Happy Thanksgiving 2024

 

This year we celebrate Thanksgiving with our daughter Aria and our son in law Daniele and our three grandchildren Sofia, Rocco and Michael.

Two Bros in Honolulu November 2024

 

Bachi ga ataru

 Bachi is a Japanese word that is similar to karma, but relates just to negative actions.  In Japanese, they say "bachi ga ataru" meaning something bad will happen to you if your actions are malicious.

A Scene from the Movie "Twins"

 Mom and Dad right in front of Arnold!

Some People are Sunlight

 

The State of the World

 "Someone asked me, "Aren't you worried about the state of the world?"  I allowed myself to breathe and then I said ," What is most important is not to allow your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart.  If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will not be able to help."

 -  Thich Nhat Hanh

We Can Do It

 

Going for a solo hike to the very top of the mountain (the escarpment behind our house) to an elevation of 1200 feet. And what did I find?  A sign with a much needed message for our times.  And an orange monarch butterfly followed me for most of the hike.  Grandma Ruth said everything is going to be okay. 

4th Grade Writers Month of October

 

Sofia's school writing program throughout the year will be where every teacher selects one student in from their class to read aloud his/her paper (final piece) in front of the grade level, as well as any family members the student chooses to invite. Sofia's teacher wrote: " The student is selected based on their ability to work through the writing process independently and who craft a piece that supports the prompt for the unit. Our prompt was to write a personal narrative.  I have selected Sofia to be our Writing Celebration reader- I am so proud of her and the narrative she has created! I know she was very intentional with her time working on this piece."

"Personal Narrative"

Meeting Angie

     It was a late Saturday when my mom said we were going to the animal foster center.  After a 30 minute drive, we parked.  Me and my little brother hopped out with the wind blowing through our hair.

     Then we spotted a little playpen, so we slowly and cautiously walked

toward it. Then we saw it was our new foster puppy!  Angie was three months old and didn't have a lot of fur yet.  She was small and had very sharp teeth.  She was teething and biting my finger. It only hurt a little bit. She had really big eyes that made her really cute, but she looked nervous and unsure.  And as my mom talked with the worker, we got to play with her.  On the way home at the very end of the ride, she vomited! I was in shock and I felt bad for her.  But we got it cleaned up.  Finally we got to go home with her. Then we got to show her my house.  Angie slowly walked in and sniffed around the house. But before we knew it she messed up the house! She scratched up the wood table and bit a bunch of me and my brother's stuff, leaving teeth marks everywhere.  But with those cute glowing eyes, she would have gotten away with anything. I loved playing tug-of-war with her with my blanket. Besides, she was not that bad at tugging. 

     That night another dog, George the French bulldog, came over and it was like watching Wrestling!  They were tackling and blocking each other. Angie would be on one side of the table and George on the other. They were barking and running in circles. I had fun watching them. 

     The next morning was her last day.  I was so sad, but I knew it was for the best. She had already found a family in New York just like my other foster puppy, Beans. So once we finished packing her things, we went to the shelter. Finally, I said my last goodbye and gave her  to the worker.  And from that day on, nothing was the same. But whenever I think of her I feel more than happy for her.

3 Amigos

 Jocelyn, Karen and Tom had lunch together.  A mini reunion. 

 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go....

Dallas here we come!

Family Birthday Party for Mary, Barb and Jocelyn

Quote by MLK

 

 

 "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish

together as fools." Martin Luther King, Jr. 

A Prayer

 " Dear God, grant us the courage to breathe deeply

and live fully, embracing each moment with gratitude,

compassion, and a spirit of unity that lifts us all. 

Amen" 

 

Celebrating Marion's Birthday

 

My Italian language classmates met on November 5th to celebrate our friend Marion's birthday. (November 14th is her actual birthday) but we needed to get together earlier.  We had a nice lunch at Kabuki Japanese restaurant. It's one of Marion's favorites and then we went to her house after for coffee and fruit tart.  Happy Birthday Marion!  

 

 

This is America We Pray

 

"Do not be daunted

by the enormity 

of the world's grief.

Do justly, now.

Love mercy, now,

You are not obligated

to complete the work

but neither are you free

to abandon it." -the Talmud

The Golden Bachelorette Finale

 "In a cozy living room, two friends bonded by their love for reality TV, prepared for their favorite night of the week, "The Bachelorette" viewing party.  The clink of champagne flutes and the fizz of gin and tonics set the mood, while an array of delicious hors d'oeuvres and a decadent chocolate cake awaited their indulgence. As the drama unfolded on screen, the friends exchanged knowing glances, offering commentary more entertaining than the show's contestants.  They laughed, they gasped, and as the final rose ceremony approached, they leaned in, ready toast to another night of friendship, fun, and unforgettable TV moments.  And in that cozy corner of the world, their own story was the real showstopper. "

Sunday Walk in November

 On Sunday November 3rd we took a walk to Marine Stadium: A beautiful day.  The water sparkled. Peaceful Sunday walk. This big turquoise and white boat reminded me of our old 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air. I really loved that car. That was maybe my dad’s first new car. It felt really special. 

 

Memories of Dad

 

 

 This picture of my dad popped up on my phone with this caption to reimagine my photo with a creative backdrop. If you knew my dad this would make you laugh. He was a quiet, reserved man that would happily sit and watch people at a party rather than be the center of attention. Sparkly Disco backgrounds were not my dad’s thing. In his later years he got into acting bit parts in movies by accident . Again highly unlikely given his quiet demeanor. This somehow made him very attractive to casting personnel. Without trying in a lineup he would easily snag a good role. He was on shows like Moonlighting, Cagney and Lacey, General Hospital. One time he was supposed to say a line when this guy runs in and interrupts a card game. The guy runs in and my dad misses his cue. The director yells cut and says Bill you didn’t say your line when the guy came in. What happened? My dad said “I didn’t want to stop , I have great cards and my hand was too good!” My sweet dad I miss you.

Under this post on facebook the comments: 

 Andy Kudo: Awww. Mr. Yamadera. I remember him well. Mrs too.Your mother was always so happy and so funny. She was a thrill to be around.

Jocelyn:  I love this picture of Dad. I believe he had that good poker hand in a film called “The Two Jakes”, which was a sequel to “Chinatown” with Jack Nicholson.

Nancy:  But I also remember uncle Bill as one uncle who would always draw us out onto the dance floor at any big party. He would catch your eye and point his finger and motion out to dance!! Never said a word but he always got a dance partner!! Love uncle Bill!!

Me: Nancy,  yes i think he needed a couple of drinks then all bets were off!

Karen: Nancy,  he was the strong, silent type. This made me laugh as I could imagine him doing that!

 

Some October fun School Concerts, School Plays and More

 

Memory Loss

 

We Learn From Our Children

 I sent my daughter this:

"SURROUND YOURSELF

WITH PEOPLE WHO:

EMPOWER YOU

BELIEVE IN YOU

SUPPORT YOU

UPLIFT YOU

MOTIVATE YOU

APPRECIATE YOU"

She sent me this:

Well yes, but also look around at those disenfranchised communities that don’t have the resources to motivate or empower anyone as they struggle to make ends meet. Part of the reason so many elite liberals were blindsided by the election results is because they are themselves narcissistic isolationists, so we only have a leg up on Trump if we look carefully at his supporters and understand that the majority of them are just misguided and under-served by our current political system.

If we only cling to like-minded people we won’t ever have a chance at real dialogue and change so part of the hard work ahead is to be willing to get out of our comfort zones and resist the urge to block out the voices we don’t want to hear. ❤️‍🩹

How To Be Happy

 

Almost 2 Months

 

SMU Fall Fun

 

                                                   

                                                     November

Patriotic Day

Rocco's first stage performance pre school