I COULD NOT FORGIVE

by Kiyoko Tanimoto
An eye witness account of the Hiroshima atomic bomb

I lay there buried alive under our house when the bomb hit our city. The bomb started great fires. The fires came nearer and nearer to us as workers tried to reach us. "Hurry!" they cried to one another as the flames came nearer. At last the workers reached us and pulled me and my mother out from under everything, before the flames reached us.

Now later, as I thought of the pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on our city, I cried, "I hate him. I hate him." The people with marked faces from the effects of the bomb made me cry, "I hate him." I saw people suffering a terrible, slow death. Again and again I cried, as I saw these people, "I hate that pilot, I hate him!"

I HATED HIM
Now some time later I was in USA and that pilot appeared in a meeting I attended. As I looked at him, I hated him with a bitter hatred.

But then I listened to what he told us of his experience the day when he dropped the bomb on our city. I heard him say, "When I flew over the city after we dropped the bomb, I cried, 'O God, what have I done'." I realised he found it difficult to speak of that day. He could hardly speak for tears.

As this happened I suddenly realised my hatred of him was wrong. It only made me unhappy also. As I did this, it was as if a heavy load fell off my shoulders. I cried, "God, help me to forgive him. Please God, forgive my wrong feelings towards him. Please give me Your Spirit to control my thoughts."

I also told God, "I am sorry for all my wrong thoughts." I believe Jesus Christ died for my sin. As I did this my life was changed.

I now help people that suffer from hating other people. I seek to help them to love everyone, as I am now able to do.

This Story is available as audio in a "WAV" format. If you would like a copy please click on the following:-

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Being 20 Something Is Hard [ Novel ]

NEGERI IMPIAN

Beberapa Bulan Setelah Kemenagan Melawan Ayah

“you can kiss your family and friends good-bey and put miles betweenyou, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world live in you”

- Frederick Buechner

TERDENGAR tangisan seorang gadis di sebuah apartemen 2 kamar di daerah Paris 15. “Huhuuuuu…. Aku nyesal nggak masuk UI! Aku nyesal kenapa nipu-nipu ayah pas UMPTN! Aku nyesal kenapa aku berangkat kesini! Aku harus cuci baju plus setrika sendiri! Aku harus masak sendiri! Mana aku punya waktu ngerjain itu semua? Aku kan harus belajar untuk persiapan ujian?! Aku nggak ada temennya? Aku kesepiaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn!!!”. Tangannya mengelap air mata yang bercucuran dengan tissue yang sudah lecek.

Ia masih bicara sendiri dengan suara sengaunya, “Semua teman kelasku pada ngobrol pakai bahasa sendiri-sendiri, sementara nggak ada satu pun anak Indonesia di kelasku!! Temen-temen kelasku lebih banyak yang nggak bisa bahasa Inggris, padahal kalo pakai Bahasa Prancis sama-sama nggak nyambung karena masih sama-sama bolot!! Aku nggak ngerti orang-orang pasa ngomong apa. Bahasa Prancisku nggak bagus, kalau belanja Orang Prancis malah marah-marah karena nggak ngerti aku ngomong apa. Aku jalan lambat aja udah dijudesin! Aku salah jalur aja langsung ditubruk. Aku kesepian, nggak punya temen. Huuu… Ayahh.. Ibuuu..”.

Sara menagis terisak di minggu ke-2 kedatangannya, 2 hari setelah ayah ibu pulang ke Indonesia. Kajadian itu masih berlangsung 1 minggu lamanya.

Tapi setiap yah atau ibu telepon, dia selalu memperdengarkan suara ceria. Seolah-olah senag dengan pilihannya. Ketika telepon ditutup, dia kembali menangis.

Untungnya di minggu ketiga kondisi sudah mulai membaik. Dia sudah mulai terbiasa dengan keadaan sendirian. Memasak mulai jadi hobi. Belanja, buka account bank, naik metro dan kemana-mana sudah biasa sendiri. Dia mulai tidak megharapkan ditemani siapa pun, karena memang di sana semua orang harus melakukan segala sesuatunya sendiri. Tidak ada yang menemani, tidak ada yang membantu. Harus mandiri!

Satu hari ketika dia sedang belajar, telepon rumahnya berbunyi. Dia piker ayah atau ibunya, karena Cuma mera yang meneleponnya setiap hari secara bergantian. Kalo tidak ayah Ya ibu!

Ini adalah penggalan dari bagian kedua dari buku berjudul “Being 20 Something Is Hard”, dimana seorang gadis yang bernama “sara” yang menghadapi quarter life crisis di masa umur 20an.

Bagaimana kamu enghadapi quarter life crisis?

Judul : Being 20 Something Is Hard

Penulis : Dewi Pravitasari

Penerbit : DiwanTeen

http://diwanteen.blogspot.com , http://diwanpublish.com

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