March 11 Remembered

March 11, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

For Japanese in Tohoku March 11 might be considered as profound a date, albeit very different, as September 11 is for Americans. The causes of the two, of course, are not anywhere near the same, with one entirely natural, the other a deliberate human choice. However, the scars in the psyche of both nations are deep and highly significant.

Even as wars rage and much of the world is being torn to pieces bomb by bomb, the people in Tohoku continue their long march of rebuilding, up from the destruction left by their 2011 disaster.

Every year since then, March 11 is a day of memory, of silent reflection, and of prayer. In order to honor that life-changing day and what has been happening since then, local people make every effort to remember and to build hope.

This year, four years after the tragedy, a touching art show was held in an underground passageway in Sendai City.

Local school children and adults were asked to contribute a piece that for them reflected the changes happening daily in the world around them. Here (above and below) are a few of the gems that were on display.

Be uplifted.