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Norikazu Tateishi / AP
In this March 22 photo, Manami Kon, using Japanese hiragana characters she just learned, writes a letter for her mother who's still missing after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami at the devastated city of Miyako, northeastern Japan. The 4-year-old Manami wrote, "Dear Mommy. I hope you're alive. Are you okay?" It took about an hour for her to finish it. Twenty days after the disaster that hit Japan's northeastern coast, her parents and a sister were still unaccounted for.
Norikazu Tateishi / AP
In this March 22, 2011 photo, Manami Kon, 4, waits for her parents and younger sister who are still missing after the March 11 massive earthquake and tsunami, in Miyako, northern Japan.
Norikazu Tateishi / AP
In this March 22, 2011 photo, 4-year-old Manami Kon exchanges a high-five with her grandmother at the devastated city of Miyako, northeastern Japan. Manami Kon's mother is still missing after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Read about the latest developments in Japan and see more images in our slideshow.
Related content: 'I will come again tomorrow': Boy, 9, desperately searches for missing family in Japan.
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How precious is it for a little child to write their little messages from the heart. But, how heartbreaking to know that the one the letter is for will likely never read it. Some things in life are just sad beyond comprehension. May God be with the people of Japan as they try to recover from this.
I'm not going to spoil my day by reading a lot of the comments here, because some of you are walking around with ice water running through your veins.
PETA supporters are compassionate people, that's why they care about animals too. They would never post that kind of garbage. This is just somebodt trying to attack PETA by posting this nonsense.
4 yrs old and she can write all that? I'm impressed. And of course I wish her comfort.
whatmins Please add your address so I can personally come to your house and flay the skin from your body before I kill everyone you know. You can easily find me on Facebook and message me. I will gladly fly to your town and remove you from the gene pool.
Wo, hold on there. I know he's a jerk but don't go to his level. Hit the "!" and flag him as Inflammatory. The Vine will consume him into its black void. Poof! Faster and better than violence.
I hope too that her mother is alive . This just breaks my heart. Thanks Heaven that she still has her grandmother.
There will a few that after even months have passed will be reunited with the ones they love, may this child be blessed to be among them. note to whatmi??: People Eat Tasty Animals get over it and quit attaching little girls pick on someone full grown coward
Whatmins...you are a horrible person!
Sweet lord almighty, folks! "Whatmins" is a troll and likely isn't even a member of PETA! I could easily write "The Westboro Baptist Church is right: God Hates Japanese! Thank God for Tsunamis!" and you people would write stuff to defend Christianity or whatever. By attacking PETA, you are guilty of painting them with as broad a brush as others paint people with different colors of skin. Just ignore him/her and you deny them what they came here for...attention & entertainment.
Come on baby, become stronger and stronger
I have donated to PETA for years. My donations have been considerable. As of today, they will never get another
donation.
Please read John Diego's post above.
Whatmins, I sincerely hope and pray that one day you can feel what some of these people are experiencing. At least then you'll understand and wont have any place saying stupid and ignorant comments. Until then, go stand in traffic with your eyes closed.
How sad! Poor girl.. to lose her family and at 4... and the many others who've lost loved ones..
makes me want to cry.
I hope @whatmins drops dead !!!! But I will also take pleasure in knowing that when thier time comes, they will be judged for the piece of crap they are... The Japanese are amazing people..
A very heart-breaking story, but the last photo does the most for me -- at least they can find something in their days that can make them smile. After all that has happened, it would seem very difficult to think you could be happy about much of anything for some time. Manami is very fortunate to still have her grandmother. Now if they could somehow find the rest of her family......
My thoughts are with this little girl and many others like her that are surely suffering similar sadness.
Whatmins, maybe God needs to strike you down, this is a four year old trying to cope as best as a four year old can to a tragedy and not totally understanding where her mother and other siblings have gone. Obviously you do not have a shred of humanity in you for the comment you left. I am hoping you left it just to get a rise out of people, but alas I suspect you really do feel this way. PETA people make me ill, for as the Bible, koran and most religeous books say we are to have dominion over the animals, even God has killed animals down to the brink of extinction( the flood).
Whatmins, maybe God needs to strike you down, this is a four year old trying to cope as best as a four year old can to a tragedy and not totally understanding where her mother and other siblings have gone. Obviously you do not have a shred of humanity in you for the comment you left. I am hoping you left it just to get a rise out of people, but alas I suspect you really do feel this way. PETA people make me ill, for as the Bible, koran and most religeous books say we are to have dominion over the animals, even God has killed animals down to the brink of extinction( the flood).
this little girl is lucky to have her grandmother and her grandmother is taking solace in the fact that her son or daughter is living on through this little girl. we are all soul travelers.
Oh, Please. Stop the headlines to induce depression. WE all know about the horror these people are going througn and the sad future that awaits them. Nothing to be done about it but keep walking. My mother was an horphant, there are many orphants in this world. There are children in worse conditions that this children. African Children, look at the African children at any location of that continent.
This headline is obviously made as a chick-flick. It is sad, but stop the "inquire" type press
The only thing inducing depression is your flippant attitude toward a little 4 year old girl. I'm sorry to hear that your mother was a "horphant", it's obvious that your mother taught you to feel sorry for your self instead of others. Get over yourself, this girl has more heart than you'll ever have, and I'm betting that she's able to spell at a higher level than you can.
now tell me what have you done for this particular little girl aftr you read the article but feeling miserable and start blogs of rage? have you been able to bring the mother back, have you been able to give the little girl food, comfort, help? NO, you just blog about how sad you are for her. she can't even read your blog. Now get out of your PC and go to Japan and start working for them like our firefighters and peace corp people. That will be better than being depressed in your PC eating your cheetos.
My mother taught me than instead of feeling sorry, give the little girl something not to feel sorry for herself. That little girl has her grandmother. She is FINE!
I can't hold my tears. A 4 yr old kid ..everything revolves around Mom for her. Mom is the most precious thing for her ( and for all of us) and she lost her so early.
May god give you strength little girl.
Nowhere else could a little three photo blog take me from the pits of utter despair to seeing a, beautiful, ray of hope...
@ Whatmins.........what goes around comes around...........in one form or another......you'll get it in YOUR end.
This breaks my heart. Poor precious angel! God be with her and her family.
This is so sad. I am a forty year old man and could not imagine how in the hell she gets thru this. Atleast grandma is there. I pray that maybe her mom is in a hospital being treated for something and will be reunited soon.
i am sending her a big hug. if i have a magic power and be with her, i would like to play with her and see that big smile.
Oh I'd love to just hold onto her and comfort her. I am so happy she still has her grandmother -- hopefully her grandmother will keep her mother and sister memories alive.... SO SAD... GOD BLESS YOU SWEET CHILD.