Pen Friend

Yesterday I got a letter from my "pen friend".

My pen friend lives in Maine and she always begins her letters "My Dear Far-Away Friends,"

Yesterday she wrote about the recent elections, about cleaning her house, she asked about all the animals and also about Takumi and Leiya. She reminisced about some of our earlier letters that she'd found in a drawer while cleaning.

My pen friend's name is Alice and I have been writing to her for over 25 years. We met at the Los Angeles airport after I had gone back to the States for a month and was on my way back to Japan. Alice was going to Japan on a sight seeing tour. As we stood at the check-in counter line we started chatting and requested seats together so that we could continue our conversation on the airplane. I was 26 or 27 years old. Alice was in her early 70's. That makes me 53 now and Alice is 97!!!!

I distinctly remember telling Alice about life in Japan while we traveled across the Pacific Ocean for 10 hours. I was actually at a down point in my life, our first child had just passed away from illness and I'd taken the time in America to get my bearings and be with my American family for a few weeks. I was not looking forward to going back to Japan and a lonely house where dreams had been dashed. Although I didn't tell Alice about my loss I remember trying to tell her about all the good things in Japan, hoping she'd have a good stay while she was visiting. While I talked I realized that not all was gloomy and sad. Japan had a lot of good waiting for me. Good people, interesting customs, beautiful countryside, a loving husband etc. And as I was convincing Alice that she'd have a wonderful time in Japan I pulled myself up and began to actually look forward to returning. To me our meeting was a God given chance to see things from different eyes.

Though Alice and I parted at the Narita airport and have never met in person again, she turned out to be a wonderful correspondent and I, alone in my house, answered her letters. And so for 25 years we've exchanged one or two letters a year. I'm afraid since Internet and e-mail I haven't been such a good pen friend. Alice doesn't do computers. But she seems to do everything else!

Alice once sent me a picture of herself sitting on a Harley Davidson, I think she said it was her grand-nephew's. And she has been up in a hot-air balloon and has travelled around the world a couple of times. She said she was willing to try anything once! Maybe 20 years ago she wrote to say that she had eloped!

"And no, I'm not pregnant!"

Did I ever whoop and laugh at that line! Her somewhat younger neighbor and she had gone travelling around the country and on the spur decided to get married! In another letter she wrote that her health had declined somewhat (but not much!) and for the first time in her life she was taking blood pressure medication.

"So I am now on the PILL! -Ha-!"

Alice's wonderful neighbor/husband passed on 5 years ago just about the time my old dog passed on. I must have written and told her and she wrote back her sympathy and assured me that the dog had had a good home and lots of love. Her next line was to let me know her husband had passed after a "valiant battle against cancer". Here she'd lost the love of her life yet she first consoled me in my sadness over my dog!

Yesterday's letter ended with this thought.

I will close by saying that I've had a "Wonderful Life"-- lots of Sorrow, much Joy and most of all lots of LOVE. God's Blessings. I believe we met in 1983 -- Where did the time go? I know Takumi is about 25 -- so one of my "joys" is that we are still in touch. I wish all of you good health, because when you feel good, nothing is impossible.

Lovingly, Alice
(Love to all the pets!)

I want to be like Alice when I grow up.