Today could have been a day for missing home and family but instead it was absolutely wonderful and we are just as happy and stuffed as if we’d sat down to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner! Though they had no idea that it was a special weekend for Canadians, our friends Koji and Etsuko had invited us to their home for dinner.

After our usual lunch at church, we accompanied them to their house where the feasting began almost at once. First, Etsuko served coffee and a delicious ‘western’ cake stuffed with fruit and cream. That was followed immediately by Japanese cake and green tea. Shortly after that they informed us that, rather than preparing supper at home, they’d decided to take us to a nearby restaurant for sushi so back into the vehicle we piled and off we went! The highlight of supper for Richard and I turned out to be the unagi! Who would ever have thought that eel would be part of our Thanksgiving dinner or that we would enjoy it so much! It was absolutely delicious. The eating wasn’t over yet though. Once we finished at the restaurant, we went back to the house where we were served a dessert of fresh grapes and Japanese sweets along with more green tea! Wow! As much as I love turkey and pumpkin pie, I didn’t miss it a bit!

Of course, Thanksgiving isn’t only about the food. The fellowship around the table is just as important and oh, did we enjoy that today too! Koji and Etsuko were two of the first people we met when we started attending Hope Church. They’re about our age with grown children and several young grandchildren. Koji speaks English fairly well but Etsuko knows only a few words. In spite of that, she and I hit it off right away and it’s amazing how often I can understand the gist of what she’s said before Koji even translates! It’s hard to explain but there’s an understanding and a bond there that seems to go beyond words. What a wonderful visit we had today, getting to know one another better as we shared some of the joys and heartaches of our lives.

We had anticipated that once the visit was over, Koji would drive us to the nearest station and we’d take the train back home but, in spite of the fact that it meant an hour’s round trip for them, they insisted on delivering us to our door. Chances are that we’ll visit them at home again but our big hope is that they’ll visit us someday, not here in Japan, but in Canada!