The memory of water, and a quiet guidance

In a person's life,
Looking back on it later,
There are moments when you realize, "That was a meaningful event."

At that time, I didn't understand anything.

However, standing there,
Feeling the wind,
A time spent simply listening to the sound of water.

But in that quiet time,
Sometimes, the seeds for future paths are laid out.

In the mountainous region of Nagano, there is a place called Lake Nojiri.

In summer, a cool breeze blows through the mountains.
The lake's surface reflects the light silently.

It has long been known as a summer resort,
Beneath that lies another side, one that is rarely spoken of.

On the shore of the lake,
Christian pastors gather only during the summer,
There is a small village of vacation homes.

For a short period of about two months,
They stayed there,
Have time for prayer and learning.

In that place, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the outside world,
There is an indescribable stillness.

In one corner of the village,
There is a church standing quietly in the distance.

It's not very big.

But once you take a step inside,
I can feel the flow of time slowly changing.

The statue of Mary there is made of bronze.

Not a polished white,
A deep, gentle brown.

When it receives light,
The color was like water,
His expression changes quietly.

When I was young,
I once stayed in that place for about ten days.

I didn't do anything special.

just,
He was there.

The sound of the wind,
The swaying of the trees,
The calm waves of the lake.

While being enveloped by them,
People gradually begin to confront their inner selves.

Time passed,
I left that place,
They will each go their separate ways and live their own lives.

I got married,
I work,
Take responsibility,
I immersed myself in the realities of everyday life.

And then one day,
I had the opportunity to visit that church again.

The same place as before.

The same lake.
The same air.

But at that time,
He had already become a different person.

Entering the church,
Standing quietly,

Suddenly,
Something beyond words reached my heart.

It's not a voice.
However, it certainly gets the message across.

"Touch the feet of Christ and pray."

That's how I felt.

I left it as it was.
Approach the statue,
I touched her foot.

Metal, which should be cold,
It felt strangely soft.

And then I just prayed.

What did he pray for?
I can't remember clearly now.

But only at that moment,
It remains vividly in my memory even now.

Many years passed after that.

I dedicated my life to work related to water.

Water is a mysterious substance.

Accept everything,
Let it all go,
It encompasses everything.

Sometimes it becomes cloudy,
Sometimes it gets rough,
Sometimes it becomes quietly clear.

But its essence remains unchanged.

No matter how dirty it gets,
Water naturally tries to return to its pure state.

I was fascinated by its nature,
I have continued to learn techniques for handling water.

Eventually,
Any water,
It became possible to restore it to a near-pure state once again.

At that time,
I suddenly realized something.

I'm not dealing with water,
Perhaps they are serving the water.

Water is the mother of life.

And within that flow,
There is some kind of invisible will at work.

In India, Saraswati flows as a river.
In Japan, Benten is worshipped as the goddess of water.

And far away in Brazil,
A brown-skinned Madonna who emerged from the water is worshipped by the people.

The name is different.
The locations are different too.

But what lies beneath it is
They might be the same.

Everyone, somewhere,
I was led along by that current.

When will that be?
I don't know what form it will take.

But quietly and surely,
The path is already laid out.

And now,
A new trend is about to emerge.

it is,
There's no need to rush.

It's not something that makes a loud noise.

just,
It starts small, but surely.

Understanding each and every detail.
Each and every experience.
It's all about building things up one step at a time.

Like flowing water.

Without straining yourself,
But definitely.

Eventually, people
They have a role to play within that process.

Someone will become the protector,
Someone will become the one to pass on the message,
Someone will be the one who is guided.

But everything is in the same water.

And the flow is,
It will definitely continue.

Quietly,
Gently,
Without interruption.