Benediction

So this post is not really about Japan. 

I was listening to May it Be by Enya the other day and it made me consider the hopes I would have for anyone and everyone. 

So here it is. 

Here is what I hope for you. 

May you remember those moments which have made you who you are,
the blissful, the uncomfortable, and the satisfying.
May you find comfort in gripping a warm cup of coffee on a crisp day.
May you be vulnerable to someone who does not betray you. 

May your spirit be still like a winter's night, going before God in silence.
May you know how insignificantly small and yet how loved you are.

May you be filled with desire so that it can be satiated.

May your soul burst into song with the tulips in spring.

May you delight in the little miracles of nature.

May you hear the chorus of voices
 --every pitch and language from all ages made by man and beast and all of creation--
 joining together to praise God.

May you find a place that fills up your senses.
May you experience the fierce joy and rapture of the ocean. 

May you feel the silence of the milky way and the music of the spheres.
May you feel alive.

May you be shielded in your fiercest battles, especially against yourself. 

May you be adopted by someone you could never repay.
May you find community whenever you forget who your friends are.

May you love individual tasks because of they are part of the larger narrative.
May you have the courage to face fears and regrets because they do not define you.
May you never be crushed by failure.
May you always hope.
May you spend your life worshiping the true God. 

p.s. (I would love to read/hear what you think.)

Cuteness かわいいね

On one of my trips to Tokyo I went window shopping, and I want to share some of my favorite cute finds. 

Who can remember Tamagotchi (from the Japanese word tomodachi which means friend)? 

Well here is an entire store devoted to plush and plastic paraphernalia.

Then next three are self-explanatory shirts...

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Finally, Line. Basically it is an app for phone calling and texting. 

It enables me to stay in contact with people in Japan without paying for cell phone service.

On line you can buy "stickers" which are little animal emoji. 

This store sells cute, 3D, stuffed "stickers".

Farmer's Market

On the South-East corner of Senba Lake there is an empty field. 

In the winter it is the dead-brown color of grass as you can see in the above photo.

In the summer it is a lush, humid green like the rest of the city, and almost every Sunday as I pass by on my way to church there is a small gathering of booths with games and prizes and fresh fruit and festival food and snow cones and potted plants. 

The sign below says "Mito-chan's (the character/mascot) city morning." I am not sure why it is there, but it is like a farmers market, and I love stopping by for just a few minutes on my way.