What Was Contained in Her Final 'Thank You'

A time a little while ago.
Mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law would all gang up to bully the bride.
Even among the elderly today, it is not uncommon for them to have been bullied themselves, and then, in turn, to have bullied their own sons' wives.

Families who need nursing care and place their relatives in facilities.

The daughter-in-law who suffered terribly says, 'Please contact me when she dies,' and the son hardly ever comes to visit.

Even so, that grandmother always kept a photo of her family by her side, gazing at it lovingly.
She was a very stylish person, and if I was wearing a pretty hair ornament, she would have a side to her that would react eagerly, saying,

'That's nice!'

She had a clear personality, or rather, she was tough (laughs).
But, time is a traveler of a hundred generations...

Slowly approaching an eternal rest was an unavoidable reality.
Just before she died.
That grandmother squeezed my hand tightly and said,
'Thank you.'
The nursing staff member who happened to be present, who had repeatedly battled with that grandmother, said to me in a daze,
'No, this person is really something... because she's thanking me.'

No. That's not it.

Everything everyone did to take care of her, all the time and effort they spent.
The fact that they interacted with her without bullying her.
The grandmother understood everything properly, and
she felt 'grateful' from the bottom of her heart.

People cannot live perfectly.

Sometimes we hurt someone.
Sometimes we cannot love well.
Sometimes we grow old while carrying regrets.

Even so.

The 'thank you' that came out in that final moment,
I believe, surely contained that person's entire life.

You never know about a person until the very end.

That is precisely why I
do not want to give up easily on connecting with someone.

It's okay if you can't say it well.

It's okay if you feel a little self-conscious or embarrassed.

Because the regret of not being able to convey it will surely remain in your heart for a long time.

So, if the face of someone precious to you comes to mind today,

please, deliver a 'thank you' to them.