The Art of Giving

"And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat."

Since arriving in Japan, and even before leaving, I have found myself on the receiving end of so many wonderful things. Support, both financially and spiritually, has been showered upon me so that I'm caught between bowing under it's weight and stretching higher to reach it all.  In Japan gift giving is a huge part of the culture, we wouldn't dare go to a house without first making sure we have something to give, and out hostess wouldn't dream of letting us leave without first offering us tea of some sort. Monday, being cultural day, we got the immense privilege of visiting with the Virtuoso* sisters at Lady Adroit's house. Lady Adroit is the elder of the two sisters, and she is a spectacular artist. Everything, it seems, that she puts her hand to prospers.  Painting, pottery, sewing, all these come alive in her hands, but she is most famous for her Chigirie (pictures made from torn paper).

         When we went over to her house we first were allowed to admire her work hanging in the hall, then we were seated and given coffee in cups more like bowls than mugs, and served on the cutest trays, with the sugar in Japanese style packets - long and thin. Then the dishes were cleared away and she produced paper and glue. Sitting down, with all five of us foreigners gathered close around her, she dove her hands into the plastic bag of rumpled scraps and, drawing paper from the sack,  proceeded to let her fingers fly. First to the glue dish, then to the postcard. Ripping and tearing and smoothing bits of paper until, before we knew it, a rose had emerged.  After that she demonstrated how to make a morning glory and set us loose.

              
     Twenty minutes later, our hands freshly washed to release them from the glue, we put away the paper and sat down to eat lunch. Yakisoba, with special green soba noodles, sushi rice with crab and avocado, salads that tasted slightly of vinegar, and salads from Misty's own kitchen, were all crowded on to the table and we commenced to eat and eat.

 When we couldn't possibly raise our hashi (chopsticks) one more time, or bring our glasses of mugicha to our lips, Lady Adroit turned on the T.V. and let us watch her daughter's wedding. Her daughter was married with a traditional shinto ceremony. The sipping of the sake, the giving of branch offerings, and the temple maiden's prayer dance highlighted the affair. The bride and groom wore the customary clothes, including the bridal hat that, as Misty told me, is worn to hide the bride's horns. After the ceremony the group goes on to the reception. This is the part of the wedding that friends can attend. Lights, music, cakes for the guest to decorate, rice for them to pound into mochi, and the sporadic entrance of the bride in a different dress characterized the evening. In Japan it is not unusual to have the bride change three or four time during the reception, Lady Adroit's daughter wore five different outfits through the course of the wedding. Three dresses and two kimonos, each with its own bouquet, and hair style.

             After the movie we had another cup of coffee and snuck up stairs to see a chigirie picture of a famous cherry tree ( or sakura tree). Then we gave our adieus with all the warmth in our heart and danced away to visit a baby girl not more than three days old. Our arms were filled with paper for us to practice chigirie with, and we each carried one of Lady Adroit's own works. Those are not the only priceless things that have been kindly given to us. A lady at church loves to bring sheets of paper, and exquisite dolls made by her friends. And even my dad has given me a gift since I've come here. He always makes me take a spare pair of glasses when I travel and a few days ago, when I broke my main pair, I was able to settle last year's model on my nose without even turning a hair. While a full list of the blessings God has showered on us would be too long and too tasteless, I hope that sharing these few with you has helped you see the wonder of His love. 

*As I'm making up names for all my new contacts they might sound a little weird, especially when preceded by a "Lady" or a "Sir." Bear with me, these two titles mark the person as Japanese and, more eternally significant, as not yet believing, giving you the opportunity to pray for them.  

** The poll results are in and it looks like a tie, so I'm casting my own vote to tip the scale. Look for another post in a week or so.