The power of a letter

At the graduation ceremony of her school in the Miyagi Prefecture of Japan in 2011, 12-year-old Lina Oikawa received a letter from her teacher. On the surface, the envelope read “To Lina from mother.” The letter said, “I want you to grow up as a person who cares for other people. While you grow up to become a lady, all of our family will help you. I always get energy from your smile and words.” However, her mother who wanted to support her was not in the graduation ceremony because she died due to a tsunami caused by the Great Japan Earthquake 20 days ago.

In fact, the school had asked mothers to write a letter for the graduation ceremony at the end of February and collected the letters before the earthquake occurred. Teachers desperately searched the teachers’ room, which turned into a mud bath for a week and found a box of letters. Tears rolled down from Lina's eyes after she found the muddy envelope and read the letter. It will forever be with her, who is probably a high school student by now, instead of her mother who is no longer with her.

A postbox named “Drifting posts March 11” on a hill of Japan’s Iwate Prefecture looks down the sea. Letters from survivors who lost their loved ones to tsunamis arrive at this postbox. Uji Akagawa, who owns a café here, set up a red post box two years ago. Customers at the café read the letters and shed tears. Letters become a bridge between those who passed away and survivors. It helps survivors have a hope that they can send their heart to heaven and get energy to move on and live life. The port of Paengmok in Jindo, which is close to the location where many young students lost their lives due to the ferry disaster in April 2014. There is also a “postbox to heaven” at the port.

“I’ll always be with you when you compete, so do your best. Don’t forget what I taught to you.” After reading the sentences, Korea’s bobsleigh duo Won Yun-jong and Seo Young-woo shed tears after claiming Korea’s first gold medal at the International Bobsleigh World Cup. Upon being named Player of the Year on Wednesday, the two athletes read a letter at the ceremony to their coach Denys Malcolm Lloyd who died of cancer in early this year. They ended the letter, saying, “Everything was possible thanks to you who was like our father. We respect you and thank you.” The promises of not being discouraged and winning a gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will be kept by those who survived and are alive.