My name is Masako P. I was born in a tiny town of Japan not so long after World War II. It seems like WWII happened a long time ago, but I was brought up with the talk of war from my grandmother and my mother. They often told us (I have two brothers) how scared they were whenever they heard the sound of the B-29 flying over, and they couldn’t do anything but hide. They might have been shot. My grandmother was 60 years older than I was and carried the way of very old-fashioned, traditional Japanese woman. My parents were divorced when I was young and I grew up with very few memories of my father. My mother worked to support the family, so we were raised by my very strict grandmother. If we complained about the meals we had, we were not allowed to eat anything and she told us of how during the war there was no food, no place to stay. Growing up during the Japanese Economic bubble after WWII, all I heard and saw was the influence of America and western countries. My mother, who was so grateful of having a job then, truly emphasized getting a higher education. Without her education, she realized she could not get the job she had in a men’s world. Thus, she paid for anything we asked if it was related to education even though our budget was tighter than most families.
I took piano lessons, played volleyball through high school, went to college, and received a dietitian license. Then, I went to sewing technical college which only accepts college graduates. This school has a very intense program. Most nights, I only slept 4 hours doing homework. Before I finished school, I came home to take care of grandmother. She was almost blind then and needed someone with her constantly. My mother did not want to put her in a nursing home, so until my mother retired, my brother and I took turns to care for her.
This was the time I met 2 Japanese Mormon missionaries who were doing door to door proslyting. Since my mother raised her children with her faith, I had believed God in my heart and as a result, I joined the church in 1978. In Japan, Christianity is not that big of a religion, especially because LDS church members don’t drink tea or coffee, and don’t smoke tobacco like many Japanese people. It also makes it very difficult to live in the Buddhist culture. Therefore, the church is seen in a more curious way than an ordinary religion. Many of them don’t really understand the concept of young men and women leaving their homes to serve 2 years for their religion. It’s very expensive to go to church every Sunday because Japanese transportation system is very expensive. So, being a member in Japan is not an easy thing.
Learning English was my dream and I wanted to work using language, so I came to Utah State University to learn English. I had money to go to school for a year. I thought one year could teach me some English. I loved American college system and wanted to graduate, but I did not have money to finish. For foreign students, our tuition is triple of regular students. I tried out for the VB team and made it. I played as a setter at USU and graduated in 1984. I then left for a mission to Georgia in 1985 and upon completion, returned to Japan where I met my husband who was just visiting his friends. We got married in 1987. Our first child, Ty, was born 1988 and Maiya, was born in 1990. From then, my life was completely focused on raising Ty and Maiya. During their elementary years, we woke up at 6 and started practicing Japanese and music. We had a very structured life. We rarely had time to sleep in until Maiya graduated from high school.
I have 3 life- long quilting projects going on. My motto is NEVER GIVE UP. I want a healthy happy life and I’m working on it. I spend quite a bit of time doing SUDOKU, which takes my time and sometimes I really have to put it away. My favorite poem is INVICTUS. I love the last two lines. I understand having faith does not mean we are protected from any troubles and adversaries of the world, but faith will guide me to go through any difficulties we face. I am very grateful to be able to count our blessings.
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