The Red Hershey Kisses, my group, started out at Mary Beth's house where the Americans dunked pear slices in an amazing caramel toffee dip while the Japanese ladies toiled away in the kitchen, filling Mason jars with cocoa mix. Then it was on to Mimi's where the Americans gorged on donuts and Viennese coffee while our friends toiled away in the kitchen, this time filling little jars with a Russian tea mix. We eventually met up with the Green Hershey Kisses at Debbie's house for lunch, a matching game, and Christmas carols.
Strands of origami cranes decorate Mary Beth's Christmas tree and more strands are suspended from the window ledge near the tree. Last Christmas Mary Beth was diagnosed with breast cancer and the Japanese members of JAW folded 1,000 cranes on her behalf. Mary Beth's American friends folded another 1,000 cranes and both strands arrived at her home within three days of each other.I've checked Wikipedia on behalf of the two of you who aren't sure why someone might give a thousand cranes to a woman facing chemotherapy. "An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, considered a mystical or holy creature in Japan. One Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of world peace because of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. Her story is told in the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes."
That's Mary Beth on the left. As you can probably imagine, she is quite an inspiration in these parts.
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