Cherish Happiness Next to You
新島学園高等学校

３年

佐々木風羽“Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are notgoing to be around forever. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next toyou, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart, and it
doesn’t cost a cent. Remember to say, “I love you” to your partner and yourloved ones, but most of all, mean it!!”This quotation was written by an American pastor, Dr. Bob Moorehead. It
was part of a sermon that he once gave at his church. It was about theWhat made me find this sermon and inspired me to present this speech
toyou

was

mygrandmother’shospitalization.

I

havelivedwithmygrandmother for eighteen years, since I was born. She never had any serious
illnesses in the past, and she was very healthy and full of energy. However,last October, she was hospitalized for malignant cancer. Everyone in myfamily was very shocked. Most of the time during her hospitalization, she was
not at home with us. Her absence made me realize how important a role she
had in my life. I had taken it for granted that she would be by my side all
the time, and sometimes I even said harsh words to her. Why did I say suchthings? I should have cherished every moment with her. The more I thought
about her, the more I regret it. My grandmother did everything she could tocare for me. She always knew exactly what I wanted and needed. I felt soashamed after my grandmother’s hospitalization, that I have noticed a lot ofthings she had done for me for many years. Now my grandmother is out of
the hospital and living with us again, I’ve never been happier.
Have you ever thought hard about love before? Many scriptures teaching
about love are written in the Bible. In Japan, many people imagine love to beromantic love between men and women, but love has many shapes. Since I
started attending Niijima Gakuen High School three years ago, and started

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高校生―Ｄ部門

importance of cherishing others in the modern age.

reading the Bible, I have come to understand the meanings of the word love.
One day, I found an article which was written about the definition of love. It
said, love is “praying for the happiness of your partner at any time.” When I
read it, I realized that my grandmother is always praying for my happiness,and that is why she cherishes me so much. I realized that having someone by
your side shouldn’t be taken for granted, but it should be treasured moments.
All of us, for sure, have felt loved by someone, and have cherished others.
Look around, and we will find some people who are at our side. During myshort stay in the US four years ago, I spent time with a host family. They
expressed their feelings by putting them into words and in their actions whichsurprised me. When it was time to return to Japan, my host family hugged
me and said, “we love you.” I still remember feeling happy at that moment.
Of course, nobody can hate being liked by someone, right? As Dr. Moorehead
高校生―Ｄ部門

said, saying “I love you” to others is not an easy thing for us, even if thefeeling is true. Japanese people have a hard time putting their feelings intowords, and hugging each other is not part of our culture. However, even if it’sembarrassing, it’s important to express our feelings that we take for granted
to those around us.
Think about your loved ones right now. If you knew you were never going
to see them again after tomorrow, how would you feel? What would you do?
Would you have regrets if you weren’t able to let them know how you felt
about them through your words and your actions? I want to say, “Thank you,and I love you” to my grandmother from now on.
Thank you.

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