The 'Birth' I Encountered After My Mother's Death

There is a mysterious timing to the people we meet.
Sometimes I wish I had met them sooner, and other times I feel that it was only because of the present moment that we could meet.

For me, Miyuki Nakajima's song 'Birth' was exactly that kind of song.

The catalyst was the death of my mother.
After losing my mother, I spent my days feeling as if there were a hole in my heart.
It goes without saying that I was sad, but it was more than that.
I could not easily accept the reality that someone who had always been there as a matter of course was gone.
Time was passing, but I felt as if I alone were standing still.

One day, I happened to hear Miyuki Nakajima's 'Birth'.
Until then, I had never really listened to Miyuki Nakajima's songs.
I knew her name.
I knew she was a famous singer.

However, I had never touched the world of her lyrics.
That is precisely why my encounter with 'Birth' was such a shock.
'Welcome for being born'
The moment I heard those words, my heart was struck.
It is only a single phrase, so why is it so profound?

When people are living, they sometimes lose sight of their own value. By failing, getting hurt, or comparing themselves to others.
And when you lose someone precious, you can sometimes feel as if you yourself have become empty.
At such times, this song speaks to you, saying, 'You are a being who is welcomed just for having been born.'

I was saved by those words.
It is not that you have value because you have accomplished something.
It is not that you have value because you have been recognized by someone.
It blesses the very fact that you were born.
I had never encountered a song like that.

And in an instant, I became a fan of Miyuki Nakajima.
Her singing voice is also wonderful.
Her expressive power is overwhelming.
But more than anything, it was the lyrics that captured my heart.
Why is she able to put into words so accurately the emotions that lie deep in the human heart that cannot be expressed?
Before I knew it, I had started listening to her other songs as well.

When I listen to 'Birth', there is another scene I remember.

It is the day my own child was born.
I still cannot forget the moment I held my child for the first time.
The relief that they were born safely.
The joy of welcoming a new life.
The responsibility of having become a parent.
Various emotions were mixed together.
But looking back now, I think my feelings at that time were very simple.

'Thank you for being born'
That was all.
What kind of child will they become?
What kind of life will they lead?
I was not thinking about such things.
I was just happy that the little life in front of me had been born.
Every time I hear the word 'Welcome' in 'Birth', the feelings of that day come back to me.

And at the same time, I think.

Just as I rejoiced at the birth of my child, my mother must have also rejoiced at my birth.
I had never thought about that when I was a child.
It was so taken for granted that I did not notice.
But now that I have become a parent and have seen my mother off, there are things I understand.

Life is passed on.
We live by being welcomed by someone and by welcoming someone.
'Birth' is a song that reminds me of such an obvious and irreplaceable thing.

What if I had encountered it when I was younger?
There are times when I think about that.
But perhaps it is because I have experienced my mother's death and have become a parent myself that the meaning of this song resonates so deeply in my heart.

It might have been a late encounter.
Even so, I am grateful that I was able to meet it.
That I was able to encounter this song when I saw my mother off and began to look back on my own life...
And that it made me think again about the meaning of having been born...

'Birth' is not just a single song to me.
It is a song that gently stayed by my side during a certain period of my life and reminded me of important things.
I think I will surely continue to listen to it again at every turning point in my life.

And each time, I will surely engrave the words 'Welcome for being born' into my heart once again.