Thank you - Dave's message

First of all, I would like to thank REVEREND HANAYAMA and RINBAN FUJIMOTO for officiating the service today. Thanks to MR LARRY HIRAHARA for chairing today. Also, thank you to KAHORI KURAMURA for providing the beautiful music throughout the ceremony. And thank you to LES KANESHIRO for handling the audio and visual today. Also thank you to MR MEL AOKI, MS NORIKO UCHIDA, and MS CAROL CISNEROS for helping to organizing today’s ceremony.

My family would also like to thank all of the HONORARY PALLBEARERS, USHERS, and TEMPLE MEMBERS AT THE UKETSUKE. We are also thankful for the koden, kind thoughts, and delicious food from our family and friends that we have received over the past two weeks. Everything has made this difficult time much easier to bear.

Finally, we would like to thank all of you for taking time to honor my mother. I think Mom would be surprised by how many people are here today. But then, she never considered her kindness and loving as anything special. She never knew that the way she led her life would touch so many people and mean so much to us all. It was simply the way – the only way – she knew how to live her life.

I don’t think I would be able to describe how much we will miss our mother. But seeing everyone here today – seeing the product of her kindness, her love, her life – helps ease the pain of our loss. It helps to know she will always be a part of the hearts and lives of each of us here.

After the ceremony today, we will be having refreshments in the gym behind the temple. Thank you to the Buddhists Women’s Association of Salinas and the other temple members for setting up in the gym. Also thank you to those of you who brought food today. So please join us after the service to reminisce and celebrate our mother.

Thank you.

Words of Appreciation - Sheri

Daughter, Sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, friend….these are a few words used to describe my mother…but, one word can encompass them all….Caregiver.

It is true that mothers give the most of themselves to their family and especially their children, but Mom gave to many people beyond her nuclear family. In 1962, when she said “I Do” and married our father, she took on the additional responsibility of helping with the care of my grandparents, uncles and the family business. During her many hospital stays at Stanford this year, it has taken many people to help fill in for Mom’s absence. Besides farm business, there were medications to be ordered and organized, doctor’s appointments to be scheduled and attended with my father, brother and uncle. Mom would do all of this at a blink of the eye….to make up for her absence it took not only my brothers and myself, but, cousins and friends to help make up for the hole.

Many of her concerns should she have a liver transplant, was not about her own recovery, but how it would affect the family. Dad and Gary have to work, Dean needs to go to his workshop, Dave and I have our own families. One day I did get the truth out of her…she was afraid that she could never pay us back for helping her. I tried to explain to her that she had “paid it forward” and that we were paying her back for all of the things she has done for us…but, she was not used to accepting help…only giving it.

You would think that she would have had her hands full with the family and farm business, but she also made time to help here at the temple. While we were growing up, Mom would always be there to help at our youth group fundraisers and conferences. Although it was exhausting for her in the recent years, she enjoyed working at Fujinkai and temple activities especially helping to organize the Obon pastry booth. During her last hospital stay in April, she was VERY concerned about the “Food Sale” tickets. (BTW: the food sale is being held tomorrow) She would ask “Where are the tickets? We need to find out who will be home. How many tickets do we need? We need to get the money and ticket counts in.” She would go on for a while…until I told her that I had spoken to Carol and everything is taken care of. (BTW: I need some tickets).

Also during her last stay at Stanford, I started a Blog, an online diary of Mom’s status during the last hospital visit. In one of the posts I mentioned the song, The Dash. My husband, Jeffrey, played it at his father’s memorial a few years ago. It tells about a man reading a Eulogy at a friend's memorial. He read the dates of her birth and death...but, the most important part was the "dash" that separated the dates. The song goes on to explain, that the most important part of a person's life, is how they "live their dash". It doesn't matter how much money a person makes, or what car they drive...what matters is how they "live"...Doris and Teri both spoke of Mom’s Dash…it was huge, she touched many people’s lives. I am so proud to have a mother with such a full dash.

Thank you to everyone who sent flowers, cards, emails, FB posts and Blog comments during Mom’s illness. We read Mom all of the letters and emails…and she appreciated your concern and get well wishes. The family thanks you for being Mom’s friend and allowing her to “care for you”…and thank you Mom for being the best caregiver we will ever have.

My brother Dave would like to say a few words.

Thank you

Just a quick note...just got home and unwound a little.

My brother thanked everyone at the service for attending...but, I wanted to reiterate. The whole family was overwhelmed the amount of support we have received. Mom would have been embarrassed by all of the attention, kind words, and love that she received...but, that was Mom.

It was nice seeing all of you, although I don't think I was able too see all 500+ of you...the flowers, personal comments and support from each of you has helped ease our pain. Thank you...

I have been asked to send people my speech...I guess some people had a hard time understanding me through my tears...so, I will post it tomorrow.

We hope everyone travelled safely home...especially you Wendy - thanks for coming out from Memphis TN and keeping me up until 2 A.M. Sunday morning...have a safe summer.