Mitsuko - IV Death Around Mitsuko - Recipe

Mitsuko has a water-phobia, so she can’t swim because it is so hard to put her face in the water and very uncomfortable taking shower. Mitsuko’s experiences made her water-phobia she thinks.
At the age of eight, Mitsuko’s mother took Mitsuko and her younger sister Keiko, gathering shellfishes at low tide at sea, called shiohigari in Japanese during her summer vacation. Mitsuko’s family lived close to Tokyo bay where they could go shiohigari every day during low tide. It was lot of fun putting a small rake into the sand and dig, and then, there were so many shells on the sand. Picking those shells up and tossing into their small bucket made anyone amused.
The year the event happened, Mitsuko’s brother was still a baby, so her mother said to Mitsuko,
“If you can take care Keiko, you can go shiohigari.”
“Where will you be, then?” Mitsuko asked.
“I’ll be sitting and watching for you at the seashore with your baby brother.”
“Well, good! I can take care of Keiko.”
They all went to the sea for shiohigari. The mother said anxiously to Mitsuko,
“Please stay close to shore and look at me all the time.”
“O.K., mother. Don’t worry!” said Mitsuko proudly to go to sea by herself for shiohigari with taking care of younger sister.
There were more shells they could catch than usual, so Mitsuko and Keiko forgot themselves in shiohigari.
“So many shells we picked today” said Mitsuko to Keiko.
“I love to do shiohigari. Sis, thank you for taking care of me.”
“O.K. I’m glad you came with me. Let’s dig some more.”
“We can have tasty soup tonight.” Mitsuko and Keiko continued digging for many shells. In the beginnng, Mitsuko looked at mother and waved their hand, but forgot to look at mother for there were too many shells to gather.
Suddenly, Mitsuko realized she couldn’t see shells in the hole she dug. The hole was filling with the water. Keiko said,
“I can’t pick the shells any more. The water …”
“Yes, me too. What is going on?”
Mitsuko was looking around. There was no one. She looked at the seashore, it was far, far away, and their mother seemed waving her hand and saying something. Mitsuko could not see and hear their mother well. She was getting scared.
Within minutes, the water scooped her leg. Mitsuko took Keiko’s hand, and said,
“Keiko, it is terrible. Be strong and walk fast. We can’t run on the sand, but let’s walk fast.” Mitsuko encouraged Keiko and started to walk fast.
Keiko tripped her legs in the sand and started crying, because she couldn’t walk fast.
“Keiko, can’t walk with crying. Stop crying!”
“But… But…”
“I have so many shells, and you are not a baby any more and I can’t carry you.”
Mitsuko was trying to walk fast but she also had problem walking fast for the water had already coming up closer to her knee. Several steps later, Mitsuko noticed the water had already been over her knees.
“Keiko. Let’s throw these shells away.”
“Why?”
“It is so heavy I can’t walk fast, and I also have to pull you.” Mitsuko threw all the shells away but carried the small rakes and the bucket.
The water had already come up to the bottom of Mitsuko’s swimming suite. For Keiko the water was around her stomach that Keiko couldn’t walk easily. Mitsuko was very scared and she felt her body was sinking in the water. She felt the death.
At that moment Mitsuko heard theie mother’s voice calling their names.
“Mitsuko. Keiko.” Mitsuko looked up and saw their mother’s face clearly. Mitsuko thought, “It is safe, now.” She wanted to cry but started to walk with endurance. At last they could reach the seashore and run to their mother, and Mitsuko said,
“Why didn’t you come? I was so scared” and then her tear was rolling down her cheeks. However, their mother softly and slowly said,
“I was watching, and knowing that you both were safe.”
“But, but the waster came up to Keiko’s chest.”
“Mitsuko, did you see your around? Many children were swimming in the water.”
“Well, but …!” said Mitsuko with tears.
“Sis, threw all the shells” said Keiko to their mother. Mother told Keiko,
“It was a good for her decision. I was thinking about throwing the shells earlier. Throwing the shells made you walk better, didn’t it, Keiko?”
Mitsuko had two other experiences of drowning; one was in the river in front of the house of Hokkaido’s Grand-parents. Other one was at the pond in the mountain at the back of the house of Yamagata’s uncle. These experiences made Mitsuko freeze by the water. Mitsuko felt the death in those experiences, too. The thought of putting the foot in the bottom of the river and pond made Mitsuko shiver.

Mitsuko had many death experiences not only with water but also the heights. Mitsuko had interesting experience of the reason to be scared of dangers of heights. At the age of five, Mitsuko’s mother took Mitsuko to a department-store for shopping. Her mother had to go to the washroom with Mitsuko’s younger sister. Mitsuko waited in front of the washroom to watch a beautiful Japanese dolls. She lost track of how long she was standing there waiting for her mother. Her mother wasn’t there. She was getting scared and tried to look for her mother. She was running around inside the department.
When her mother came out of the washroom, Mitsuko wasn’t there. Her mother went to a department clerk asking for help. They found Mitsuko in the top floor administration office. The administration clerk found Mitsuko at the roof garden crying and looking down the street. She didn’t know how to get out from the department thinking her mother might be out on the street.
Since the experience on the top of a building or a mountain-top, Mitsuko would have a strange feeling of what’s at the bottom of it. Mitsuko loves the mountain climbing but being always careful at the top of the mountain. Mitsuko’s friends have always been holding her hand at the top of the mountain. In their eyes Mitsuko seemed to jump down from there.

Living all her life was facing death. Mitsuko thinks that her experience with Grand-ma’s death in Yamagata at the age of four years old has affected her life. It is a question that Mitsuko had experienced near death accidents many times because of her thought of death. In her twenties she was fascinated by the thought of committing suicide.

Mitsuko has been looking the life after death since Granma’s death and she found it in the Lord Jesus. After Mitsuko gave her life to the Lord Jesus, she was still caught by the thought of death. That thought doesn’t scare her at all. There is the life with Jesus and it is hope and peace in her life. As long as Mitsuko has the purpose which is worshipping the Lord Jesus in her life she can keep living in here. Someday when Mitsuko faces death she knows the Lord Jesus will take care of her on her behalf.
The following Bible verses gave her such comport even though Mitsuko is thinking about the death.
John 3:16 & 17
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

However, Mitsuko is still scared of the water and height. She doesn’t know what to do it.

In the end, I’d like to say that it wasn’t good for me to received Jesus Christ as my savior and the Lord without resolving my idea of sinner. I haven’t really understood the LOVE of Christ. However, by the grace of God, I really understood right now the LOVE of Christ when I realized that I am a big sinner since my birth.
Give praise and thank to the Lord God Jesus Christ for his patient.
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Salmon Rice
Ingredients 1
2 cups rice
2 cups sea-food stock or 1 tsp. of Katsuo Dashi-no-moto
Ingredients 2
1 cup sea-food stock
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. Japanese Wine (sake)
1 small carrot – dice
10 green beans - dice
5 small shiitame – dice after soak
Ingredients 3
Half fresh salmon – sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch spinach
Cooking
-Cook rice with the stock
-Cook all the vegetable with the stock and seasoning
-While cooking the rice and vegetables:
1. bake salmon, and break up a bite size, and splash 1 teaspoon soy sauce
2. boil spinach and squeeze the water out
3. prepare seasoning for rice
1 cup vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
Mix well these seasoning
Mix cooked rice with the vegetable (taking juice out) and the vinegar seasoning
Serving
Place boiled & squeeze out the water spinach, and baked & break up salmon on the top of the rice.