Love Overcomes Language Barrier

My father-in-law is flying home to Japan today.

He did a lot while he was here. He completed a long list of things to fix around the house, gave painting lessons to my wife, and put up a mini-gallery of his own work.

He also spent a lot of time with Kai. He went to Kai’s swim lessons and karate class, his soccer games and skating class. He even experienced trick-or-treating for the first time.

He saw good moments and bad.

He said that he leaves feeling good about all he saw of Kai, and will have peace of mind thinking of his grandson when he is back in Japan. He will be better able to picture everything Kai is doing when he reads about his activities on this blog.

Kai is also better off for the time he spent with his grandfather, though he may not understand it now. Dignity and grace are not taught by words as much as they are through the actions of others. And in time, this may be what Kai will take away most from his time with his grandfather.

It is sometimes hard to tell if Kai misses someone after they leave. He doesn’t show those types of emotions very often. But I am sure that Kai knows that his grandfather loves him very much. And whether he shows it or not, he will miss having Jiji around.

As we all will.

Thank you for visiting, Jiji. Come again soon!


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To read more about Jiji’s visit, please read this week’s column in the Patch.