Long ago, a mother presented her daughter two candy balls on the day before her marriage. In addition, the mother told her daughter a story.

It was a story about the grandmother. The daughter’s grandmother lost her husband during the war. She couldn’t have express such pain to her family, so she ended up facing everyone with a smile. She’d tell her children “Your father had died in glory, you must all grow up to be strong and justice person. Please do not forget this!” Living in such hardship, the grandmother couldn’t take it and passed away five years later. Moments before her death, she gave two of her children two candy balls that were wrapped with paper.

If she could, she would have given her children the candies long ago. Back then, people lived in poverty. Children could hardly have any candy. She did not want to spoil her children, so she waited till the final moment. If we never train ourselves in hardship while we’re still young, how could we grow up to be a capable person? But at least this time, she could see her children smiling happily right before she died.

After the mother told her daughter this story, she said “There’s a candy in every mother’s heart. To pass on your grandmother’s intention, I’ll be giving you these candy balls now. I hope that you can pass them on to your children when you’ve become a mother.”

Those candy balls were given to the mother from grandmother, and were given to the daughter once again by the mother. They marked a great challenge that represents the ‘candy in the heart’. It’s a mother’s hope towards her children. We’d feel helpless being unable to give our children candies. However, it feels worse when we’re able of doing so, but do not dare to.



Postscript:
Who’d have never tried candy balls before? This is one of the junk food we’d usually have. Parents would like to see their children happy. But the grandmother did not do that.

Children’s emotion is very direct. When they’ve got what they wanted, their world would be full of joyful colours. They behave the same when the similar happens for the second or the third time. But who knows if they’d react the same when it happens for the fourth or fifth time? Till then, they could have got bored with what they had and ask for more. We could never satisfy them this way, but it’ll foster an attitude of greed in them.

We might not want to see them unhappy, hence satisfying the children with materials. But have we ever found out their sorrow when we’re not around to support them? Materials could only make them joyful for a few moments. But as they return to reality, it’d still be the same.

From this article, we could see the grandmother’s love towards her children. She never really showed it obviously. This could easily be seen on her struggles in consideration on giving the candies to her children. I trust that the grandmother must have wanted her children to remember the experience and feeling of waiting and acquiring the candy. It’s such experience that pushes us to grow independent. This would someday become part of the ‘treasure of heart’. This is the treasure that’ll grow with them, advance with them.

Ikeda Sensei once said “People always say that children grow up looking at the backbone of parents. But no one could ever see their own backbone. The mirror that reflects our bones are our children. From this point of perception, children are here for us to train ourselves. To nurture the children is the same as nurturing ourselves.”

This story is not only shared particularly to parents, but for JD PICs as well. We’d often see the Junior Divisions as our brothers and sisters. However, we may have spoiled them with our love. Please remember that we must help to build up their heart, not just to make them happy. Ikeda Sensei is looking forward to the Future Division’s growth and advancement, let’s strive harder to achieve this noble aim!

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