Happy New Year(PART 2 OF 3)
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December 7, 2013
Hi, Kato.
Listen to this.
Miracle! ... that's the most appropriate word, I believe.
Yesterday, I went to Gyoda General Hospital to visit your mother.
When I opened the door, Yoshie's bed was gone.
At the moment I was frozen to death.
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Gyoda General Hospital
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Oh, my God! ... Yoshie's gone as well!?
That was the first thought that came to my mind and my blood stopped flowing.
My brain stood still and became completely white.
Although my feet seemed to glued to the floor, I managed to walk myself to the hallway, and then move toward the nurse-station.
I asked one of the nurses if your mother was transferred to the morgue.
I was pretty sure that my face looked ash-white.
She smiled as if she understood my inner thought and answered, "Don't be silly. Your older sister is in the cafeteria."
I rushed to the cafeteria and saw your mother eating at one of the tables while sitting in a wheelchair.
"What happened to you, Yoshie-san?"
Your mother smiled like a playful girl and said, "Takako-san, I'm as new and healthy as you are. So I was moved to a room for the recovered."
As you know, your mother had been bed-ridden with many tubes attached to her body.
To tell you the truth, I would've never imagined that she would sit up again by herself and eat alone by herself.
I could hardly believe this and cried with joy.
I hold her hand involuntarily and said, "What a miracle! It seems to be too good to be true!"
As your mother returned strong grip, both of us cried with joy.
It is obvious that your mother has returned safe from the brink of death.
It is indeed a miracle.
Don't you think?
As the oldest son, you had arranged a funeral for your mother before you returned to Vancouver.
I'm pretty sure that you'd also decided to face the worst case.
Now that your morther is new and health, I'm as happy as you are.
Your mother and I talked and talked and talked ... as if we had been in the carefree old days.
When the time to say goodbye came, I said to your mother, "I'll write to Kato."
Yoshie-san answered, "Tell him that I'm skipping and dancing with joy like a teenager."
She raised both hands with a big smile.
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Well ... let's apologize to Yoshie that you and I were too pessimistic.
She was strong enough to recover.
Yoshie-san has indeed come back from the brink of death.
I remained in the hospital room until 19:00.
When I returned home, I still couldn't believe that Yoshie-san had recovered.
It keeps on stimulating my mind that your mother's strong will to live through hard times indeed makes her dream come true.
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Merry X'mas and Happy New Year!
Takako
With a great deal of love
I see... So this letter is the best X'mas present, huh?
Yes, you're telling me, Diane. As a matter of fact, I was preparing for the worst case.
How?
Well ... I watched the following DVD.
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■"Actual Catalogue Page"
So you were expecting that your mother would say, "Let me die," weren't you?
Yes, I was. Actually, she wrote a living will, in which she chose to die instead of living like a vegitable being. And I was prepared for that moment.
Do you think, Kato, you could watch her taking a lethal dose of sleeping pill?
Yes, I think I can, even though I wouldn't like to encourage her to do that. You see... when living comes to mean wasting away, losing all autonomy, seeing one's very identity eroded, death may be a welcome deliverance. Don't you think, Diane?
Yes, I understand what you mean, but I don't believe in euthanasia.
I know.. I know ... you're a devoted Christian who doesn't support euthanasia---let alone assisted suicide, but for some people euthanasia seems to be the last resort.
Why is that?
Well ... critically ill people courageously speak about quality of life and their wish to die with dignity. Some doctors advocate a more humane, less controlling approach to illness and death. Each person has an intimate relationship with life. Why isn't it the same with death? Shouldn't we be allowed a freely chosen, dignified end when the time is right?
So, Kato, if you became incurably ill, you would go for euthanasia, huh?
Yes, I would.
Aren't you afraid of death?
I don't think so 'cause some people actually doing it as shown in the following clip.
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■"Actual Catalogue Page"
"Suicide Tourist" Trailer
<iframe width="500" height="350" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pJwXNyAkM6E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Oh, my God! ... I don't think I could take a fatal dose by myself.
I don't think you would. In any case, Diane, we don't have to talk about death at the moment 'cause you and I know that it is a wonderful life.
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It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Frank Capra - Trailer
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(full movie)
<iframe width="500" height="350" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/frXklECPkD0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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(To be followed)