Ohigan (お彼岸）
As I meet this Ohigan this year, it is particularly poignant because it will be a year next Thursday since my mother passed away. It was a long journey for her to finally cross over to the other side. Having had to navigate the complications of being able to visit her in the hospital and cleaning out her apartment by myself in a short period also felt like a long journey for me. And my mother’s ashes have not been returned from the medical research group where she donated her body. It may take another year based on what they said when they picked her up, which extends the last leg of her journey until she settles in a graves site.