That time I thought would never return has come back to the kitchen

That time I thought would never return has come back to the kitchen

When the children were still small.
Friends would come over to play,
and I loved the time we spent making snacks and eating meals together.

That lively, slightly messy, yet warm time.
Even now, I remember it at unexpected moments.

Now that they are university students living on their own, my children have many friends,
and the people I hear about are all so charming in their own ways that I had started to think, "I'd love to meet them someday."

Just like when they were in elementary school,
I hoped they would still bring them home,
and that we could gather around the dining table together.

I held that wish somewhere in my heart.



And then, yesterday.
That dream came true once again.

Moreover, the ones who came were
two of my daughter's friends from abroad.

We had actually heard they were coming "tomorrow," but due to a misunderstanding, we realized around evening that it was actually that day, which made me a little flustered.
I hadn't prepared anything yet, and the cleaning and shopping weren't properly done.

When my daughter suggested they might eat before coming,
I proposed that since they were coming all this way, they should have a home-cooked meal.


I rushed to go shopping after finishing work, and upon returning home, my husband scrambled to tidy up and clean, while I prepared the meal.

Even though I shouldn't have had any spare time at all,
my heart was soaring.

While thinking, "Will I make it in time?"
the time spent standing in the kitchen itself
felt somehow nostalgic and precious.

Just like in those days,
I was so happy that the time spent setting the table for someone other than family had returned in this way.



At the table I had managed to set,
my daughter and her friends sat down,
and the fact that we could share the same meal
and spend the same time together
just made me so happy...

The fact that they went out of their way to come to my daughter's parents' home.
The fact that they shared this time with us.
Each of those things
felt so grateful that I couldn't put it into words.

I was a little nervous since it was our first time meeting, but my daughter bridged the gap for us.
They were very cute, friendly, and warm,
just as wonderful as I had heard they were.

With every sudden smile,
and every time they said "delicious,"
the depths of my heart warmed up again and again.

Even though our languages and cultures are different,
I felt that "eating together"
connects people so naturally.

Actually, opportunities to spend time with my children's friends like this
have been gradually increasing.

At the end of the year, there was also an evening I spent with my daughter's friends.

Also, the very moment we first met,
one friend told me directly,
"Thank you for giving birth to [Name]!"

Every one of them is truly wonderful and full of charm, making me feel the richness of the world my children have encountered and connected with.

And, I naturally feel a sense of gratitude and respect for the time my daughter herself has spent meeting such people
and nurturing those relationships.



It felt as if the time in the kitchen I spent with my children and their friends during my child-rearing days had returned in a slightly different form...

Rather than returned,
it felt as if something that had been continuing somewhere all along
had suddenly appeared before my eyes once again.
And this time, the world is expanding even further.

They teach us about worlds we don't know, and make us feel directly that the world is vast and life is fun.

One more dream has come true.

The joy of it coming true, and
the gratitude for the time that has connected us this far.
Both of these things quietly overlap,

soaking deep into my heart.

The two of them have flown around many countries in the world and have visited Japan many times.
Even so, they said this was the first time they had been invited to a Japanese home and served home-cooked food.

A special day that will remain in my heart.
Welcoming precious guests,
and being able to gather around the same table across national borders like this.

I hope to continue to cherish these moments that seem ordinary but are not,
as we continue to build them up.


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