The Magic of visiting Grandmothers

     I clearly remember, with great fondness, the times that I got to spend with Nan (my father's mother) in Yonkers, New York.  We would often go for a few days and spend time in the house that Dad grew up in, which is kind of awe inspiring for a boy who considered his father superhuman.  I can still call up the smell of the back yard with its moist, earthy notes. When I smell that aroma now, I am transported back to that place emotionally and imaginatively.  We would look forward to taking the walk "across the creek" to visit the store there, or up the hill to the other.  It was special to me, as I would imagine it was to my siblings.  Maybe this is because there is no love like a Grandmother's, no safety like in her care.

     Being in Japan, I can see my son making these kinds of memories for himself.  Yesterday I plowed where I was directed, and we planted onions (tama-negi) as a family.  The smell of my Grandmother's back yard was there, and I was likewise transposed.  Yuta enjoyed the planting, even though it was work, and informed us of his feelings by his enthusiasm and cheer, he even started singing.  When the first notes reached me, I glanced over at Oba-chan and we both smiled at each other.  Yuta can sing well, but we were reacting more to the evident joy in his tenor.  Hopefully when we harvest the onions, the lad will be more willing to eat them. . .
     Each day that Yuta goes to school at Yagi-Minami Shogako, I walk with him.  When we get to the gates of the school, I start my run and Yuta starts the academic day.  We usually take the shortcut that brings us down the hill and past a Lawson (small store) that reminds me of "across the creek" in Yonkers.  I have also had many instances of deja-vu when walking around the house.  Oba-chan resembles my Nan, and sometimes when I walk past, I see her in my peripheral vision.  I see Nan.  This causes me to back up and take another look to find that its Oba-chan, sitting flat on the floor, in the same way that my Grandmother used to.
     Nan had many humorous but very wise sayings, one of which was "when you burn your butt, you've got to sit on the blister".  I have thought of that this year as I struggle through homesickness, bacon withdrawal, and learning a difficult language.  But I know that this trip is worth our time as I know that Yuta is building a series of memories that will comfort him when he needs it.  I believe that these memories are part of what helps make humans resilient and I know that Yuta will have a better life with this experience to draw upon.