Misae-san, you were like my mother--letting me into Rachel's home anytime except during COVID--serving a bloody Mary and lots of food--I was feeling guilty because I only made coffee for you when you dropped in our home...

Smiling thinking now you can see and chat with your favorite doctor--KODA SENSAI! whose diet and book and ideas you followed 100%

Thinking of little Brooklyn...how lucky to see, hold, love, and teach her Nihon go...

HAHA also I see you sitting up on the roof of your childhood home so you couldn't be punished.

HAHA Japanese sumo is crying because you "made" an empty seat--they liked your watching!

Can you make Bloody Mary in heaven? I'm coming...I hope!

With tears from missing you!

Harry F Brooks IV 

Gaithersburg Maryland 

Grandma was wonderful at showing her love for us through food. Whether it was a meal or a sweet treat she thoughtfully made, or a tasty snack she picked up at the market, her love was always present in every bite. I remember being little and getting so excited when a care package arrived from Grandma because I knew I’d be enjoying some tasty Japanese snacks. After she moved to Arizona, when I was grown up and had kids of my own, she would always have some homemade cookies in the kitchen for everyone to snack on. The kids and I would go straight to the kitchen to look for them.

Whenever I came over to dog-sit for Mom, Grandma would shuffle over from her place to bring me something to eat for lunch, making sure I had a full belly. When she found out she was sick, she gave me her cookbook and a few other items from her kitchen. I think she probably had that cookbook for around 50 years or more—it’s worn, and I can tell she used it a lot over the years. She told me to make nice dinners and share some recipes with Jasmine.

I hope to keep her love alive through the meals I make from her cookbook for my family, and I want that love to be passed on by sharing those recipes with future generations. Grandma, I love you and miss you very much.