Recent Columns

by DELIA TOMINO NAKAYAMA

Hello faithful readers! And happy holidays...! :)

I'll admit it, I succumbed to holiday funk as it seemed for a while there I wouldn't make it back to California for a visit and I, like many others, I feel poorer than a church mouse... But the pendulum of life swung back around, and my dear father got me a ticket, thank goodness...! :)

I'm still broke, and will barely have a bean to spend while visiting, but what is the holiday for? Being with others.

by DELIA TOMINO NAKAYAMA

a wish contained in each letter;
intentions, tiny salves that soothe

black ink pressed into newsprint
invite fingertips to follow the news
aided by bifocals, magnifying glass or a trusty lamp

familiar imperfections allowed, like the pink smudge next to my first column
about "the ancestors," far from the cold glare of a computer's command

the crinkle of paper like a companion
and when read, neatly folded
or meticulously cut for articles to send or paste into a journal

stacks of yellowed newspapers to find safe storage

by YUMI WILSON

Over the years, I have tried to re-create the taste of my mother's macaroni salad, popping with bits of pickle and raw onion, or my father's creamy pies, sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon, but never have I succeeded.

The ham, which my late mother drenched in pineapple sauce and brown sugar, is never quite as sweet when I bake it. And the black-eyed peas are never quite as tender as my father's recipe. But each holiday season, I try and fail.

This Thanksgiving was no different.

by DELIA TOMINO NAKAYAMA

Greetings Readers... For the last time here, on hokubei.com, possibly!

Today is Thanksgiving Day. I hope this column will make it onto the website and in time for you to see it...

My parents are visiting Peter and I here in New Orleans. For myself, the meaning of gratefulness is becoming clearer to me now.

After traveling roads that seemed like they led nowhere, or far away from love,
at least, those same roads are leading me back to my family.

I am grateful for this, and that we are together for the holidays.

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