The masterpiece of age

Over the holiday break, I watched a movie on Netflix called “The Cats of Mirikitani” produced by Linda Hattendorf.  I’m a cat lover and was drawn to the film for that reason, but the story told is much more than feline fancy. 

In 2001, Linda took an interest in the art produced by an elderly homeless man living on the streets in her neighborhood in Soho, New York. Much of his work included cats and when she expressed to him how she admired the pictures, he offered to draw a special one for her.

When the winter weather turned worse, Linda offered the old man blankets and warm food and drinks, but he was very stoic and self-sufficient. When the 9/11 attacks occurred and covered their city in ashes, Linda found the old man alone and coughing in his usual spot on the street which had been abandoned after the disaster. She introduced herself and invited him into the shelter of her little apartment where she lived with her cat. Normally the old gentleman refused any assistance but on that day, he agreed and followed Linda home. Little did either of them realize that their relationship would be a special and lasting one.

Ms. Hattendorf patiently provided care and support for her elderly guest in her home. She learned that his name was Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani. He told her that he had been born in America and moved to Japan with his mother’s family when he was three years old. He was trained as a master artist in Japan and returned to the U.S. at the age of 18 years. 

Linda respected Jimmy’s artistic talent and more importantly, she valued his dignity as a human being. Despite his refusal to pursue Social Security or any other form of assistance within the system, Linda diligently sought out resources to help him become self-supporting and independent so he would not have to return to the streets. She listened to his sad stories about his entire family being wiped out by the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and continued to obtain art supplies that he went through voraciously, depicting the scenes from his memories.

As the months went by, Linda researched from the information Jimmy shared about being born in Sacramento, California. She wrote letters to find documentation of his true identity as an American citizen. She made calls to locate Jimmy’s sister whom he lost track of in World War II when they were all enslaved in the internment camps. Eventually he was able to reunite with his sister, her family and several cousins.

Linda also got Jimmy connected with a nearby senior center residential facility where he started giving art lessons to the residents and where he eventually moved into his own apartment. Over the course of time Jimmy no longer looked haggard and slumped over but walked with intent and had a confidence in his tone and behavior. Jimmy’s art reverted from angry colors that included war scenes and sad images of the internment camp to more peaceful imagery. His faith in himself and in other people that had been so deeply wounded and suppressed was restored to him.

In 2002, Linda took Jimmy to the 60 year reunion at the Tule Lake internment camp where he and 18,800 other Americans of Japanese ancestry were held without cause as prisoners by the government. The reunion visit and ceremonies there helped Jimmy to make peace with the past and honor those he had loved, lost, or left behind. It was a gift of healing and it allowed him to move forward with his life.

Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to work with and care for older adults, especially when they refuse to cooperate or accept much assistance. Rather than get frustrated or give up on someone who resists our efforts, it is important to remember that it not simply the years that make people grumpy or difficult to deal with. We each have the layers of a variety of experiences built over time. By exercising patience and showing respect to our elders, we can uncover the masterpiece within them; and in so doing we add fresh strokes of color to the canvas of our own character.

Do you have a story of renewed hope to share?


Tamara Wolske, MS
Academic Program Director