Life is what you make of it
This time, I'd like to talk about the first group of children we met when we started our children's activities.
We started our children's activities and met them when they were in the fourth grade of elementary school.
They were bright and very honest children, but each of them had complex problems at home, and they were repeatedly wandering around late at night because they didn't want to go home.
Furthermore, due to a lack of affection, they harbored distrust towards adults, and often engaged in behaviors and attitudes that seemed to test whether a person would abandon them no matter how badly they misbehaved.
Even amidst all of that, we patiently faced them, and despite being betrayed multiple times, we continued to stand by them without giving up, thereby building a relationship of trust. Our representative, Sunagawa, and the rest of our staff have grown to be like a second family to them.
Domestic violence, parental divorce, neglect, and other factors—their environment was incredibly harsh and painful.
When they were carrying a lot of emotional wounds and had convinced themselves that no one needed them, we told them, "No matter what happens, we'll always be on your side, and we love you just the way you are."
I told them that they had the right to choose: either continue to dwell on their wounds and live a life trapped in the past, or look forward again and live a new life for themselves.
And they chose to forgive their parents and to love themselves.
This year marks eight years since I met them.
Although he has graduated from the children's cafe, he still helps out by playing with the children who come now and helping them with their homework, becoming like a kind older brother to them.
Of course, not everything is going smoothly right now; each of them has their own struggles and days when they make mistakes.
However, what's different now is that no matter how many mistakes they make or how many problems they face, they still trust and rely on us.
Another significant difference is that they continue to practice loving others without giving up.
Even with the same problems and challenges, the future can change dramatically depending on how a person perceives them.
Your future can shine brightly depending on what you do!
I really hope that the children we're working with now will never give up and will have a vision for their future ✨
This has been quite long, but thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! 🙇♂️✨
We would appreciate your support so that we can continue to meet and connect with many more children in the future. 🙇♂️
