The '5-3' bread I wanted to make happy, and a day of being surprised by my grandchildren's growth
The other day, when I went to visit my son's house.
A market held every three months was taking place on the street in front of the apartment building, and it was wrapped in a warm atmosphere, bustling with local people.
The article about that time is here↓
What left a particularly deep impression on me among that was
an event held by the children of 'Class 5-3' from a nearby elementary school.
'We want to be the Anpanman of the town and make the local people happy.'
With that thought in mind,
they had a bakery make bread they had come up with themselves and were selling it.
Seeing them calling out so earnestly, and
watching them stand at the register looking proud, even while a little shy, warmed my heart.
And today,
when I stopped by that bakery near my son's house, there were many types of the Class 5-3 bread that had been sold at the market the other day lined up.
and wrote the letters on it.
What a lot of effort they put into it!
I was so happy that I couldn't help but choose a few.
The shop staff even went out of their way to attach a tag to each piece of bread.
to each and every one...
What kind shop staff they are!
And then I took the bread straight to my son's house.
'This is the bread from those children the other day.'
As I said that and handed it over,
everyone received it happily, saying, 'Wow, that's great.'
And for lunch,
we all had that bread together.
It was very delicious, so my grandchildren ate a lot of it too.
The children's thoughts are connected,
and a gentle time is spreading across the dining table.
It wasn't just bread,
it felt like it brought the warmth that connects people to people.
And today, there was one more
unforgettable time.
After the grandchildren's fevers from a cold they caught at nursery school went down and they were feeling better, my son caught it and developed a fever, so I rushed over to help today.
And the four of us—Mom, the two grandchildren, and me—
headed to a 'Kids Park' for the first time in my life, with me carrying a grandchild in a hip seat on the train.
When I was raising my own children, there were no such facilities nearby, so this was a first for me.
Before I knew it, we had all been playing there, absorbed in it for over four hours.
My grandchildren usually play in nature, like at a nearby forest park, or at a children's center.
They seemed surprised at first to see a Kids Park for the first time, but their excitement gradually rose...
Their interest shifted one after another to various rides, toys, a large Plarail train set, rooms, and giant playground equipment.
After a while, not only my granddaughter, but my 1-year-old grandson who had just started walking, began to climb up the inflatable, unstable slide from the bottom just like his big sister.
And then, sliding down on his stomach, sliding down headfirst, swimming smoothly through a sea of colored balls... and
in a short time, he had become able to do so many things.
Just in the time spent at this indoor park,
the distance he can walk is also growing rapidly.
He seemed to be enjoying himself with the feeling that 'I can do what my big sister can do too!', with a big smile on his face.
I was simply surprised and captivated by his growth, seeing that he could do things like this now, and I was also raising my voice in joy, saying 'Amazing, amazing!!'
Since we played a lot, my grandson fell asleep on my chest immediately on the way home.
My son said it was a huge help to be able to rest during that time.
What surprised me even more when I got home was
the memory of my older granddaughter.
She remembered her cousins she had met a week ago, brought the Kumamon stuffed animal she had received as a souvenir, showed me a group photo from my son's wedding, and while pointing at it,
she explained earnestly that they were the 'Kumamon' big brother and big sister.
Seeing her talk about what happened the other day in her own words, I felt that her memories of people were firmly remaining in her heart, and I felt like I had been shown another step in her growth.
And when I talked about my daughter (the aunt to the grandchildren),
she said, '〇〇-nee, suki~ (I love her~),' and when I told my daughter, she was even more smitten.
Today, I spent a rich time with my grandchildren and my daughter-in-law, and it was a very warm, lively, and fun day.
But I deeply feel that all of that
is a precious time that only exists in this moment.
And for dinner at the end of the day,
wanting something warm and gentle on the body,
I made curry udon, bean sprout namul,
and milk tomato risotto.
Curry udon made by layering pork, chicken, and vegetables I had at home, and adding soy sauce koji.
I used curry roux for the first time in a while,
and when I added a dash of spice at the end,
the flavor of the curry was brought out significantly.
It was a gentle taste that seemed to soak into my slightly tired body.
Wrapped in the kindness of the community,
talking about various things with my daughter-in-law, and feeling the growth of my grandchildren, it was a day.
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#Bread
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