Hearts Full of Joy

i heart japan

so much has happened, so much to blog about, so much to say that will go unsaid.

 
::girl's day photos mostly taken by tashi & mia

at the end of february, we set up our hina matsuri (girl's day) set for the first time in about 6 years. the length of time is mostly due to noah's little fingers, and, we accidentally left it in utah when we moved. it took some time and planning to get it here with us.

this is a vintage set of the japanese imperial court that was given to us by a friend of a friend whose daughters were grown and didn't want it any more. we were thrilled to receive it.

it was such a delight to have it up that we didn't take it down after girl's day on the 3rd, even though it can supposedly curse your daughters with not being able to get married if you leave it up. we decided we were willing to take the risk...

and then the earthquake hit, and none of us has had the heart to take it down until today. tashi is diligently dis-assembling it now, which is seriously as much work as taking down a christmas tree, or more.

we are different now because of the earthquake, in better ways i believe, and in painful ways.

our last neighborhood in japan, maihama san chome in urayasu city, recieved a lot of damage from the earthquake, but not the tsunami, thankfully.

in the midst of my heartbreak, i prayed to know what i was meant to learn from the experience, and the answer was that we are all connected, much more than we realize. and that what happens to any one of us in this world affects us all, whether we realize it or not. it has been a powerful lesson that was reinforced by my father's passing on april 6th, which i will write about in another post.

this is a photo of our neighborhood near the home we lived in for 4.5 years. i took it from the urayasu city home page (click for link)

we are grateful the damage here wasn't worse, and our hearts break for the greater devastation and loss farther north.

a list of facebook posts i made during the first week or two:

March 11 ~ I couldn't sleep last night, and kept thinking about our friends in Japan. I didn't know why. It wasn't until this morning that we heard about the earthquake. It's been an emotional morning at our house.
The same thing happened with 9/11 when we were in Japan. I couldn't sleep all night and had images of devastation in New York. In the morning we got the news.

March 13 ~ Hoping to feel more peace about Japan, but the pain just grows....
"Death toll likely to top 10,000 in Japan"
I think I've been in shock for 2 days, and now I'm coming out of it.
Shock was less painful.

March 14 ~ The islands of Japan have shifted 8 feet.
The axis of the earth has moved 10 cm.
The world is different than it was before.

March 16 ~ I have no fears for Japan as a nation. They will move forward in positive ways and continue to amaze and inspire us all.
It 's the horrific amount of personal/family tragedy that has me overwhelmed.

Things I have learned from the earthquake & its effects so far:
1. I love the people of Japan even more than I realized was possible.
2. We are all much more connected that we imagine.
3. Because we are connected, what happens to any one person in this world affects each of us, whether we realize it or not.

Gracie is playing with the "Sylvanian Families" sets we brought back from Japan, like she does most mornings while I work. She is setting up the little school with all the little Japanese school accessories at my feet, just like the schools where Lexi, Tashi, & Mia went, and just like the schools that were hit by Tsuanami. Everywhere I turn, I have reminders. Our big "Girl's Day" set (of the Japanese Imperial court) is still up, taking up much of our living room like a Christmas tree would, and none of us have the heart to take it down, but don't have the heart to look at it either. Mia is having trouble breathing (anxiety), and I occasionally am too. I don't want to eat. Noah is worried about his birth mother....all of this, and we aren't even in Japan, we are safe and sound here.... I almost feel guilty to be having this hard of a time when others are suffering so, and we are so blessed. But I don't feel blessed. I feel their pain. I know the Lord is in charge and has a plan. But it still hurts tremendously.

 

Inconceivable....this was a city that had made extensive tsunami preparations. The entire city is gone. The tsunami engulfed 4 story buildings. Tsunami shelters built high on the mountain are gone.

Japan tsunami: Nothing to do but run

 

March 17 ~ Deeply touching and inspiring

Japan tsunami: Fukushima Fifty 'on suicide mission' to battle nuclear meltdown

www.dailymail.co.uk

homes burn while they drift at sea

Photos: Earthquake rocks Japan

www.cnn.com

March 18 ~ Kamaishi, Higashimatsushima, Iwaki, Iwanuma, Natori, Hitachinaka, Soma, Hishonomaki, Tagajo, Itsuchi, Ofunato, Ishinomaki, Rikuzentakata, Otsuchi, Onogawa, Kesennuma, Minamisanriku, Miyako, Sendai......and on, and on, and on. Each a city with horrific tales of devastation, many of them completely gone. Many are being referred to as "villages", but a city of 20,000 is not a village in my mind. Over a week later, the extent of the horror, the number of the cities affected, is still not known.

World Blog - In Japan, the Mormon network gathers the flock

worldblog.msnbc.msn.com

March 20 ~ I have counted at least 20 cities (a city of 15 to 20,000 is not a village in my mind) in northern Japan that have been mostly or completely washed away by tsunami, and that is only what I have heard/read about. What is the actual count?

 

today this new fabirc print, "girls day" by michael miller, arrived for our shop:

enroute to santiago

my parents were flying over peru on a flight from dallas to santiago, in the wee hours of the morning, to begin serving as missionaries in santiago, when their plane turned around and headed towards miami, and the earthquake in chile was announced.

read more about their experience on their new blog.

strange but true....and i'm grateful

a random list of strangely true recent happenings.
i can see the had of the Lord in at least the first two, if not all:

thursday night we were startled by a large sonic-type boom that seemed to come from down low, rather than up high. it resonated through the earth and our home. while the details are still sketchy, this is what we have since learned..... a man was building pipe bombs in his home, less than a mile from us, and quite near the temple. one accidentally went off, removing his hand..... how it could make a boom that big, and only take off his hand? we don't know...... why was he building pipe bombs? we don't know that either, but have heard that he is known for his anti-mormon "antics". people in sycamore haven, up the river to the north, said their windows rattled from the explosion. the police reportedly sent robots into the bomber's home to disarm at least 3 more pipe bombs.....we are grateful that it ended as it did.

two weeks ago or so, i was driving along the river road, giving a friend whose car was getting repaired a ride home. she noticed a young boy walking along the road and commented that he was awfully young to be walking alone. it was late afternoon, approaching dusk, and very cold. i didn't think much of it, and passed him by, but then felt that i should pull over and wait for him to approach. i knew that he shouldn't talk to strangers, (or get into a stranger's car!), but felt compelled to ask him a few questions.
me: hi! do you need a ride?
boy: well, yah.
me: where are you going? do you live nearby?
boy: i'm going to keokuk (15 miles away)
me: why are you going to keokuk?
boy: to find my mom
me: where do you live?
boy: nauvoo, but i'm not going back there, i'm mad at my dad.
me: how old are you?
boy: 9
he was an adorable and very sweet little boy. and i wanted to help him, but was unsure how to proceed. so i started offering silent prayers for guidance. and i was able to take him to my home, after taking my friend home, even though he refused to go back to nauvoo, and then track down his grandparents who were most grateful. he goes to school with my little ones, and i know his cousin who is in mia's class. in asking him more questions, it became clear that his father hadn't really done anything wrong, this little guy just felt a sense of injustice in the way his father had handled something, and set out looking for his mom who has been absent for years. i later learned that his mother is only allowed to see him under supervision. i felt how much the Lord loves him to guide us to bring him safely home. if my friend wouldn't have been in the car with me, i don't think i would have noticed him or stopped for him. if she had been driving alone, she wouldn't have known how to find his grandparents. as it was, we each had something to offer in his "rescue". the river road is narrow, winding and very dangerous. it would have soon been dark and very cold. and no one yet realized that he was missing. what if my friend hadn't noticed him or said anything? what if i hadn't stopped? i am so grateful that it ended as it did.

we experienced countless earthquakes during our years in japan, some big enough and long enough to cause quite a bit of anxiety. but now we are experiencing something new: thunder that feels like an earthquake. and it is quite unnerving. we have had thunder that rattles the dishese in the cupboards and makes the whole house shake. wednesday morning brock & i both sat up straight in bed at about 5:40. i thought it sounded like half of our home was being sheared away. brock thought it sounded like we were being hit by hurricane force winds. we were both wrong. it was thunder. and such a storm ensued. each thunder (not clap, not roll...) boom & shake felt like it would last forever. lightning would strike, and the thunder would be immediate and go on and on and on. i have truly never known anything like it. maybe i will get used to it as i did to earthquakes.....we'll see. but the old timers here seemed to be as shocked as we were by the storm. i am so grateful that we were all safe and dry and warm.

veterans day

on november 11th, veterans day, we celebrated by visiting the lincoln sites in springfield. it was a 2 1/2 hour drive each way in pouring rain, and completely worth it. we loved it. visiting the home where the lincoln lived from 1844 when their first son was born to 1860 when he was elected was a treat.

and the presidential museum was amazing....like disneyland but meaningful. it was incredibly kid friendly and entertaining.

noah & mia visit the lincolns at the white house

"tashi-rick douglas" & "lexi todd lincoln"

 

tiny "noaham lincoln" & "mia the freed slave"

lincoln has long been one of my ultimate heros, and this trip only made me feel more so. i also added two books to my want to read list: "the madness of mary lincoln" & "the case of abraham lincon".

it seemed a fitting time to visit....veterans day....the gettysburg address was given in november....and lincoln was elected president in november....we came home inspired, grateful, and uplifted for the greatness of one man, and a nation.

i bought these postcards and framed them in a 50% off frame from hobby lobby. the log cabin (appropriate) quilt top from my collection was made in the 1880s.

while we were there, i couldn't shake the impression that the times we are living in are every bit as fraught with dangers and that courage and right are just as crucial to the survival of our nation as in the times of lincoln. here's an interesting note: lincoln was the least liked and had the lowest approval ratings of any president in history. i adore him.

lexi also blogged about her feelings from the day.

election day

i voted for the president of the United states in the Untied States this morning. i spent the last three presidential elections in Japan, and voted by absentee. it felt good to go to the polls this morning with noah & gracie. i was voter 110 in nauvoo at 8:15 am.

last night for family home evening we discussed the 12th article of faith, participating in the political process, and making voting decisions prayerfully.

at our house, we are completely appalled by obama's support of late term abortion, partial birth abortion, and allowing babies born live from failed abortion attempts to be laid aside to die. we are appalled by abortion in general. and this quote from obama break our hearts:
'if one of my daughters makes a mistake, i don't want her to be punished by a baby."
as an adoptive family, and children of god, we can't consider any baby to ever be a punishment.

we aren't one issue voters, there are many other issues on which we disagree with obama. but enough said.

my teenagers have been particularly upset by the abortion issue.
lexi made her feelings known at school yesterday by wearing this:
and this:

why?

departing from the general theme of my blog, i am going to share some information i have recently come across that i thought worthy of repeating.

item #1: mountain dew
we found a new orthodontist for natasha and at our first visit, he informed us that if we became his patients, he would not allow us to drink mountain dew. well, we don't. we don't drink caffeinated drinks and rarely drink carbonated drinks. but he proceeded to give us an astounding list of reasons to avoid mountain dew.
1. cavities - he and his associates have seen as many as 30 to 50 cavities in one check up from avid mountain dew fans.
2. kidneys - he gave me case after documented case, from physicians in the area, including the physician of the year for last year, who have seen young people, teenagers who drink mountain dew, go into renal failure  and require dialysis and kidney donors. apparently, it is caused by the yellow dye. why haven't we heard of this? why is it still on the market? according to our ortho, they are paying these people off in huge out-of-court settlements.
3. reproductive organs - a family with three teenagers in his practice are under treatment because their reproductive organs were being attacked, purportedly caused by mountain dew, and infertility in women has been reported after regularly drinking mountain dew.
i haven't researched this out completely myself, but i invite you to do so, especially if you drink mountain dew.
4. breast lumps - caused by the excessive caffeine. lexi is reading over my shoulder and saying "grossss!!!!"
5. hyperactivity - but i think we all knew this one, didn't we?

item #2: a bill introduced in 2005
i just learned, well brock learned and shared with me, as is so often the case, that in 2005 john mccain introduced a bill that would have regulated fannie mae & freddie mac, and prevented the problems that they have now caused our economy. his bill was voted down by many, including john kerry, hillary clinton, and barak obama who were receiving campaign donations from the parties that would have been negatively affected by the regualtions. i am not john mccain's biggest supporter, nor am i trying to drum up votes. but i ask, again & again i ask, why are these critical news items never addressed by the mainstream media? why? i'm sure there is a good reason, and i don't like thinking about what that reason may be. i am starting to wonder if the reason that i am not john mccain's biggest supporter is that i don't have all the info.

ok. to balance out the heaviness of this post, here is some light-hearted campaign fun. lexi, tashi, and i had already noticed the similarities between tina fey & sarah palin. and we got a good laugh when we found this clip from snl where tina fey spoofed sarah palin, and amy poelher also did a good hillary clinton impression. be warned, as is the case with snl, there are a few inappropriate lines. i laughed over them so my girls (and I) couldn't hear them. 

i like her

i didn't expect this, but after tonight's speech, i find that i really do like sarah palin. i find it difficult not to respect her. not because she is a woman. and not because she is a woman who has succeeded in a man's world, in politics. not because of her gender, but because of the person she is. i am impressed with her record as governor. and with her confidence and inner strength.

i admit that i do have concerns with the strain her campaign and possible election will place on her children. because, in spite of the cry that it is unfair to question whether a woman running in an election can spend enough time with her family when men are never questioned in the same way, i still believe that motherhood is different. it is special & unique. a  mother can offer something to her children that no one else, even the most devoted father can. motherhood is sacred, and it's a woman's highest calling. so i am feeling some concern.

but i cannot judge what is best for sarah palin and her family. that is for them to decide.

and i really do like her. i do.

confession

i am somewhat hesitant to make this confession, because i don't want to offend, or strain any friendships, but i just can't keep it inside any longer. i don't love the stephanie meyer books. i don't hate them, but i don't truly enjoy them either. i read them out of a sense of duty, because my girls read them, and i thought i should see what they were reading. i don't relate to bella, at all. i don't get into edward either. and as another blogger brought up this week, they aren't really appropriate for the young teenage audience they are targeting.

ok, enough said, it is off my chest. and i am only expressing my opinion, not feeling at all critical or disapproving of anyone who feels differently. if you love it, enjoy it. i'll be happily enjoying other books.

this is for natalie (and anyone else who loves to hate walmart)

natalie has brought it to my attention that the links on my post "love to hate WALMART" didn't work. i was a new blogger when it was written, and i linked to the blogs the articles were on, rather than the actual posts. i have fixed that now.

and.....by the way.....i have since found out why mandee finds that walmart always smells like "a fart". i apologize that this is not a nice topic, and yet i think it bears some discussion. it is unbelievable, and yet true. my sister and her son, and my brother and his wife have both had the SAME experience at DIFFERENT walmarts, far away from each other, which involved human fecal matter in the middle of the isle. one of them was not fortunate enough to avoid stepping in it.

and now that i live in the u.s. , i think i just need to go thrifting WITH kelly, or gloria, and hone my thrifting skills. gloria and i did go antique-ing in the midwest - very fun!

wildfires continue

last night as darkness fell, i looked directly west from our home, and saw a line of fire running north and south. it looked 10 miles away or less. i wondered if i should just get the kids out, and not risk having to evacuate in the middle of the night. but when i prayed, i felt as i have every time i have prayed since saturday, that our town and our home will be protected. so we stayed, and we were still here in the morning. at 6 a.m., the fire was reportedly 17 miles west of us, and winds have blown towards the west all day. over 320,000 acres have burned, and the fire is still only 10 % contained.

this photo shows how the fire surrounded cove fort, but didn't burn it or the missionary residences - amazing and miraculous.

another cove fort photo