A Thousand Folds Of Hope

During the middle course of my treatment, at the peak of combined side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, when I was physically drained and in worst pain, a group of colleague-friends visited me at home and surprised me with some document boxes.

Little I know or have any clue what’s inside the boxes. A get-well-soon card was passed to me by one of my friends, as the contents of the boxes are unloaded. The cover of the card narrates the story about The Legend Of The Crane.

The Legend Of The Crane

Throughout history, birds have been viewed as animals of special value and have been laden with meanings often derived from legends and stories that have survived over many generations. The Crane may conceivably be the oldest bird on earth; there is fossil proof that they existed over 60 million years ago. Greek and Roman myths tended to portray the dance of cranes as a love of joy and a celebration of life. The crane was usually considered to be a bird of Apollo, the sun god, who heralded in spring and light. Throughout all of Asia, the crane has been a symbol of happiness and eternal youth. In Japanese, Chinese, and Korean traditions, cranes stand for good fortune and longevity because of its fabled life span of a thousand years. Existing in fifteen species which inhabit five continents, the most majestic is the Japanese crane which stands almost five feet tall with its wing span of more than six feet and its white body capped with its red crown. The Japanese refer to the crane as “the bird of happiness;” the Chinese as “heavenly crane” believing they were symbols of wisdom. The powerful wings of the crane were believed to be able to convey souls up to paradise and to carry people to higher levels of spiritual enlightenment. Over time, the crane has also evolved as a favorite subject of the tradition of paper folding – origami. It is said that a thousand folded cranes, one for each year of its life, makes a wish come true.

Shortly after the end of World War II, the folded origami cranes also came to symbolize a hope for peace through Sadako Sasaki and her unforgettable story of perseverance. Diagnosed with leukemia after being exposed to radiation after the bombing of Hiroshima, Sadako became determined to fold 1,000 cranes in hopes of recovering good health, happiness, and a world of eternal peace. Although she completed 644 before she died, her classmates folded the remaining 356 to honor her. A statue was raised in the Hiroshima Peace Park to commemorate her strong spirit.

Today this practice of folding 1,000 cranes represents a form of healing and hope during challenging times. After the event of September 11, as a gesture of support and healing, thousands of cranes were folded and linked together in chains and sent to fire and police stations, museums, and churches throughout New York City.

Traditionally, flocks of 1,000 cranes are offered at shrines or temples with prayer, based on the belief that the effort to fold such a large number will surely be rewarded. Chains are often given to someone suffering from illness, as a prayer for their recovery, as a wish for happiness, and as an expression of sympathy and peace. A prayer often spoken over time my mothers seeking the protection of cranes has been:

“O flock of heavenly cranes
cover my child with your wings.”

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I was deeply touched and moved by what I have read. It was my first encounter with the story of the legendary cranes.

Seeing my colleague-friends (and their hubbies) unpack and hang to the living room and my bedroom walls, the amazingly colorful flocks of thousand hand-made origami cranes (a thousand literally), individually stitched and chained vertically with nylon thread, makes my teary eyes yearn to flow easily. One of my friends even told me that each of her 300 contributed cranes was folded with prayers. Some of the cranes carry on their wings get-well-soon messages.

Only few weeks later, when my friends revisited me, that I knew who were involved in crafting the inspiring thousand crane project. It was the idea of a former colleague-friend who is still close to me. Her husband and four kids were also engaged in folding the initial 300 cranes. Determined to finish the project to a set date, but interrupted by a business commitment overseas, the remaining 700 cranes were left to the hands and abilities of other three dear colleagues (including their families: a husband, kids, and their friends). The husband took charge of all stitching and neat packaging of the cranes. Amusingly, I also learned that the assisting hands of three more individuals were solicited to fold the cranes - unknown to these individuals to whom the cranes are folded for. That time, only my family and close friends know about my condition.

I can’t imagine the time and efforts each of those patient and caring hand has to offer to finish the crane project - from cutting the art papers to various sizes, learning to do the origami for the first time, subsequent folding, stitching, and arranging them properly not to tangle from each chain. As relayed to me, there were even experimentations done on how to stitch and connect the cranes properly, keeping each one in upright position and tight to its place (not to slide down).

There are exactly 500 of the cranes at the living room and another 500 inside my bedroom. Whether the cranes are presented to me “as a prayer for recovery, as a wish for happiness, or as an expression of sympathy,” one thing is very apparent - there is a wealth of genuine friends encircling me and constantly showing their love, concern, support, and prayers.

The cranes remind me to stay strong and be positive… to move on… to hold on to faith for fast recovery… because a lot of wonderful things await me. The cranes showed me that God is always beside me through other individuals’ works, and how His love and care can be bestowed unexpectedly, as I need them in this long challenging journey.

A thousand thanks is not enough to express my appreciation and gratitude to all those who were involved in crafting this marvelous pieces of art.

I AM STILL AWED!

(Words are not enough to express my sincere countless gratitude to good friends who were involved and shared the inspiring thoughts and creative hands, from the conceptualization to the execution of this Thousand Cranes Project. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” So here are two online photo galleries entitled, “A Thousand Folds Of Hope,” created as a tribute to these individuals. Click on the links to view the galleries at PBase and Multiply webpages.)