In our garden, primrose flowers and gerbera flowers are in bloom side by side.　The latter are originally from the garden of my mother’s deceased best friend, and the former were my late grandfather’s favorite flowers.　My mother is spending a leisurely time recalling these two important people while enjoying seeing the flowers.

Gerbera petals/

Mix up/

To scarlet/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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庭にプリムラとガーベラが隣り合って咲いています。

プリムラは祖父が好きだった花で、ガーベラは母の今は亡き親友のお家から来たものです。母はしみじみとこの二人のことを懐かしがっています。

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In order to accommodate my mother’s taste, these days I often cook traditional kind of simmered dishes.　I never imagined myself cooking like this when I was young.

Smell of sweet coltsfoots/

On the tips of my fingers/

Lingers something/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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母が喜ぶので煮物をよく作ります。まさかこういう料理を作る日が来るとは思っていませんでしたが。

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Although I never intend to put in a good word about it (in fact, the store worker had a terrible attitude), my mother and I happened to buy sandwiches at a nearby shop of a famous coffeehouse chain and had them on the river bank of the Takano River (in Japanese) enjoying the cherry blossoms which were only early stage of blooming then.

Taking a walk

With one flower petal/

As a gift/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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別に宣伝したい訳ではありませんが（実際、店員の態度が悪かったし）、近くにある有名なコーヒーのチェーン店でサンドイッチを買って、高野川べりで母とお花見をしながらいただきました。そのときには、まだせいぜい三分咲きでしたが。

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I often hear one goes back to their childhood as growing in age.

Mother is making merry/

In her re-gained/

Childhood/

Oh, sunlight/

Flipped by suncatchers/

__ Tomoko

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年を取ると子供に還る、とはよく聞きますが。

幼子に

還った母が

はしゃいでる

サンキャッチャーが

弾く

太陽（ひかり）よ

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Actually, I kept wondering how my mother has been spending time at the day-care facility and at last, I found out she completed knitting a scarf for the raccoon dog figure of Shigaraki ware at the entrance.

Has acquired a little bit of boldness/

Since beginning to wear a/

Red scarf/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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実際のところ、母はデイサービスにお邪魔して何をしているのだろうと思っていたら、玄関先の信楽焼のたぬきのマフラーを編んでいたそうです。

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I bought a couple of Japanese sweets for my mother and myself named “rabbit”.

The snow rabbit made by my old mother who has become quite clumsy doesn’t pale so much.

O, month of February/

Beautiful is/

Japanese confectionery/

Translation and calligraphy by Tomoko

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母と二人でいただくのに「うさぎ」の名を持つ和菓子を買ってきました。

年を取って不器用になった母の作った雪うさぎもそんなに見劣りしません。

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Following is a quotation from an e-mail message from a social worker I really trust.

“How people come into the world, struggle to live, grow old and pass away is not something smooth.

That is exactly the reason I would never want to miss the short-lived glow.”

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信頼しているソーシャルワーカーさんからのメールの一節を書きました。

「人が生まれて生きて老いていなくなっていく様は綺麗に流れるものではない

だからこその一瞬の輝きを見逃さないでいたい」

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