From Hiroshima to Hope

(UPI Photo/Jim Bryant)

We’ve spent the last four months preparing for a trip that begins tomorrow, and yet somehow I still spent most of the afternoon and evening frantically tying up loose ends and packing my bag. My phone has been ringing off the hook: where can I get a copy of the medical release form? Do we have time for a photo op before we go through the metal detectors? Who still has space in their bag to carry peace cranes? What size of liquid soap can we take carry on? But at last I’m ready – or as ready as I’ll ever be – to begin the journey of repentance.

Tonight, as I sat on the floor surrounded by all the belongings I would need for the next 13 days, I realized just how many people have been involved in the JOR, and how few of that number will be physically traveling to Japan. I thought of the family members of delegates who have been attending meetings and working behind the scenes to prepare everything from gifts to our Web site, the translator who got a call at 5pm this evening with a rush order of documentary release forms to be taken from English to Japanese text, the donors who have made it possible for all 18 of us to travel to and around Japan, the students of Holy Rosary Catholic School who folded hundreds of beautiful cranes for us to deliver for them, and the 500+ individuals who have signed a statement of remorse. I have the privilege of being one of 18 who are able to go – but the Journey of Repentance continues on here at home while we are gone.

Although being with us in spirit is an incredible gift, there are also ways that you can be part of our mission here in the States. Gatherings, memorials, and discussions are going on all across the US to continue sharing the memories and understanding gained in the last 64 years. On August 6th on the shore of Green Lake, an annual lantern floating ceremony, From Hiroshima to Hope, occurs to honor the victims of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The event beings at 6:30pm, just south of the Bathhouse, with music and speakers. You can learn more by visiting http://www.wingluke.org/hth09/.