So sad.

The tragedy that struck Japan last Friday is unimaginable. Sure, they're used to earthquakes but not a 9.0 that causes a 30-foot tsunami. Watching the videos of the water destroying the lives of so many broke my heart, and knowing that this is only the beginning for the country is unfathomable. 

Japan has a special place in my heart. My dad worked for Dupont, which had a textiles manufacturing facility in Shiga, Japan. When I was very young, one of the Japanese engineers came to Virginia to work at the facility in Waynesboro. Shin brought his wife, Atsuko, and daughter, Emi, who was a few years older than me. My mom and Atsuko became fast friends. From what I remember, Atsuko had a son while she was in America so he was a little older than my sister. We had many play dates at their apartment complex because they had a pool! One time, we had the family over at Easter to hunt for Easter eggs. Emi quickly learned that the best way to get the eggs was to follow me around because I had a terrible habit of tipping my basket. All my eggs would fall out behind me (I didn't notice until the hunt was over) and she ended up with all the eggs! I think there are pictures of me crying with an empty basket and Emi is just smiling.

Atsuko was a classical pianist and taught piano while she was in Waynesboro. When they moved back to Japan, they left their piano with us and I learned to play on it. We still have it, and I play it every time I go home on breaks. When I was in 8th grade, they invited me to visit them in Kyoto, Japan, for two weeks. It was the first time I had ever left the United States and was a ridiculously long plane ride. But I had the best time. I ate sushi and almost threw up. I went to Buddhist temples, ate tofu for breakfast, and did a lot of shopping. 

Throughout the years, we have stayed in touch, and my parents attended Emi's wedding a few years ago. They send us Christmas presents each year, even though most Japanese don't celebrate Christmas - Atsuko fell in love with the holiday while she was in Virginia. Emi and her husband live in Tokyo while Atsuko and Shin live near Osaka. 

We have heard from Shin since the earthquake, and he let us know that everyone is ok. He wrote my dad, "It is my first time that I experienced such large earthquake on the 20th floor of tall building in Osaka but it is really scary." Emi is expecting her second child in a few weeks. 

I wish it did not take this kind of tragedy to make me realize how important this Japanese family was in shaping who I am today.

“When something does not insist on being noticed, when we aren't grabbed by the collar or struck on the skull by a presence or an event, we take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” - Cynthia Ozick