Tuesday, June 26, 2012

etegami as memory-keeper

"the 35th year"














the sun's #1 disciple
Our wedding anniversary comes at the same time each year, every year. (duh) Anniversaries are made that way, I guess, to help one not to forget (and these days my poor little gray cells need all the help they can get). That was a few days ago. This year, for the first time, I painted an etegami just for him. This year, for the 35th time, he gave me a bouquet of flowers. An etegami will last for a while, but flowers tend not to last very long. So I have made it my tradition to draw the flowers, or at least one or two flowers from among the bunch, as a keepsake of our special day. If I had been doing etegami back when I was raising my children, I could have marked their special days with etegami as well.

What special occasions would you mark with etegami if you could?



26 comments:

  1. Hi, Debbie,
    Congratulations! So sweet post & the etegamis. Have a wonderful day and forever.
    Best wishes,Sadami♫·.•ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ

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  2. So very nice. May you paint a tome of flowers.

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  3. Gifts from friends, it is so easy to forget those little but important small gestures we receive from others almost every day.

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    Replies
    1. So true, etegami make great thank you cards too.

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  4. As you so well say: something that sadly have to physically disappear. i.e. Nature. Recently when we were hiking in Ariège, we were stopping once in a while only to try desperately to fill ourselves with memories of the landscape in front on us. Pictures are never enough, etegamis could perhaps summarize the experience?

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  5. Wonderful, thoughtful post, gets me thinking about the potential of etegami as a sort of giveaway diary. hanks.

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  6. Etegami would be perfect small things to create to send away - to mark moments of letting go, I think. A graduation, a kid off to school, an end of any kind (and there are so many every season of one kind or another - end of a relationship, end of strawberry season, end of useful life of your favourite shoes and all the dances they have led you...)- the creative effort put somewhere special - and then sent off, as etegami are meant to be. Perfect.

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    Replies
    1. "end of useful life of your favorite shoes" is an inspiring idea. I've actually received etegami from my Japanese friends on this very theme.

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  7. End of life of your favorite shoes - I had never thought of that, but it is so appropriate.

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  8. How beautiful! Best wishes on your anniversary. There are so many good ideas here for etagami, how about for moving on, like when a kid is leaving home for college the first time or you are starting on a new career...

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    Replies
    1. Those are big events, eminently worthy of recording in etegami. :D

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  9. This weekend I saw my zen teacher for the first time since her dharma transmission. (The ceremony in which she becomes qualified to ordain priests.) I gave her a picture of a leaf with the saying "a single leaf promises a green world."

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  10. I adore the colors in this. What a beautiful, special remembrance. I like the idea of commemorating a beloved pet--either its coming or going :)

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  11. Happy anniversary! Thirty-five years of marriage should be celebrated, it's a wonderful accomplishment.

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    Replies
    1. The etegami was the extent of my celebration, but it felt like the right amount of celebration. :)

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  12. 記念日おめでとうございます。

    たくさんのひとたちに、お祝いされて、しあわせね。
    よい、記念日を。

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    1. 今日、あなたの実家宛に絵手紙出したよ!

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  13. I love this post. I love your etigami

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  14. 結婚記念日おめでとうございます。
    穏やかな良い一年となりますように。

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  15. Congratulations on the anniversary!! :)

    With the help of etegami I would mark the new words that my daughter starts saying :)) yesterday she said "kar-kar" meaning the crow :)) *of course, "r" sounded her own special way that makes me smile each time I remember her looking around at the trees searching for the source of that sound :)))

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  16. What a beautiful idea and congratulations my friend!

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