I need some good clichés. Like, “My heart is bursting with happiness.” Or, “My cup runneth over,” or something along those lines. Let’s see, how else can I put this? Last night ended a week of rich, rewarding experiences and I am filled up from it all. Geez, this is HARD to express in words. If you haven’t been there you will likely think I’m off my rocker. If you’ve been in my shoes, perhaps you understand what I’m trying to say.  

We said goodbye to Yuki for the last time last night and it was like leaving a son. Olivia almost cried on the way home saying, “I miss Yuki already.” How can one week – one measly week of knowing someone – bring such closeness? I can’t quite express what it is, something about seeing things through the eyes of someone from another culture, and realizing that similarities exist whether you speak the same language or not.  

At the Sayonara send-off party we were to read a letter to our guest telling him what it meant to us to host him and get to know him. So I whipped something up from the family. Little did I know that so did Jay, Zach and Olivia. Jay’s letter was LOVELY. He was obviously very touched by this whole experience and connected with Yuki in a deep, meaningful way. Olivia’s letter was priceless. Unfortunately, it was hand-written so no copies of it remain. The gist of it was this – Yuki was like her other (nicer was scratched out) brother and she hopes he will come back to see us, in fact, bring his whole family back to visit, she said. You know what, that would be just fine with all of us. 

Thankfully, Zach is REALLY good at imitating him so we keep saying, “Do Yuki, do Yuki,” so it’s like we have him here with us if only for a moment. 

One of the senseis told Jay that the Japanese are very loyal. When you make a friend and put an effort into extending your friendship, you will have a friend for life. Well, I hope that’s the case. I’ve never been that great at maintaining long-distance friendships unless the other end helps me keep things going. Hopefully Yuki and his family will stay in touch. It would be well worth it to all of us in my family.  

 


Comments

veronica

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:39:10

nuff said my friend! you got your point across. i never even met yuki and you have me sobbing!!! i'm gonna miss him soooo much. don't sell yourself short. you are great at keeping in touch. love you!!

 

cindi

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:01:15

ok, this is how it all starts.....just like fostering puppies for the spca. you start with one and two years later your list reaches sixty-four. you start with one japanese student and then say goodbye and the longing to have another one and another one gets too much and next thing you know you have hosted half of the teenagers in asia and you are moving on to the middle east. your friends will start to look at you funny when you tell them "abdul" from syria is arriving but then after awhile the neighbors will assume those foreign types out walking lily are just another part of your extended family clan. so be it. it's another day with the diamond family.

i have seen this happen when i worked in nyc for a student exchange organization. these students came to live with a host family for a year. as a twenty-something i saw that there was a special quality to the families who could open their homes and hearts to a complete stranger. I saw that by the time they parted their hearts were so intertwined that, of course, the moms were tearful, but it was the brothers and the dads who showed how deep the love went. they didn't want to be crying in public but they couldn't help it. to witness these beautiful, sad, and lovely goodbyes.... well, all i can say is that it is love in its most honest, delicate form. how does the simple act of opening your home to a stranger for a year transform your experience of family so easily? how does it make grown men openly cry in the parking lot of waiting buses headed for the airport? i didn't grow up in a family like that but it sure made me curious about them.

so i secretly said to myself that i wanted to be that kind of family when i had a family someday. these families knew something about living with an open heart - wiiiiiiiiide open - to other peoples' children and to the world. they knew about connecting despite the barriers of language and the differences of what they eat and how they use the toilet. yuki landed in one of these families. i think yuki taught us a bit about japanese teenagers but more about you guys and how you live life. How you cherish and nurture the kind of love that can only happen in a family during games of chess and watching america's funniest videos and eating great food together. in the end even lily was smiling for heaven's sake.

you guys are something special for embracing this opportunity with yuki. i know you will continue your friendship with him and reap the joys of watching another child grow up even though he is on the other side of the world. from now on a piece of your heart will live in japan.

it is a great honor and pleasure to know a family like yours. you are all so amazing how you live and love so fully and how you can share your lives with the rest of us. thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with us.

 

Polly

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:00:19

I'M VERKLEMPT. TAWK AMONGST YERSELVES!

I mean really, Cindi, how perfectly lovely.

And now, I'm contacting the agency. I'm gonna see about Abdul, if he's available.

 

veronica

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 17:33:58

cindi i second that emotion!!!

 

Sherry

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:10:50

Thanks Veronica. I wasn't going to admit I was crying over a teenager I never met, and how I was going to miss him so, but since you started the ball rolling, I thought I'd join in... And then Cindi had to come in with her eloquent speech about the puppies and Abduls of the world. Hmmm, I wonder what I can adopt....

 

Polly

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:40:45

As if you haven't already adopted plenty. Who is feeding all the creatures in your neighborhood, huh? Who looks after the hedgehogs and the birds and the blackberry bushes? YOU DO!

And yet.

 

Elaine

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 06:14:10

You're hired! I watched the montage you created and am so impressed, not just with your creative ability but your techical know-how. So, in 3 years, when Eric has his B/M, we'll talk! I read each and every entry of your blog which I am still unsure of how it all works, like is Pollyblog your personal blog name? Anyhow, I laughed and got goose bumps as I read through. Yuki seems like a very cool and brave kid. I would have loved to meet him. You gave your kids such a priceless, awesome experience. I think you rock!

 

Polly

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:48:03

Okay then, I have it on the calendar - Eric's montage, 2010!

We never did make it to your computer last night, did we? Let's schedule some time in the next few weeks and I'll get you blogging on your site! Be thinking of your blog name - Elaine's Dog Blog perhaps?

 



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