So this is one of the projects we’ve been working on this year in our ministry. It’s a near-to-our-heart project. September 1 is a date in Japan with high rates of suicide– especially among students. A few months ago when this idea came on our radar, we seemed to be surrounded by the theme. Friends… Continue reading Loved
Tag: glimpses
Both Sides of the Door
I was Facetiming with a friend a few weeks ago. We have children of similar ages and were talking about what challenges we were facing with each and figuring out what to do about things. Somewhere in the conversation, she brought up something that her own mom had said, “Children don’t realize as they grow… Continue reading Both Sides of the Door
All the Things I Still Don’t Know
Tonight my daughter came home with homework of fill-in-the-blank words, where they give you a picture and maybe a “letter” (or in our case, a syllable) or two as a hint. These assignments are new as she’s starting to advance in learning her hiragana. Some words I’ve just typed into the dictionary, and together we… Continue reading All the Things I Still Don’t Know
Daily Dispatches
There’s a special pink-zippered bag among my daughter’s school belongings that I’ve discovered is the most important item. They call it the Renraku-bukuro (contact/communication bag). But I call it “The Daily Dispatches” and approach it with a “Sir! Yes Sir!” attitude. My daughter is the messenger, carrying all-important paperwork, notices and messages from the teacher… Continue reading Daily Dispatches
First Day Frenzy
Yesterday we got an email from a fellow worker here in Japan regarding our ministry. It began like this: “Sorry it has taken me a few days to respond… Things have been crazy this week with school starting back up for the kids and especially figuring everything out about my son’s new school as he… Continue reading First Day Frenzy
Nyuugaku
So the day I’ve been preparing for for months finally arrived– The Nyuugaku-shiki or Entrance Ceremony for first graders beginning elementary school. The gymnasium was lined with thick red-and-white-striped material on the walls, flowers across the front, and a wide, high desk on the stage. Chairs were social-distance spaced, and overall, a guarded silence pervaded… Continue reading Nyuugaku
Slouching Efforts
Yesterday, I attended the school play for my middle daughter. My husband attended our eldest daughter’s performance and they rushed home after a flurry of frenzied texts about the delay in the dismissal of the previous session. Dad and I made a mad dash of a switch as he hopped off, I hopped on and… Continue reading Slouching Efforts
Home and Heritage
Over the last year, I’ve been reading a book about raising healthy TCKs (Third Culture Kids). There are some wonderful benefits to raising your kids overseas (like an expanded global worldview, outside-the-box thinkers, an intuitive ability to empathize, etc.). But there are also challenges that many TCKs tend to face and that don’t often surface… Continue reading Home and Heritage
Glimpses
So, I’ve been toying with the idea for a while of changing up the blog format to something that’s a little more feasible… and that’s just to give you short glimpses into the window of our little corner of the world. Hopefully this will let me post more frequently and not have to try to… Continue reading Glimpses
Ninja Mom 