):

We are so sad, our tears don’t stop crying

So many people have passed

And lost their valuable possessions

The shock penetrates our hearts, we are all crying

We are thinking of all the people of Japan

The shock is too much, we are all crying

We are thinking of all the people of Japan

Please take heart, our brothers in Japan

Don’t be sad, our sisters in Japan

We are thinking of you always, our mothers in Japan

Please be safe, our fathers in Japan

We continue to pray for you, our grandmothers in Japan

We hope you are alright, our grandfathers in Japan

Please take care, our friends, our children

We continue to pray for you, we are thinking of all the people in Japan

so the message for this new day, dear friends, is love one another. be peace keepers! keep へいわ ( peace) in your hearts, be a しゅくふく(blessing). be たちあう (present). true peacekeepers know "who" they need to stand up for! is it yourself or another?? lets think of one another and be "available".

"let us rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. live in harmony with one another".- paul

(message adapted from OLC)