Speech at the opening ceremony of the “Mother Teresa Photography Exhibition”

I gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the “Mother Teresa Photography Exhibition” sponsored by the Mother Teresa Memorial Museum in Macedonia, the birthplace of Mother Teresa.

“Why do I continue to expand the circle of peace from Hiroshima?”
I talked about encounter with Mother Teresa which is one of the reasons, and reason why I wear pink clothes of 365 days.
I would be grateful if you could watch the video.

At the photo exhibition, “The Hiroshima Miracle (Japanese and English version)” and illustrations of children who read it were exhibited.
(* “The Hiroshima Miracle” is is manga that I prayed for world peace, and self-published original works.)

Currently, we lend free 1,000 Hiroshima of Kiseki, we promote activities to expand peaceful circle with school and company. (※ additional shipping fee)
We would be honored if we could spread the circle of world peace together.

【 SPEAKER 】
· Ms. Andrijana Cvetkovikj, Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia to Japan Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
· Mr. Terumichi Yoshiaki, President of Sophia University
· Ms. Renata Kureta Zdravkovska, Mother Teresa Memorial Museum Director
· Fr. Mr. Hiroshi Katagiri
· Taeko Tada, President TSP Co., ltd. / Representative Peace Peace Project

【 GUESTS 】
· Embassy of India · Embassy of Iran · Embassy of Turkmenistan
· Embassy of Jamaica · Embassy of Nepal · Embassy of the Republic of Albania
· Republic of Indonesia Investment Coordinating Agency Japanese Office · Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo

 

◆Below is the content of the speech.

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When I was ten years old, I was in a traffic accident, and nearly died from a brain hemorrhage. The doctors said that if I was lucky, I might survive half-paralyzed. Yet in only two weeks, I recovered without any after-effects. The doctors said it was a miracle.

I felt certain that God had given me the gift of life. And I decided I wanted to live my life in a way that would show my gratitude to God. To learn how to realize my vow, I began to read books in my school library about the lives of great people.

That was when I came across a biography of Mother Teresa. I was overjoyed to find out that her birthday and mine are on the same day. I wrote down Mother Teresa’s famous sayings in my notebook, and prayed that I might somehow help contribute to her goal of world peace.

When she received the Nobel Peace Prize, someone asked her, “What can we do to achieve world peace?” She answered, “Go home and love your family.”

I was very deeply impressed by her belief that we should “love the people we meet.” I understood her words to mean that the more happy people there are, the closer we are to world peace. In hopes of bringing some happiness to everyone I meet, I wear pink clothes everyday. That is because, according to color therapy studies, the color pink triggers the release of happiness hormones.

Here is another quotation from Mother Teresa that means a lot to me: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

I was born and raised in Hiroshima. My grandparents died in the war and in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and my parents were exposed to the bomb. I wanted to start doing something that would send out prayers for world peace from Hiroshima. In high school I volunteered as a guide in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park. There I began to talk about the importance of peace with other high school students from Japan and overseas.

However, I began to question why peace education in Hiroshima only spoke of the terrible suffering caused by the atomic bomb. Mother Teresa is said to have declared that she would attend a peace demonstration, but not an anti-war demonstration. In that same spirit, I wanted to see Hiroshima serve as a more positive guidepost on the path to world peace.

In 2015, the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing, I published a manga-style book, “The Hiroshima Miracle,” which I wrote based on the true story of my mother and great-grandmother.

My great-grandmother lost her family, her home, and all her property in the bombing. Yet instead of bemoaning and resenting her fate, she chose to forgive, to look forward, and to live. I told her story to convey a message about the importance of peace, and of people everywhere loving and respecting one another.

Currently we are lending out one thousand copies of “The Hiroshima Miracle” to schools and businesses, working together to expand the circle of peace.

The words of Mother Teresa have given me the courage to continue these activities to the present day, always in a spirit of love. As one person who loves and admires Mother Teresa, and wishes to help make her prayers come true, I intend to keep devoting myself to the cause of world peace.

May her love fill the entire world!