“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
― Albert Camus
Respectful. Polite. Appreciative. Humble. Sacred. I hate those adjectives that describe the Japanese in general. Those words are too naive to describe who we really are. Do you still blindly believe that the Japanese are that innocent? That wouldn’t be the case any longer if you observed us closely.
On the very last day of July when the sun was glaring, I visited both my paternal and maternal graves with my parents and relatives. Some would say that it is to pay respects to the families, but I’m not quite sure about that.
Not only is it their excuse to gather together to blow off some steam by gossiping within the circle of family, it is their perfect opportunity to eat free food paid by my uncle. My uncle – let’s talk about him – loves gossiping especially when it comes to his hopeless daughter and his doomed grandson. He’s been an unfortunate person who spent a miserable marriage life thanks to his dominant wife who passed away years ago. As far as I remember, the last time I had seen him was at my cousin’s wedding. During the dinner party of the wedding, he had told all of us how much he had wanted to divorce his late wife. Funny, right? That had been the most unforgettable and awkward moment in the ceremony. He is just a horrible example, but I should stop writing bad things about my family.
Finally, let me tell you how we visited our families’ graves. We stopped at a florist shop to pick up some flowers and fill a bucket with water. My aunt dipped the water from the bucket and poured it to wash the body of the gravestones. Then, we used incense and flowers for an offertory. Since there are special tray for incense and stands for flowers, we put flowers inside and place the lighted bundle of incense in the tray. When we finished cleaning and offering, we offered our prayers. We put both hands together and prayed to our ancestors and said thanks as well. Not sure what my uncle prayed for though.
