REMEMBERING SAM GOTO - NANAKAIKI
May
17
Dragonfly landed on Nephew Brent's shirt just before Sam's Interment ceremony got started and stayed until the service was over.Compelling spiritual significance!!
Sam's stone marker created for his ashes and put in place at Kent Hillcrest Cemetery. "HERITAGE PRIDE, TOMORROW'S GUIDE"
The base holding the stone marker has the Goto family crest on the left and Miyamoto family crest on the right.
This year, 2024, will be the seventh year since Sam passed. Eighteen of us gathered at the Hillcrest Cemetery for a "nanakaiki" (seventh year Japanese memorial ceremony), installment of the stone marker and interment of Sam's ashes. Sister Irene, provided us with some chanting and a short ceremony. It was meaningful.
As we were arranging the urn with the ashes, picture, and flowers for the ceremonial table, Brent noticed a dragonfly had landed on his chest area. We felt it was somewhat meaningful at the time. Heidi immediately proclaimed, "For sure, Sam is here with us and visiting us from the other side!!!" It flew away as we completed burning incense and laying flowers with the urn.
As we gathered for lunch at the Tokyo Restaurant in Factoria, we fulfilled the reason for having memorials with food and conversation. Looking up the significance of dragonflies, several cultures consider them spiritually significant as symbols of change and new beginnings.
Lynette, our older daughter, flew in from Burbank, Andy and Beryl drove over from Quincy. I flew back from from a visit to Walla Walla that got me home at 6am this morning.
The purpose of the trip to Walla Walla was to find stories for OMOIDE VII. I am administrating an OSPI - Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction - Kip Tokuda Memorial Grant. What I am finding as I have these sessions of conversation around the state is similar to why memorials are important. Sharing our "Heritage Values" is what each of us can do with having one-on-one conversations. I know this is one way I can fulfill my purpose in life and maybe influence a few others to do the same.
I'm smiling as I feel the Love and Fulfillment of Sam and my commitment to passing on some of our heritage values to our future generations. Maybe Sam sent the dragonfly or visited. What do you think?
