Remember Sendai

Day 152: Years ago, during the months of summer while my uncle was visiting Sendai, we received reports of an earthquake. The media here in the US showed footage of trembling buildings and fleeing citizens, so the family was surprised when Lee's monthly postcard came with no mention of the event. When he returned home, he was equally surprised by the number of friends who descended upon him wanting to know about his experience. Oh, he had heard about the earthquake, but although he'd been near the epicenter, he'd felt nothing. As the story came out, we realized that the TV stations had shown stock films, not images from the actual event during which, as Lee described it, "people went about doing business as usual." Because of this, the phrase "Remember Sendai?" became a buzzword between us, the inference being that perhaps one should take news reports with a grain of salt.

I am not telling this story through any disbelief of current events. I am telling it simply to place Sendai in a familial reference. To my uncle, Sendai was a special place, a place where he felt at home when he was away from home, a place with which he felt a deep spiritual connection. He would often spend time sitting at a shrine or in a garden there, connected to a vaster universe. Sendai was an essential part of Lee's humanity.

Today, we do not know how many of his acquaintances have survived. Undoubtedly, the ryokans where he stayed are gone, and the temples and the gardens. For him, I have created this image, and I ask that my readers also remember Sendai.