Ms. GH (a woman in her 70’s) G.Hさん （７０代）

April 17, 2014 I feel “Thank you” for having a chance to encounter with a disaster that happens only once in a thousand years. I could experience something that occurs once in a thousand years! I was six years old when World War II ended. The war was much harder. It’s no use feeling sad. Why people are throwing away things that became dirty by the Tsunami when those things can be used again once washed? Throwing away because you can buy them again is so wasteful. The apartment building I owned was totally destroyed. I want to quickly provide a new housing that meets the expectations of my tenants. If people stay and continue to live, it will also accelerate reconstruction of the city. I’m volunteering to teach tea ceremony for the tea ceremony club at a school. After the disaster, young students quickly came to help me. I felt generous hearts that money couldn’t buy and repayment for my volunteer work. You can recover fast by changing the way you think and handle matters, valuing meeting with people and holding yourself firm. During these three years, I felt there was a difference in speed of recovery in people based on the difference in the way they lived their lives. I returned home from a shelter on the fourth day, determined to rebuild my apartment building and applied for a loan. There are things you can do only because you experienced the Tsunami such as contributing to the community. My husband passed away when I was 53. It’s important to change yourself. It’s a pleasure to serve others and others will return a favor to serve you, too. I hope to build my house disaster proof for which there is a subsidy by the city. The tea chest was floating on the water among waves that attacked the first floor of my house. Inside the chest was an expensive tea cup for the tea ceremony. Kimonos were safe for being on the second floor. As a matter of fact, during the week before the disaster, I was preparing for a large tea ceremony (the first one for the New Year), put the only expensive tea cup in the tea chest and placed the chest in the alcove. When I saw this tea cup that survived the disaster, I had an instinct of having “a tea ceremony that can only be offered by me”. I felt something was protecting me. You can manage goods and money. I know life will end eventually. I’ve learned many things from practicing the tea ceremony. I wanted to live for myself during my 50’s but for my 60’s, I want to live for others by passing the teaching of the tea ceremony to the next generations. The disaster allowed me to experience many things. Three years later, there are many people with an empty heart. It varies person to person but I believe it’s the individuals who need to overcome the disaster. I think how to utilize my life, how to recover and be needed by others, and I want to live my life in my own way. After 2014, I think mental health care is going to be needed. It’s important to always have a sense of “self” and not expect a reward. If you raise a child or animal, you will grow with them, too. Having established “self” will enable you to accept others and excuse them. If you are emotionally independent, you have a chance to catch luck. Polish yourself, don’t envy or hate others. Also as important is to have financial independence, dignity and grace, know what’s adequate for you. Have a purpose in life and think how to live. I think about my mental attitude, how to live every day, relationship, etc.