Rebecca’s Reflections
Moving Stories: Two Suitcases and a Start
When I moved to St. Louis from Tokyo in 1991, I arrived with two suitcases. I had finally learned—after years of international travel—to only bring what I could carry. Before this trans-Pacific move, I’d been something of a vagabond, never acquiring too many things or...
Moving Stories: Sending Love Letters to a House
Moving is stressful. There’s the packing and unpacking, the planning, the travel. The process is physically taxing. It can also be emotionally fraught, especially when buying or selling a house is involved. I’ve recently put my beloved house on the market. It’s time...
Falling Leaves: An Interview with Wendy Jones Nakanishi
Wendy Jones Nakanishi, writing under the pen name Lea O’Harra, is the author of the Inspector Inoue detective series. She published Falling Leaves, the latest and last in the four-novel series, in February. The novel is set in rural Kyushu, opens with the kidnapping...
“ABANDONED”! How Mother Navigated International Travel with Two Teenagers
Mother always managed to turn hardship into opportunity. I’ll never forget our trip to Japan in the summer of 1976. Mother, Luke, and I traveled first to Portland to visit with older sister, Judy. After a few days with her, we flew to San Francisco where we had a long...
Mother’s Secret Admirer
Mother was a natural healer. Even without a degree in nursing or training in first aid, she always knew just what to do. Although she was a rather timid person normally, when it came to patching someone up, she was fearless. My father liked to work on his mountain...
Healing Touch
Scrape a knee, bump an elbow and Mother was the person to go to. She had a ready supply of Bactine and Band-aids, drops for swimmer’s ear, and needles for splinters. No matter how badly I banged myself up, she always made me feel better. Her healing properties didn’t...