What do I want my obituary to say?

Natsuki Shimizu, resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, passed away on November 1, at the age of 100, at her house in Honolulu.

Natsuki Shimizu was born on October 5, 1991, in Hitachi, Ibaraki. She was an active child. She played basketball, soccer and tennis. She loved her parents, older sister and her family very much and her happiest time was to be with them. She graduated ICU in 2014, and when she was 25 years old, she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii with her parents. The main theme of her life was ‘’slow life.’’ She felt relaxed in seeing the ocean view and lovely sunset from her condominium. She got married at the age of 28. She had two daughters and had a wonderful time with them.
The funeral will be held at Ala Moana Beach Park with her favorite healing songs. Please come to see her.

Thank you.

What did I learn/discover during this course?

I was not so interested in writing before taking this course. I had imagined that writing was a more academic thing. But actually, it was not. I found that there were so many writing styles and genres. Through this course, I thought that we need to think about several important things when we start to write something. For example, the important thing is that every word has a ‘’spirit’’, that is they are all meaningfulness, and we need to create writings which make people think or feel something. I also think that it is really significant to be understandable and attract readers.
In this course, I wrote a letter for first publishing, poem for second publishing, and haiku for third publishing. I wanted to write more unique and creative pieces if I have an enough time. But I could not. I thought I should have managed time for writing more efficiently during this term. And now, I feel like creating more and more stories, letters, poems, haiku, or other writings personally even after finishing this course. Therefore, I want to try creating pieces and blush up my writing skill.

Thank you:)

What’s my view about religion?

Religion is a really special existence for me. I am a Christian. I went to a Christian kindergarten, junior high and high school. I learned Christianity and Bible there and gradually I felt that I need the teachings of Bible and the existence of God. Then, I was baptized when I was 16 years old.

I pray for God at every night before going to bed. I pray for my family and relatives to keep healthy, for people who were suffered from the terrible earthquake and tsunami. Actually, my home got damaged by the tremendous disaster so I always prayed for God to make my family and neighborhood get relief from it.

I am a Christian and often go to church but still, I cannot see the real existence of God with my eyes. However, I can believe the existence of God because I believe in God and decided to live my life beside him with the teaching of Bible.

Thank you:)

My Tennis Circle

I have been playing tennis for 7 years and I belong to a school tennis circle, ICU Footloose. And now it is time to take over the leadership of it from older members.
Footloose is not a club but a circle so not all members like to play tennis and participate every practice. Some play tennis in earnest, and others participate mainly in drinking party. As for me, I really like to play tennis so I join the practice most of the time, but I rarely join a drinking party or other events like a barbecue or a flower viewing. We are considering what we should do in order to make every members enjoy being in Footloose. I think that if we leaders (14 members) enjoy the management of Footloose, others come to think they want to take part in practices or various events frequently because our pleasant feelings affect them. Therefore, I want to try to take part in many events besides practice, and make both myself and others feel happy to be in Footloose.

Thank you:)

What does ‘’love’’ mean to me?

When I see the word ‘’love’’, I imagine my family, friends, grandma, cousins, and other people around me. They are really close to me. I think that the subject of the word ‘’love’’ is not only the opposite sex but also the same sex, things I really like, animals, etc. When people have a stronger and special emotion or affection to something than others, it is called ‘’love.’’

It seems that few Japanese people say the word ‘’love’’ to others compared to American people. Me too!! I write ‘’love you’’ in a letter or comment on facebook, but I do not say the word ‘’love’’ even if I have a feelings of it. Is it a tacit understanding? I think we need to express and say what we really think in our hearts to others. I still hesitate to say the word but when I tell my feelings of love to others, they will understand how deeply I like them. It leads closer relationship each other. Therefore, I want to try to say the word ‘’love’’ without feeling hesitant.

Thank you:)

I became an adult?!

I really like to eat sweets like cakes, ice cream, puddings and so on. I think I have a sweet tooth. When I was a high school student, I was always eating sweets. I ate two or three cakes per week because my dad bought them for me after his work and I enjoyed eating ice cream every night after taking a bath.
However, I feel it is a little bit difficult for me to eat such amount of sweets as before. I came to not be able to eat a piece of cake at a time recently. I also cannot eat a whole cream puff. Instead of such things, I came to prefer eating pickled Chinese cabbage, kimchi, or other salty foods when I get hungry. Then I thought, ‘’Did I become an adult??’’ haha
Now, I still eat a cake, a jelly, a doughnut once in a while. But I feel I must look my eating style over again. Too much sweets or too much salty foods are not good for my health. I want to be intent on balanced healthy life from now on.

Thank you:)

My favorite poem

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/christina_rossetti/poems/16452.html

A Birthday

By Christina Rossetti

A Birthday by Christina Rossetti

My heart is like a singing bird

Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;

My heart is like an apple-tree

Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

My heart is like a rainbow shell

That paddles in a halcyon sea;

My heart is gladder than all these

Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of silk and down;

Hang it with vair and purple dyes;

Carve it in doves and pomegranates,

And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

Work it in gold and silver grapes,

In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;

Because the birthday of my life

Is come, my love is come to me.

I like this poem about birthday made by Christina Rossetti. I became 20 last week and I remember the really happy and delighted feelings I had that day.

This poem expresses the feelings of birthday person by colorful things in the natural world. When I read this poem, suddenly a lot of animals, scenery, colors, seeds and berries came to my mind and my heart came to throb with the greatest happiness as I had on my birthday.

I think it is really difficult to express and show our real feelings or what we are thinking to others. But this poem made me imagine the birthday person’s feelings clearly and interestingly. So I want try describing what I am thinking and feeling by writing poem, too!!

Thank you:)