Smile… be someone’s smile and let the smile come back
I went for dinner at Dad’s last night. Arriving late after my client visitation, I helped dad set up the table and prepare for dinner as I explained the Japanese green tea I got him. Su-Anne went straight to the TV, Ron and Yen-jie was nowhere to be seen. When dinner was ready, slowly the mentioned faces began to appear and greetings were exchanged. The joy of the evening was when Ron saw me from the next room and called out “Suemae jie-jie!”
This bundle of joy, although a brat most of the time, ran and gave me a big hug. As I picked him up, this 4 year old told me that he missed me. (Aww, isn’t that sweet?) A few words were exchanged and I placed him at his seat, showing him the gift I got him. SeanRon was so happy to have a personal pair of chopsticks fitting his little hands. He was excited and ate by himself with chopsticks that evening. Although we ended up having quite some rice on the table, Ron’s face, clothes, and the floor, Ron did a good job eating fast and without being fed. He didn’t even left the table for the computer!
Nothing makes my day better than a wide sincere smile. Knowing that I have brighten someone’s day, helped them, or lifted their spirits bring unspeakable joy to me too. Last week at TCU there were many smiles, even from the rare ones of George and Abe-san the librarian. It was great seeing them again and spending time with loved ones.
One of those smiles that warmed my heart in winter was the smile of Fujihara-Otosan. It was about the same time this year that I accompanied the Fujihara-couple to the hospital. He was diagnosed with excessive Kalium in his blood thus bringing symptoms of cancer. Although it was not malignant, chemotherapy was needed. My surprise trip to Japan last week did bring a smile to the Fujihara-family.
With little sleep from a fun-filled evening at Tokyo Disneyland the night before, I got on the trains Thursday morning to Tokyo Station. After meeting up with Fujihara-Okasan, we made our way to Tsukiji (near the Ginza area) for a scrumptious sushi lunch at one of the most famous sushi restaurants there. After our meal, we made our way to the hospital and picked Fujihara-Otosan up. He was well enough to go out for a stroll so we decided to have a nice walk at Hamarikyuu Gardens. We truly enjoyed this Japanese Imperial garden and the sights were just amazing. Lovely manicured gardens right in the middle of skyscrapers facing the docks were the fresh market is located… Simply beautiful!
After our walk, we went to Ginza for tea. We were at Fugetsudo—another favorite for sweets and dessert—and spend an hour or so there. We had tea and cakes that were fabulous. Later, Fujihara-Otosan bade his farewell and left me and Fujihara-Okasan to shop at Ginza. Knowing that Ginza is the high fashion street of Tokyo, we stuck to shopping at Uniqlo. Nonetheless, I have to admit that Uniqlo at Ginza was super cool, very different from the one at CNT. They had very nice clothes to accessories (which I can’t seem to located the cute hair band I was using last Sunday, sigh!). I was presented a few pieces of clothing and thanked the Fujiharas for a wonderful day.
Things always work out for the pleasant and nice when I least expected it. It is not because I seek for any benefits in making someone smile or to be rewarded for being nice to them. Somehow, I think it is grace that my encounter(s) in Japan has showed me the love that I have never imagined. Now, I am made aware that there are nice and good people out there. By this, I do make it a point to share anything I have making it special to others in response to the grace that was first shown to me—wherever I am, whoever I meet, and whatever I do.
