The day a post from a year ago was carried by someone's kindness

The other day, I received a comment from Honoka-san on an article I wrote a year ago.

This was my first real interaction with Honoka-san.
Even so, she read my article and suggested that she would like to introduce it within her own note.

Honoka-san has been on note for about two months.
She reached out to me very humbly and politely.
And shortly after, she wrote an article, which I read.

I also wrote that article when I had only been on note for two months.
Honoka-san took my disorganized writing and carefully put together what I wanted to convey in a very easy-to-understand way.

Among those things, what made me especially happy was the phrase

“I want to be a child in this home…”

.

I have been told this many times.
It is not just within note.
The depth of the relationship does not matter either.
I was truly happy that Honoka-san chose these words.

And there is one more thing that made me happy.
That is that there were people who read Honoka-san's article and commented and people who read my article because of Honoka-san's article.

I think there are times when we wonder who we are writing for on note.
Sometimes it feels like I am writing quietly all by myself.
But there are people who read it like this, and people who pass it on to others.
I felt a warm sense of happiness at the connections that form in a circle and the feelings carried by someone's kindness.

It is all thanks to Honoka-san.
Thank you so much.


As I wrote in the article, there are those who dislike osechi and those who like it, and everything in between.

As for my children, last month when I was feeling unwell, my husband bought them “Hotto Motto” Doraemon lunch boxes and Dorami-chan lunch boxes.

When they finished eating, the children said:
My 5-year-old daughter said, “Use this for my bento.”
My 7-year-old son said, “Use this for osechi.”

So, this year I packed the osechi in those lunch boxes.
Just hearing my picky children say they want to eat osechi makes me happy.

Once again, I relied on a picture book to change the side dishes into things the children could eat, while keeping their meanings.

The joy of them finishing every bite is a pleasure only a parent and child can share.


Honestly, I have thoughts like “I want to do it more like this.”
To have authentic osechi in a tiered box.
To have things that look delicious rather than characters.

But the children are not asking for that.
If I lined up osechi they couldn't eat, it would surely disappoint them.

I have a desire to make my children happy.
I find great fulfillment in listening to my children's feelings and giving them shape, trying to minimize the gap between them and the mother I aim to be.

For my children to think, “I'm glad this is my mom.”
That is my happiness.

So, everyone's words,
“I want to be a child in this home,”
are very precious and happy words to me.

Motherhood has no end.
Even when they are adults, even when they have left the nest, I will be their mother for the rest of my life.

From now on, I will continue to watch over my children, feel for them,
and while sometimes learning from them,
I want to be a “happy mother” for my children.