Remember the June 1 post, I'd mentioned the person I'd bumped into here at the park first photographing the Kawasemi and how after meeting her several times I'd managed to talk about the Lord then found out she was a staunch Buddhist? Most Japanese are demure, polite, will not offend you no matter what. But Takako was born into a Soka Gakkai, clearly anti-Christian militant Buddhist family.
Despite the fact our world views are diametrically opposed, Takako and I have developed an unusual friendship. Would you pray? I thought: 1. Our differences in belief, when they became apparent, would end everything, and she would disappear from my life, but she did not. She not only kept coming back; she actually brought me some crops from her father-in-law's nearby farm.
2. When I went to the U.S. and Canada, I thought she would more or less forget about me and go about her life. After all, we had met only about two months before that. She had been a Buddhist for years before she knew about me! But when I came back and called, she had not only not forgotten.... Despite high temperatures preventing visits to the park, Takako has phoned me, and we have had good, long talks).
In them, she wanted to talk about reincarnation, about the necessity of finding eternal truth when we die because we can never be sure of things in this life, and that's a reality we must face, she said. I had to stop her there, saying, reality, to me, wasn't religion or truth in the afterlife, but things like how to get along with your husband, how to enjoy your food, how to get through a hot day or pack for a move. Maybe this is a simple way of thinking, I told her, but I'm satisfied with, need a God that loves me now and meets today's needs.
Takako gave me her mailing address to send her the drawing of the golden-ringed emperor (dragonfly) that stopped on her visor. Along with it, I plan to send her several other pictures from that sketchbook (she would recognize the places at the park.) Please pray one day she would recognize, in life, a Heavenly Father Who has loved her all along.
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(No, I didn't have time to sketch. I found an old outline I'd started and fiddled with lighting, color tint, saturation and contrast, etc..., to get you the above blue drawing; since I did meet Takako when she was photographing the Kawasemi pictured above. The other drawings are old and have been in previous posts. They are ones I will be giving Takako--oh; she works on the farm so is not afraid of snakes, actually helped me find one.)
