To my three sons,

　Taira asked me where we are going when we die. He was six years old then. He seemed to be scared of death. He doesn't bring it up these days, but it may stay deep in his mind. In my old diary I happened to find Kentaro, now 19, had asked the same question when he was at around Taira's age.

　I have not answered your questions yet. Some people say we will be stars in the sky. Some say we will go to heavn. I went to a Christian church in my twenties. I believed that I would be accepted by God in heaven. To see you again in heaven, to be a twinkling star in the sky, these are beautiful thoughts, but I don't believe either of them any more.

　There may be a place like heaven. I don't know. Nobody knows. Only God does. For us human beings, it is a question of belief. Some believe, others don't.

　Still, I do believe that the memories of your father will stay with you, stay in some part of your brain. Likewise, the memories of you will stay with your children. If you have a good father, you will keep good memories of him somewhere in you. Life is a series of ups and downs. These good memories will work on your behalf when you are in trouble.

　If you have stored lots of good memories in your life, you will be able to overcome any difficulty you may have to go through. Through these experiences and with those good memories, you will be able to help your children grow into the best they can be. They will do the same thing for their children. This way, memories, good or bad, will be passed along from generation to generation.

　I will live with you in your memory. If you happen to become a bad person, the memory of your father will give you a warning. You will notice it when you feel uneasy with what you are doing. If you do a good thing or if you are kind to others as your father was to you, you will feel good. Your father, somewhere in you, will be pleased as well.

　Where are we going when we die? I believe we will go back to the earth but I will live with you, rain or shine, somewhere in you.