Naoko Shimizu, President, Sakura Lifesave Associates, Inc.
New Year 2021: The Sun Also Rises
As I sat down to write this New Year’s greeting, I felt stuck—with everything that went wrong in 2020, I was afraid there was nothing good I could write. Then, in mid-December, I received good news from Joseph, the smart young man in Mexico City who runs our company’s technology.
The pandemic has completely changed our world and brought time to a standstill. It’s ground the economy to a halt, caused stagnation and anxiety at all levels, and led to higher crime rates. At the end of September, Joseph was shot in the thigh by burglars, and spent a month in the ICU with heavy bleeding as a result of his injuries. That day in mid-December, he sent me a message:
“Today is a remarkable milestone,” Joseph wrote. “I was able to walk on my own for the first time without a cane. This incident taught me what is most important in life, and who is a true friend. Naoko, I would like to thank you for your trust and support.”
Our company was founded 16 years ago with the goal of making the world a better place. Through the wide range of medical/legal consultancy services we offer, we have been able to help people save lives and assist with births across borders. This pandemic has caused unimaginable problems when helping people this year; at the same time, I’ve been able to learn just how deeply our clients trust me and rely on me during such trying times.
Each and every person in the world continues to be affected at various levels by this pandemic. Their traditional values are being tested, and they are learning to deal with different hardships every day. However, it’s undeniable that there have been valuable lessons to come from it as well. The day I received Joseph’s message, I felt encouraged and reenergized to rewrite this greeting to remind you all: we will always have tomorrow, and the sun will rise again.
I pledge to keep learning from this pandemic and work harder than ever for every one of you. I wish you all great health and happiness in the new year.
