One or two years after moving into our new Japanese
home (I was about 5 years old then), I began to play often with
neighborhood kids and learned kid-Japanese. I particularly enjoyed
two ladies. One led me into her house to show me 20 or 30
brilliantly beautiful Japanese dolls arranged neatly in a wooden
cabinet much taller than I. The other lady was older, our next-door
neighbor, who led me into her own house, gave me cookies, and talked
with me. I still remember on a fine day she came to talk to A-bu and
left me with a pair of exquisite Japanese wooden clogs; they were
quickly put away because the heels were too high and would break my
ankles, said A-pa.
I guess I was lonely after all my brothers went to
school, yet I should thank my parents for instilling in me, in my
early life, “security” and “confidence.” Thanks to them I am today
steady and courageous in all life’s ups and downs. Surely this is
God’s greatest blessing, just for me.
