It’s Like I Gained a Daughter

Some people are joiners, some aren’t. I fall in the latter category. Ask me to join an organization, I’ll say no. Back me into a corner and force me to join an organization, prepare to watch me break out in hives.

When I ended up as an accidental member of
Fort Worth Sister Cities International because my daughter became involved in their summer program, I gotta say I was dreading it. Then, the next thing I knew, I was taking a picture of a Japanese exchange student riding a longhorn — and having a great time.

What happened?

Well, simply put, our visitor from Nagaoka, Japan, is one of the sweetest kids I have ever met. Shiyomi stayed with my family, and it’s like my wife and I have another daughter now. Shiyomi introduces my daughter as her sister.

Watching kids from all over the world from Europe to Asia to Africa really is kind of an eye-opener. Maybe they can fix some of the mess we leave them if they get together and get to know each other. It’s a little glimmer of hope for the future.That was the idea when the Sister Cities program was started in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He thought that creating formal partnerships and relationships with foreign cities made it far less likely that we’d annihilate ourselves. I know, sounds a little corny, huggy and kum-bi-yah. But there it is.

Saying good-bye to my Japanese daughter yesterday was very emotional. Lots of tears were shed, but she knows that she always has a home in Fort Worth, Texas.