“… an attempt to express the joy of life on paper.”

That's how I would describe the origami that J. made from colored paper with a red and white pattern, with subtle splashes of yellow, royal blue, and green. It's a tiny, delicate origami, just like her.

I am struck by her energy and joy despite the fact that she eats like a sparrow, she quietly gestures and speaks slowly but in details, with enthusiasm and with the impression that time is patient with us.

The moments spent with J & T unfold in my mind as mixed feelings of amazement at discovering something new and emotional elation balanced by the calm and peaceful spirit with which this couple approaches life. And because I feel overwhelmed by complex feelings about their visit, I am writing only fragments that convey the very pleasant state I experienced in their presence.

…

I was washing the dishes while she was drying them with a towel, telling me about how they ended up in Sri Lanka many years ago and what brought them to Budapest ten years ago.

And they happened to be in Japan when the earthquake struck in 2010, and J. gratefully remembers that he was in the car when the earth shook. "If I had been on foot, I wouldn't have been able to keep my balance, everything was moving so fast." she told us. When she got home, she realized she had lost all her dinnerware—it had shattered in the earthquake. She was so upset that she didn't touch anything until T. got home.

...but what inspired me most was her gentleness. And I wished to be as gentle and refined as she was.