We were living on Okinawa Island when a typhoon hit. It was the middle of the night and sheets of rain pounded our house, the shutters on the windows rattled, and water seeped right through the walls. I kid you not. The power went out and we were in total darkness until we lit candles, always handy to have during times like that.

For what seemed like hours, my husband and I mopped up water from the floor as the rain kept seeping in. My daughter, feet propped up in an armchair, was deeply engrossed in a book she was reading, her only light the flickering flames of a candle. She was completely oblivious to the raging winds howling right outside our door. A simple typhoon never stopped her from enjoying one of her favorite books.