Japan: Though a Swift Stream is Divided, It Unites Again~ Love Offerings for the People of Japan

John Parminter “Pier Pressure” with Kind Permission from the Photographer

kasasagi no

wataseru hashi ni

   oku shimo no

shiroki o mireba

yo zo fukenikeru

   When I see the frost

Lying white on a bridge

   That might have been formed

By the outstretched wings of magpies,

I know the night has grown deep.

-- Ōtomo no Yakamochi

John Parminter “Earthbound” with Kind Permission from the Photographer.

瀬をはやみ se wo hayami
岩にせかるる iwa ni sekaruru
滝川の takigawa no
われても末に waretemo sue ni
あはむとぞ思ふ awantozo omou

Though a swift stream is
Divided by a boulder
In its headlong flow,
Though divided, on it rushes,
And at last unites again.

John Parminter “Abandoned” with Kind Permission from the photographer

wata no hara

yasojima kakete

   kogiidenu to

hito ni wa tsugeyo

ama no tsuribune:

   O fishing boat,

Tell the one I leave behind

   That I have rowed out

Toward the countless islands

In the broad expanse of the sea.

-- The Counselor Takamura

( John Parminter’s Blog http://www.viewlakeland.com/) (Special Thanks to John Parminter for these Beautiful Images.

About the Photographer:
I was born and brought up in a rural community in the English county of Cumbria, home to the Lake District or Lakeland as it's sometimes known.The fells and mountains of Cumbria have always been a big influence on me and I'm regularly walking and running over them either for pleasure or in competition.  After spending many years enjoying the scenery that's on offer, I decided to try and capture, in images, the natural beauty that I'm fortunate to live and spend my recreational time in.  I also travel to other parts and am particularly fond of the mountainous regions of Scotland and Wales. When an opportunity arises then the camera is never far from reach.
~From John Parminter's Blog
Below is very powerful copyrighted footage from Dan Chung. It is not news footage. Please watch Thank you. *2 minutes. You may enlarge it to full screen.

Aftermath - The Japanese Tsunami from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Thank you Dan Chung!
Mission To Help Bring AID and Comfort To Japan:
The Aquatic Angels  is a fundraising team that has formed online in an effort to help the wonderful and deserving people of Japan who need our mercy, compassion and care.  We are giving you the opportunity to Join Us in Offering the Japanese People, who have faced the disaster of both Earthquake and Tsunami ~ Shelter, Comfort, Warmth and a Chance at Human Dignity in the Face of True Disaster. If you would like to help  our team, Aquatic Angels,~ simply Sponsor us, by clicking on any one of the  colored links in the poems  above or the team name link in this paragraph or any of the “shelter colored links.  In addition, there is a ShelterBoxUSA Logo at the bottom of my blogsite page. It says “ShelterBoxUSA” and Aquatic Angels Team. You may click on the Logo as well.
Clicking will take you to a page for ShelterBoxusa.org where you may donate whatever you can afford to help us in our goal to purchase a Second Shelterbox for $1,000 dollars (the cost of one box is $1,000). We are deeply grateful to those who have helped us reach our first goal. We were able to send off our first Box thanks to the generosity and compassion of loving hearts! Arigatou gozaimasu! Each ShelterBox can provide Shelter, comfort, warmth, survival and dignity for an extended family of 10 people! We want to continue to offer hope to children and families who currently do not see a brighter tomorrow! Thank you for your kindness and compassion.
Lastly, Please visit the blog of my team mate Rebecca Brooks at recuerda mi corazon. She has posted the letter of a Japanese survivor of the recent Tsunami that heart –opening, soulful and deeply generous at a time when one might expect those who had survived to be otherwise. It is a blessing to read and offers information from a very personal perspective.
May the One who loves us and cares for all our needs watch over you and your family.
Blessings and Light, Noelle Renee ~ Aquatic Angels
Here is another short 5 minute film on ShelterBoxusa.org which explains what they do and how they deploy the boxes. It too is highly worth watching.

ShelterBox A Decade of Disaster Relief

*Poetry is Classical and Ancient Japanese Poetry found on the web. For those who speak Japanese fluently, forgive me if the translations are not adequate.