After 21 years...
My late mother passed away 21 years ago, 13th November 2003.
I visited the ossuary (named "Crypta...") today to see my parents.
Around 1998, she developed Alzheimer's disease. Although I don't have precise record, I remember she called me in midnight and told me that my father was attacked by a hooligan. Actually I was in a daily midnight call with my colleague in Massachusetts, but I had to give priority to my mother. It turned out that it had been her illusion, which was obvious. Looking back now on what happened 26 years ago, my mother may have then mistakenly retrieved the memory of my father's car accident in 1984 and have transmogrified it into a different story, or suddenly recollected something else eerily ugly that she had sealed off.
Then, she started wandering due to Alzheimer's disease. Apparently she was searching for her house where she had lived long time ago before she started her life in Tachikawa.
After a few times of wandering attempts, my father determined to admit her to a hospital or a nursing home, which was not easy...but my father managed to find such a facility every 3 months. All what I could do was to visit the facility every weekend whenever possible to meet her, though I had oversea business trips quite often then. She occasionally showed her smile, which was a precious moment for me even though I was fully aware that I would not hear from her about what had happened long time ago.
It was evident that my father made tremendous effort without any complaint.
My mother's will, which was not written as an official testament but was just a private letter, stated that I was to take care of my father and not make him lonely. I cannot tell whether or not I did follow her will perfectly, though I travelled with several times.
In August 2003, when I was with my family in Yokohama in the weekend, my father called me and told that my mother had lost consciousness and got hospitalized. Next day, I visited the hospital. Her eyes were open, and tried to look at somewhere, but she seemed to have completely lost the ability to have a conversation at that time.
I visited the hospital in the next 3 months as often as possible while my work was absurdly demanding. In the morning on 13th of November, my father called me from the hospital and said that my mother breathed her last in front of my father. It was as if she waited for my father to come to see her.
I informed my boss in Sydney to convey the situation, and for a week I didn't care about work at all.
On 15th November 2003, I wrote a memo (in English) after the funeral in anticipation of handing it to my daughters in the future:
It is 15th of November, 2003, Saturday.
…
It is a special day today. When you read this letter, it would have become what happened in the past... You both and your mother went to a crematorium for my mother's cremation. I want to express my thanks to both of you to send my mother (your grandmother) to the Heaven. You do not know that my father (your grandfather), your uncle (Maa-chan) and I placed a stuffed rabbit into her coffin so that she would not feel bored.
I suspect that your grandmother did not tell us in detail about her mysterious half life, but at the same time, there are so many things that I learned from her. She left a testament in which she asked me to read books to you and sing songs with you. I am very lucky that both of you have grown up with loving books.
Well, I should find another chance to write more to both of you. Two days ago, my mother closed her life of eventful 87 years, and today, she was cremated. As your grandfather told, she came back home, so she is with us!
Two years ago, I had the opportunity to have a portrait of my mother painted by master calligrapher and painter Ms. Junko Suzuki whom I immensely respect:
So my mother is with us💜🙏
This post in X (Twitter)⬇️ is about Junko Suzuki's first solo exhibition, which was held in late September. It was a fabulous exhibition by a very humble and studious artist✨
Header Image Credit: Pinterest
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