In the northeast yard of my garden, three blue-violet flowers of hyacinth orchid, Bletilla striata, "Shi-ran" in Japanese blossom.
Once the color of the flowers was clear blue and they were really lovely. However, the extreme heat had a great impact of the color of the species in the year of 2023. True beauty has been lost about the species.
In the first year of the college, a Japanese law professor wrote a book title, "Der Kampf um's Recht," on the blackboard. It was one of my favorite books in the high school days. He asked who knew the book title. Anybody in the class of six hundreds or more said nothing to him and I said to him, "It's Jhering's." He asked me for its Japanese translation and I replied it to him.
Before entering the law college in Japan, I was familiar with legal treatises published in Germany. Among them, von Jhering's were the best to me. "Der Kampf um's Recht" means "The Struggle for Law." That is the golden rule in the world, for ever.
In the northeast yard of my garden, Deutzia crenata Sieb. et Zucc. f. plena (Maxim.) C.K.Schneid. - "Sarasa Utsugi" in Japanese is to flourish. This species once blossomed in the early June and now it does in the beginning of May. During these two to three years climate has changed so drastically.
My paternal grandfather was educated at a high school that was established by Albert Arnold Bennett Sr. who is an American Baptist missionary to Japan. His father chose Protestant missionary schools for sons and daughters. I have no idea why he did so. I find it truly astounding that I'm a Catholic in a family of Protestants by the grace of God.
I often remember when I was in a kindergarten that was founded by Sœurs de la Visitation du Japon (Congregatio Sororum Visitationis) and it is a.k.a. "Montana Monastery" in Japan that Bishop Albert Henri Charles Breton,M.E.P. gives the name.
I surely remember that I myself met him and he gave me a piece of biscuit in front of a statue of Santa Maria in the nursery. It tasted very much nice to me when I was four years old.
My memory of Mass is when I listened to French and Italian and often Latin hymns fathers and sisters sang. They came from France, Italy, and around Japan. I was happy to be in the warm light of candles always.
In the south of my garden, two Magnolia sieboldii subsp. japonica - "Oh-yama Renge" in Japanese have four ivory-colored flowers in total this early summer. Those two trees suffered severely from the extraordinary heat last summer. I admire strong resilience that the nature has shown and praise and thank God for His grace and kindness to the world, though the climate change that we are responsible to that situation is the reason that the nature suffers the harsh environment, and He never abandons all of us.
In the north-east yard of the garden, Amsonia elliptica - "Chouji-sou" in Japanese has a couple of thin blue flowers. I enjoyed much more flowers last year. The number of flowers of the species dramatically changed this year.
I guess that a different stage of climate change has emerged from the previous one this summer. We have to be alert at changes of the nature that mirror what we do every day.
In my youth, I was educated at a high school that was established by a Japanese statesman who belonged to The Methodist Church of Canada, and he is one of early supporters of The Salvation Army in Japan. The Catholic faith is always personal in me from the beginning of my life. However, I've walked on a way that God paved in advance for me to do something. That belief sounds a bid, perhaps heresy in The Church, and I well know that.
