As I reflect on my childhood, I am filled with awe and admiration for my mother. I would sit next to her three-way mirror as she prepared for dinner parties and events, marveling at her breathtaking beauty, humble yet confident aura, and God-like perfection in loving her children.
Throughout my adolescence and adulthood, watching my mother's exceptional legacy and tremendous achievements has been nothing but a priceless gift. She supported and worked tirelessly alongside my late father, who invented various medications, from Japanese minoxidil to a medication to prevent speech impairment for post-stroke patients. Despite her vital role in my father's achievements, she devoted years to studying and getting herself certified in all three major Japanese traditional culture - Chado, Kado, and Kitsuke. She even achieved the associate professor level in Chado.
It was always my mother who gave me the foundation to stand on, a secure blanket wrapped tightly around me with her endless sacrificial love. Years passed, and I devoted myself to making up for all the wrong I had done to this angel on earth. When she fell ill with stage 4 lung cancer, I moved my recording studio into her hospital room. As I worked hard, I promised her that "when" she gets out, she will have her own Tea Room to continue teaching me and to have more students to give her the will to survive and a purpose in life.
It was not easy, but we were able to achieve all that was promised.
Last July 15, 2023, after following in my mother's footsteps and devoting myself to over a decade of tedious studies under her, while juggling six jobs at one point, I received the Tea Master Certification from the 16th grandmaster Sen Soshitsu of Chado Urasenke school of Tea, along with the Urasenke 裏千家 family crest, and a Master Name 高橋宗玲.
As an assistant professor of Chado and Tea Master of Chado, our mother and daughter bond feels even more solidified than ever.
Thank you all for the years of love and support that have brought us to this moment.
