To our daughter

My daughter, you have started your career as a nurse at a hospital nearby this spring. It has been a bit late for you to do that. You have started studying law at a university in Tokyo at first. You found it was not her calling in your life in a few years and spent moratorium for a few years. Coming back here, you began attending to a nursing course at a university nearby. With pretty good scores, you have graduated from it this spring. We are proud of you, our daughter.

On April 3rd 24 years ago, our aunt has died due to a traffic accident at age 87 years, I believe. It was her who had started working in the medical and nursing field first in our family.

She has suffered from tuberculosis when she was studying in Sendai some years before the WWII. It was an illness destined to death those days.

A teacher from the US, named Mary Schneider, has helped her materially and morally. Aunt has been founded with the belief in Christinaity by Mary's guidance. Mary has supported our aunt giving everything she needed. In several years, aunt has made the illness stabilized and decided to help Mary.

Mary has answered, however, aunt should love and help people who needed them. Love should go round from a person to another. She told aunt not to help herself any longer. Mary has died of cancer at age 42 years. Our aunt decided to live for those who needed her help.

After she had trained herself at a sanatorium of leprosy, she settled down at very this place where we have been living for the past 30 years. This place was neighbor to our aunt's, that is, your grandmother's home. She has started a small sanatorium for a tuberculosis patient at a very small house. It has grown a bit to 12 beds at most later years. The patients were those helpless in the society and their families. Those who could help the others have done their work. Aunt and the others have farewelled to dozens of patients to the heaven. Even though I am away from Christianity, it is surprising how hopeful and gratified they have spent the last days at this poor outlook sanatorium. I was born at that sanatorium where my parents, that is, your grandparents had served for the patients. Your grandmother has started working as a nurse right here. It is not an honor on the earth. Our aunt and her enterprise have almost been forgotten by the people. It was not even recognized properly at that period of twenty years. Remember our family's backbone was in the memory of this aunt's sanatorium.

Time passes so fast. The sanatorium has been closed when antibiotics was curative or controlling the illness. Our aunt has moved to a place totally unkown to her and has spent her last years of life teaching children and testifying her belief to the people around there. It is only for a brief period that you could work for the patients. But, remembering how your aunt has worked here, go through your work from now. Work hard for those need your help. It is worth doing. It is your turn. 

Our aunt and the patients in the sanatorium days.