66. What a Gift

I truly thank my bosses and my teammates for allowing me to take Owen to Japan. I have spent my days here soaking up every second we have. We have cried a lot on this trip…. We have cried with others too. It’s been full of emotion for the both of us. But the joy that this island brings to Owen is hard to describe. He has made Okinawa his home in his heart.

We were just driving around and decided to find some ice cream. We parked in front of a coffee shop and the store employee came out to tell us to move to another spot because the one spot we parked in was for the shop. That’s when a van pulled in and a lady jumped out. She was coming to help but looked at Owen and screamed, “Hey, I know you!!” This was C, J’s wife, someone that spent a lot of time with Owen before the pandemic here on island. They let us park in their designated parking for their home which just happened to be above that coffee shop.

This island is small but the odds are crazy.

Owen has always made a mark in the places he’s been, the people he has encountered. And people just don’t forget. This trip has been a lot of revisiting those memories, the people, this respectful nation.

We have one connection we are still chasing… our old neighbors from Osaka. We drove by yesterday but they weren’t home. We will try again today. Mr. T is in his 70s and doesn’t speak any English. But that didn’t stop him and Owen going to golf at the local course! Mr. T’s family just took care of us while we were here. We gotta see them before we go.