SHOZO SHIMAZAKI

English Teacher

“My mom is a very important person in my life. Today’s actually her birthday, January 15, but she was born in 1929, and in pre-World War II Japan even, so she’s seen a lot of history as well. She also had a very nurturing yet stoic sort of personality that you can rely on but also connect with. So in any case, there’s kind of that bond, a deep level with my mom. She’s 92 now, but as she is starting to get older, she’s saying, ‘It’s my last chance to do this or that,’ and so one trip [we took] was a trip to Glacier National Park to hike there and see the glaciers. Those are kind of disappearing though, as well. I just remember taking some pictures of her and then I remember I gave her a poem about one of the pictures as well. So, yes those memories are there.”