(SM from Saga Prefecture/Female/ 80s/Farming)
My husband and I are in the 80s, we still enjoy farming. My husband has been a chairman of the community club for elderly even after he turned 85. He even helps people who can no longer cultivate rice fields.
Always Saying “We are Very Grateful.”
I too enjoy growing vegetables even though I have back problems. After years of farming, as learned in the teachings of Kami, I came to understand human beings are given lives in the blessings of nature. I often say to my husband “we are very grateful.
One day, we were working on the field and my husband said, “Let’s have a tea break.” Usually I would say, “I’ll do a little more work before a tea break “. That day, I do not know why but I immediately said “OK, let’s take a tea break”.
Suddenly, there was a huge sound near the field. We did not know what was going on, so we went back to the area where I was fielding to take a look. Then, we saw a fallen persimmon tree struck by lightning. If I kept working, I would definitely have been caught up in it.
I was able to escape from it thanks to my husband. Furthermore, I truly felt Kami’s protection through the movement of my kokoro to accept my husband’s suggestion to take a break. The kokoro is invisible but can be certainly sensed. My husband and I thanked Kami immediately.
Realizing a Significance of the Movement of Kokoro
It is the accumulation of the movement of the kokoro that creates one’s life. The accumulation of the kokoro becomes a shield that protects one’s life when it is needed. Although I cannot abide fully by the teachings yet, I want to walk the right path and live abide by the teachings. This incident made me wish once more to be of help to people, together with my husband.
It was a pity that a tree that provided delicious persimmons, loved by many people had fallen. However, we admire and are thankful that it kept everyone happy until the roots fell apart. We talked about how we want to be able to be useful to everyone until the end, like the persimmon tree.