🌅 Morning Scene｜Cherry Blossoms Swaying in the Wind and a Morning Thinking of My Father

☀️ This Morning’s Sky and the Scent of the Wind

Good morning.

This morning in Urasoe is **22°C, pleasantly cool and slightly overcast**. The north wind is a bit strong, and the forecast predicts **winds of 7-8 meters per second** later today, with a possibility of a strong wind advisory in the afternoon.

The morning air is cool, with a light chill typical of the changing seasons touching my skin. Opening the window, I saw cherry blossom branches swaying gently, and the thin bamboo leaves rustling softly.

👵 Mother’s Morning ― Small Movements and Her Usual Phrase

When I woke Mother this morning, she got up smoothly, which is rare. After eating breakfast and taking her medicine, she said, “I’ll watch TV and rest,” but soon she was wandering around the house.

She watered the flowers brought home from her first anniversary memorial service the other day. Though complaining, “My head hurts,” she started organizing drawers and kept moving her hands.

Her recent catchphrase is **“I can’t tell if it’s hot or cold.”**

With the temperature swings this time of year, her body might not be adjusting well.

After moving around for a while, he seems satisfied and is now lying down in bed resting.

If he can sleep like this for about an hour, his body should feel a little better.

🎎 March 3rd ― Girls’ Day and Father’s Birthday

Today is Girls’ Day for most people, but in our family, it’s **Father’s birthday and the anniversary of his death**.

My father’s “birthday” and “death day” are the same. At his first anniversary memorial service recently, even the priest remarked, “That’s quite rare,” surprised.

Around this time last year, my father fell and hit his head. He never regained consciousness and passed away.

Due to COVID-19 and flu precautions, hospital visitation was prohibited.

Without any family members able to see him, my father quietly drew his last breath.

While I think “it’s good he passed without suffering,”

I still feel a lingering wish that I could have spoken to him, even just once…

But now, I believe he is peacefully spending time with those who went before him in heaven.

🍲 My Father’s Favorite Dishes

Today, I plan to go shopping after lunch and prepare some of my father’s favorite dishes to offer at his altar.

Nowadays, ingredients are available regardless of the season, so I want to make as many things as possible that I know would have made him happy.

My younger brother is also here from Tokyo, and tonight is his last night.

The next time the family will all be together is likely to be at the end of the year, so today is a day I want to spend a little more lively and warmly.

🌸 This Morning’s Cherry Blossoms ― Full Bloom’s Radiance

This morning, the cherry blossoms were in **full bloom**.

Young leaves are gradually appearing at the tips of the branches, and the way they sway in the wind gives a very soft impression.

Occasionally, sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, making the blossoms glisten and sparkle.

Okinawa’s cherry blossoms don’t scatter like Yoshino cherry blossoms.

They undergo a unique transformation:

**pink → brown → falling naturally**.

There’s no cherry blossom snowstorm, but instead, there’s a quiet beauty, like the seasons shifting slowly.

In a few days, the green will deepen, and the scenery will transition into spring.

I want to burn this image of full bloom firmly into my memory.

🎋 The Sound of Bamboo Rustling in the Wind

Outside the window, bamboo stretching beside the cherry trees sways softly in the breeze.

The gentle rustle of slender leaves touching each other creates a light rhythm, different from the quiet presence of the cherry blossoms.

The wind, before it grew stronger, seemed to gently signal the threshold between seasons.

🌈 In Closing

Today marks both my father’s birthday and the anniversary of his passing.
It seems destined to be a day where our family’s thoughts quietly converge.
The cherry blossoms in full bloom, the bamboo swaying in the breeze, and my mother’s small, everyday movements.
Feeling that each of these moments is “a time that exists only now,” I want to cherish today and live it fully.