ONLY SURVIOR IN MY FAMILY
While still in his thirties, Mr. Tamura
lost three of his family; his mother, his older brother who was also his
especially entrusted advisor and his wife unexpectedly to a sudden illness.
They each were treasure to him. Who
could imagine how grieved and dejected he felt?
He has since spent many days having a mass read for the repose of the
souls of his beloved family members.
One day, he opened his family's death
register and saw the many names of his ancestor written on it. "how many people I am descended from？"
he thought. At that moment, he felt much
closer to them all and felt more aware as to where he stood within his family
as a whole. "Now I have lost my brother
as well as my mother. I am my ancestors'
one and only blood descendent still alive.
No one but me can succeed and maintain the Tamura family name. Go-senzo-sama (the Japanese term for 'ancestor)
must be expecting me to perform this duty.
If so, I will try to stay healthy for as long as possible and live up to
Go-senzo-sama's expectations. The expectations and protection of Go-senzo-sama may support me in my
life. This is something to be thankful
for."
Mr. Tamura had been indifferent to
performing memorial services or visiting the graves of his ancestors. But the successive deaths of his mother,
brother and wife shook him from this indifference and bought him to a greater
realization of his past family.
The festival of the Dead has come. "As the only survivor of the Tamura family,"
says Mr. Tamura, "I would like to welcome with all my heart the souls of my
mother, brother and wife and other ancestors.
My earnest wish, as the only remaining member of my family, is to live
respectful life, so that I will not sully the honorable family name of Tamura."
