Update! !

Hi everyone! Let me first tell you how much I feel loved and overwhelmed by your kindness and support through this experience. Thank you so much for your comments & emails. I am sorry that I can't return emails to all of you, but they all touched my heart and strengthened me through this difficult time.

Also I want to say thank you to all my friends, neighbors and family for being there for me and my family in so many different ways.

I have news! Good news!

I just got off the phone with my sister!!!

I heard the land line in that area was totally dead, if not, spotty at best. I kept calling desperately throughout the day. Wishing this time someone might answer... it didn't happen.

Tonight, while I was upstairs my husband called her house again (I had no idea he was doing that for me). And, it went through... the phone started to ring.

He said he heard a voice on the other end "Hello? Hello?" That's when I heard him screaming coming up stairs "Sachiko! Sachiko! Your sister is on the phone!!!"

I couldn't believe it. I took the phone and said "hello?!” Then I heard a familiar voice... "Sachiko?"

There were so much I wanted to say or ask but I started crying so hard and I wasn't making any sound that she could understand. We were so excited to talk to each other, but also afraid that the phone might cut off at any minute. We were talking so fast and furiously.

She told me that after the quake, she wasn't able to use her phone at all. Every now and then it made some noise (I think that was when we were trying to call) and when she pick up nothing happened. Tonight, the ring was different. She picked it up and the call went through. I believe in prayers, I believe in prayers couple with fasting. I am thankful to so many of you who prayed for us. I feel like I just witnessed a miracle. I can't tell you how happy I am right now!

She told me that her house is damaged a little bit here and there, but so far it's standing and seems to be ok. Although, there is no running water, electricity, no phone, none of that. She is thinking that when their food runs out, they are probably going to an evacuation center, because they can't buy food anywhere. With two little children, that must be hard. I wish I could just send stuff to her overnight.

Funny thing is, she doesn't know much about what's happening in her prefecture. She said, she gets to listen to the radio every now and then, but it’s so spotty, she can't get much the information. I know more about what's going on than she does. I told her what I have been seeing in the news. The area we used to drive around is under water, our friends homes are washed away, so many lives lost. She believed me, but still it didn't click to her. I don't know if I am making any sense, but without seeing it; it is hard to believe that much devastation.

I am so happy that my family is alive and ok, but there are so many people suffering in Japan. Please keep them in your prayers.

Through this experience, I learned a couple things. We need to show and tell people in our lives how much we love them and appreciate them whenever we get the chance to. You never know, that might be the last time you get to do so. There is no time to waste in fighting and holding grudges. Unexpected things happen and when we want to show love, it might be too late.

Another thing is, I need to be prepared. Our church advises us to have food storage (and some other items too). We have some but not nearly enough to sustain us through months at a time. Listening to my sister talk about food and how people would fight over toilet paper made me think even more about how much being prepared is very important.

Again, thank you all for being such a great support. I feel so blessed to have this community in blog-o- sphere, you guys are such nice, caring friends. Thank you!

I usually post link love today, but after the quake, I just couldn't do it all. I will post link love next week.

This week, I am off to bed. :) I can finally rest.