Bridging the Culture Gap With Grandaughter Kisses

A happy June smooching an awkward feeling, but happy Jiichan.

This is a picture of June kissing her Jiichan and I like it very much. In fact, I love it. I'm posting it randomly because it's just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen and I thought some of you might be interested in taking in a little more sweetness today. Who couldn't use some more? I certainly could...we all could.

I love this picture because the kind of intimacy that June is dumping all over her Jiichan isn't exactly a Japanese trademark...in fact, it can make for some pretty awkward moments. However, you just know that deep inside Jiichan was imploding with love and pride and a muted kind of sentimentality that us Westerners would have a hard time understanding. Love is love regardless of the hemisphere you reside in...it's just expressed differently in those different places, but love is still that same old overwhelming thing.

Someday this will be Zoey laying a fat smooch on one of her grandparents, with a much less awkward acceptance but no less love.