Monday, August 23, 2004
Saturday, August 21
At the breakfast table, we all shared our thoughts and what we enjoyed about
the trip. Shig, the Japanese companion who could speak English translated Ti's
thoughts. He then told us why he had asked Ti to come along with him to the
United States for this back packing trip. With Ti sitting there completely
unaware of what was being said, Shig told us that Ti had lost his son this year and
has been very sad. He wanted to bring Ti to the United States to give him an
opportunity to be happy again and over the course of this week this has been the
happiest he has seen Ti since the death of his son.
(As I write this right
now, my eyes have swelled up with tears and I cant see the keyboard. I don’t know why this has touched me so deeply. Maybe it is because I am a father too now. Though I dont not know the pain of the death of a child, I do know the love of a child. I guess that is why I hurt for Ti.)
Over the course of the week, I have laughed a lot with Ti. None of us had any
idea of his recent lost. Though, I could not speak with him directly, we
communicated through smiles, high fives, pats on the backs, bows and face
expressions. To be apart of an experience that has brought joy into the heart of
someone who needed it is beyond description. I have cried for Ti several times
since my return. Tuesday he returns to Japan with his hundreds of photos he has
taken. I hope that this happy occasion, (what he and Shig have called this
trip) has brought some sort of healing for him.
At the breakfast table, we all shared our thoughts and what we enjoyed about
the trip. Shig, the Japanese companion who could speak English translated Ti's
thoughts. He then told us why he had asked Ti to come along with him to the
United States for this back packing trip. With Ti sitting there completely
unaware of what was being said, Shig told us that Ti had lost his son this year and
has been very sad. He wanted to bring Ti to the United States to give him an
opportunity to be happy again and over the course of this week this has been the
happiest he has seen Ti since the death of his son.
(As I write this right
now, my eyes have swelled up with tears and I cant see the keyboard. I don’t know why this has touched me so deeply. Maybe it is because I am a father too now. Though I dont not know the pain of the death of a child, I do know the love of a child. I guess that is why I hurt for Ti.)
Over the course of the week, I have laughed a lot with Ti. None of us had any
idea of his recent lost. Though, I could not speak with him directly, we
communicated through smiles, high fives, pats on the backs, bows and face
expressions. To be apart of an experience that has brought joy into the heart of
someone who needed it is beyond description. I have cried for Ti several times
since my return. Tuesday he returns to Japan with his hundreds of photos he has
taken. I hope that this happy occasion, (what he and Shig have called this
trip) has brought some sort of healing for him.
