Our grandma passed when we were 6 and 7, and at the time we didn’t realize what we had or might miss later in life. Until recently, we never understood how momentary the Japanese-Canadian culture is. This unique culture, created in such a specific time and space, fades with each generation that passes. If our children are curious about their familial roots who can they go to in order to learn? Do we have what it takes to give them not only the basic information about their history but also the deep understanding and respect about who they are and what it means to be Japanese-Canadian? As children our grandma was this amazing influence imparting a deep love for our culture in the first few years of our lives. But with the information we know now, we just don’t know how to make our kids feel the same way that we do. Maybe we need to work harder now to understand our culture; learn how to cook the foods we grew up with or visit the cultural centre. This thought gives us hope that this is not the end and that we can give our kids the gift that has been given to us.
