Dedications

Wife, Daughter and Arashi

This blog is dedicated to two special ladies who help make this blog possible through their continued support and inspiration. :)

Baby

Baby drinking hot cocoa

“Baby” was born in late 2006, and is our first and only child so far:

Baby, age 1 day

Of course parenting includes lots of screaming, crying and diaper changes, and Baby has certainly done her fair share of each, but I wouldn’t take her back for anything in the world. Now that she is a little girl, and very sociable, we have lots of fun together. :)

It’s just amazing to watch something so small and precious grow up each day, learning little skills here and there, enjoying silly things like key chains or blocks. I remember the first months when she used to lay on cushion on the floor, playing with a little mobile that would spin above her head. She would watch it for a long time, then she learned to reach up and touch the little animals. Then, she learned how to grab the animals (which ruined the motor). We were so proud of her when she figured this out.

Now that’s she’s 5 years old, she has really blossomed as a little girl, and I love to see how her mind works:

The World as drawn by my daughter.

My Wife the Bodhisattva

My wife and I have known each other since 1998, and we’ve been married since 2004. Time has passed really fast though and we’ve had a lot of fun together. She’s down-to-earth and I am a nerd, so we compliment one another.

Because she is from Japan, and I am American, we have learned a lot from each other over the years. She taught me a lot about Japanese culture, Buddhism and general common-sense things that Westerners like me would usually never learn through books and such. International marriages can be challenging, but if you really take the time to listen to and understand your partner, it really is a rewarding relationship.

I often joke that she is my “bodhisattva” because she teaches a lot of helpful tips on life and religion. I’ve posted a few of them here:

This blog and this page are dedicated to these two special ladies. :)

P.S. The fans they are holding a souvenirs featuring Matsumoto Jun and Ninomiya Kazunari from Arashi.

8 Responses to Dedications

  1. baekho says:

    Your baby is adorable—and I really got quite a kick out of hearing how she’d gassho at a mandala on TV. :D

  2. Gerald Ford says:

    Thanks Baek! Yeah, I was deeply surprised by it too. I suppose it’s just “monkey see, monkey do” kind of behavior, but it’s so funny how kids can pick up stuff like that.

  3. Megan Gray says:

    I could not agree with you more about the joys of parenting. My husband and I have two sons and not a day goes by where we don’t think to ourselves “what the heck was life about before this…it’s amazing!” Your blog is great…keep up the good work :) Namaste-Megan

  4. Erec says:

    The prospect of having children really scares me. I feel like my wife and I have a hard enough time handling my own life, let alone the life of a developing human being. Your words above help, but what advice would you give someone like me–someone who wants children but is afraid to have them?

    Thanks.

  5. Doug says:

    Hi Erec, and welcome to the JLR. I’ll be honest, there’s no easy way to prepare for it. It’s quite scary leading up to it, and you either have to take the plunge or spend your time wondering what life would have been like if you did have kids. Also, it’s almost inevitable you’ll fight with your spouse, but it’s important to keep things in perspective and not let it get to you. Fatigue and hormones will just do that to people. :)

    With that said, if you *do* have kids, the best thing you can do is take parenting classes at your local hospital or college, before the baby is born. It helped me get over the fear of the unknown and made the first few months of parenting a lot easier. Also, it’s good to see parenting as a kind of investment, where if you devote time and energy to it, even while giving up old hobbies for a long while, you’ll really see your kids grow up beautiful, intelligent and wonderful human beings.

    I don’t think everyone should be a parent, but if you’re willing to take the plunge, go all the way. It won’t kill you, that’s for sure. :)

    Best of luck,
    Doug

  6. Onono Komachi says:

    Hi Doug,
    It warms my heart to hear about (and look at the pictures of) your two wonderful ladies. My last international marriage ended up in a divorce, after about 15 years. My heart aches that I never had any children (my Ex didn’t want one). I’m so very happy for you that you have a beautiful family. That’s exactly what I wanted..a family of my own.. (of course, I’m green with envy!)
    all the best,

  7. Doug 陀愚 says:

    Thanks Ono no Komachi,

    I’ve been thinking about posting about the challenges of international marriages. I know a lot of international marriages around me, some succeed very well, some don’t. It’s interesting to see the individual differences in how the marriages function. Anyhow, you’ve reminded to post about this, so stay tuned. :)

  8. Layinka says:

    Thank you for sharing! xx Layinka

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