Epiphany

Epiphany

In Christian churches the epiphany season marks new beginnings, a new year in the church calendar. A time to move forward.

In the Miriam-Webster Dictionary it can also mean “an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking” or “an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.”

2011 certainly offered those of us stationed here in Japan opportunities to have more than one epiphany as we struggled with decisions that we hope our friends and family back home would never face. Like Christmas ornaments. On the surface these are just decorations but when faced with a decision on what to keep vs what to walk away from they become oh so much more. Each one laced with a memory. If someone handed you a box containing all your ornaments collected over the years and said you can only pick twelve – the rest you may never see again – what would you pick? How could you decide? These are the questions our children faced back in March.

Washi Eggs

If you had walked into our living room nine months ago you would have wondered what I was thinking. Amid all the chaos of trying to pull together essentials and throw them in suitcases to leave for an underdetermined amount of time to an as yet to-be-determined-place, sat our Christmas Boxes. All of them – the big kind that can hold boxes within boxes. I did not bring all of our holiday décor when we embarked on our overseas move, in fact for the tree trimming I only brought the kids Christmas ornaments. I was on a quest for three small boxes.

“Um, mom, what are you doing?” was the question.

I think they were worried … under the pressure of an earthquake, potential radiation fallout and an evacuation I had finally cracked.

“Here’s the deal guys … we don’t know if we’re coming back. The instructions are to pack like we’ll never return. It’s crazy, I know but you all have to decide what is it you want to take. I thought there would be some ornaments in here that were special to you and you’d rather take. You can leave them at Nana and Granddaddy’s when we get there.”

Three faces were looking back at me as this information registered. The suitcases, the dog crate, the paperwork, the passports that were surrounding us … all that was just stuff, replaceable. But the Christmas ornaments? Those are old friends, memories brought out each year and revisited. Sacred territory.

It was only a moment, a few seconds most likely, as my words hung in the air and then like someone throwing a switch they all sprung into action, opening their respective boxes.

The annual ornaments from my parents were apparently a no brainer, as were the ornaments given to my children by close family friends. The others though were harder choices.

“Mom what do we do about the glass ornaments?”

Good question. “I guess we’ll just pack those back up and hope for the best.” Meaning this craziness circulating at the moment about base closures, locking the keys to the front gates and walking away from a nuclear wasteland was over reaction and part of the rumor mill gone viral.

Five months later, in August, when we finally returned to Japan I knew I was going to put a different spin on our holiday tree. What to put on that tree was a bigger question. I did not want the limbs to be bare and so I started working on washi eggs. Beautiful, but time consuming, my visions of a tree covered in nothing but eggs quickly had a reality check. My expectations were reduced to the still Type A goal of a dozen eggs per child – three dozen eggs. Mondays became my craft day and for a couple of months I worked to cover and finish the eggs.

The eggs dangled from the branches and it was a lovely sight. More washi eggs are in my future – I am not ready to let go of my vision of a tree full of these delicate beauties. Sometimes it takes an "illuminating discovery" to realize that two things as simple as an egg and a piece of paper can be joined together to create something entirely new and beautiful. As the new season of the church begins, I chose to mark this time by looking forward and as our 6 month countdown begins search for new ways to be inspired each day here in Japan.

Check back in for pictures and instructions on how to cover eggs with washi paper.