(RS from Yamagata Prefecture/60s/Male/No Occupation)
Although our time together is not forever, you take for granted that your family will always be there no matter what. I cannot think of my life without my wife. But my wife collapsed to subarachnoid hemorrhage 2 years ago.
What Drew out My Wife’s Energy and Will to Live…
It was a blessing that my third daughter was at home at the time when my wife collapsed. So my daughter was able to respond to my wife immediately. However, the coil to block the damaged vessel was not enough, and was told that there might be a chance that my wife would not be saved. After surgery, the doctors told us, “We did our best. But there is really nothing else that can be done at this point.” I was devastated to think that this was how I was going to say good bye to her.
That is when a teaching of Kami that taught us the importance of ‘family to come together as one’ resonated in me. But then, I asked, “What does it mean to be as one?” My three daughters and I talked things over, and did everything we could for my wife. Then few days later, my wife came out of sleep and when she understood who I was, it was truly a speechless moment.
A Power Beyond the Doctor’s Expectations…
It was expected to take 2 to 3 years for my wife to go back to some normalcy. But the family’s willingness to come together as one never died. My married daughters would bring our grandchildren’s letter that said, “Get well soon Grandma!!” Then my wife would say in tears, “I have to get well,” and would work on her physical therapy. But despite the support, she would sometime cry saying, “I’m sorry to have troubled you all.” And we would say, “We are happy you are alive. There is no need to rush.” But our words again would make her cry even more.
Her body that didn’t move at all was back to normal in two weeks. There was no sign of dementia or disability in her walking. And she got out of the hospital in just one month. The doctor said, “I didn’t think you were going to be discharged so quickly. The family was so working hard together…There is some kind of power that’s helping this.” The doctor’s words surprised me and stunned with the amount of protection we have received. Family coming together as one—For us, it included our three daughters and our little grandchildren. And it made me realize how this ‘family coming together as one’ was so powerful that exceeded the doctor’s expectation.
To Be the Husband with a Strong Kokoro
My wife has recovered to a point where she only needs to go see the doctor once a year for checkup. And last month, my wife and I visited Hikari no Sato for the first time in couple years. The view of the Sagami Bay from the window was so calm. My wife was tearing up as I turned to her and said, “I’m glad we were able to come together.”
We saw the view together. We ate meals together. We entrusted in Kami together… There is nothing to be taken for granted. I don’t want our experience to be just told as “We were blessed to be saved.” I want to spread my sincere joy and happiness and tell our stories. My wife would say, “I died once…” And she, who would show her gratitude and compassion for Kami more than ever before is my role model. Together with my wife, we would like to support and help each other and live on.
Heeding the Shinji to Understand the Reasons for the Joys Experienced
Shinji is the universal principle (truth), and can also be the guidance of life that foresees the future. Please feel the wonders of a life that flows exactly in a way the Shinji tells us when you live with the teachings of Kami.
Shinji
Be a Husband and wife who honors a finite life to support and complement each other.
The more you understand the preciousness of the power of unmei, human beings will hone their unmei to protect the family.
To a life walked where husband and wife getting along and bringing their unmei together, the kokoro of family members will anchor. And at the same time, their respective unmei will be honed, and the jittai will be elevated.
This is a state of a family that prospers, leaving good elements in their Kokoro no Michi.