Just in front of me I see a lovely mug cup. It was presented to me by a friend on my birthday in October this year. For some reason, my birthday is rather hard to remember, but this friend of mine had never forgot to send me her friendly words on each of my birthdays for as long as 15 years!
But a month and a half after she presented the mug cup to me, she passed away. It occurred on the morning of December 10th. She was still in her 40s. The fatal illness was hepatic cirrhosis that had developed from malignant lymphangioma
Just around the time that the mug cup arrived, she was permitted to leave the hospital out of her doctor’s consideration to allow her an opportunity to spend her short remaining life with her beloved family members at home.
The letter from her that accompanied the mug cup said, “I’m suffering from malignant lymphangioma but I’m fine. I’m sure I’ll get well soon.” It was hard to believe that
the letter was from a person who was expected to live only a little more time. She was no longer able to walk normally. I’m sure she wanted to tell me about her sickness.
She had always dedicated her time and thought to others. She was really a most considerate individual. How much she thought of others is just amazing and unbelievable.
During a period we kept exchanging letters successively, she sent me some self-addressed and stamped envelopes and some postcards. This helped me save my time a lot. She wanted to help me. Meanwhile, the malignant lymphangioma had spread to most parts of her body. Major blood vomiting occurred in January and in July. The second case was far more serious. To her sister who came to help, she said, “Don’t tell Mom about this. She’ll be shocked.” So saying she tried to cover the evidence of the blood.
When I visited her just a week before her death, I was shocked at the change of her appearance. Death was on her face, but she looked pleased with the gift I brought to her. Patting it dotingly with a smile, she thanked me profusely. It was our last friendly chatting. As I was about to leave, she suddenly began to cry. She had never shown such an honest expression of her emotion even to her close family members. In my mind I said, “You’ve done really well with courage,” and touched her forehead and cheeks for a while. When her sister came into the room, she changed her expression abruptly and contentedly said, “When I get well, I’m gonna come to your acupuncture office.” I regretted not having advised acupuncture earlier. She ended her life peacefully a short time later, after thus dedicating her thought to the benefit of other people.

(Eternal life)

I once heard that people die and leave his world, but their lives continue to live eternally, melting into the universe, but they never mingle with the lives of other people. It is said that the thoughts we entertain and things we do during our lifetime remain the basis of our lives forever. During the course of this life process, a turn of fate occurs that takes us back into this world again, in the same state as in the previous lives. There are some people who say one’s life occurs only once and death means an absolute end. I do not agree. There is no end in our life, and that is why we try to improve ourselves while we live.
I’ll keep using the mug cup she presented to me and treasure it as a constant reminder of what she taught me while she was alive. She taught me what thinking of others really means.