我がネコちゃんズ

私は聾者です。

今日、通勤中のこと。

いつも通り車を走らせていたら、横断歩道の前で子どもたちが立っていた🚸

急いでいる朝だったけど、自然と車を止めて、彼らが渡りきるのを待った。

小さなランドセルを背負った子たちが、ぴょこぴょこと渡っていく。

そんなありふれた朝の風景──。

でも、その後だった。

渡りきった子どもたちが、こちらを振り返って、

なぜかしら、手話で「ありがとう」って伝えてくれたんだ🌸

声じゃなく、手の動きだけで伝える「ありがとう」。

その一瞬に、胸がじんわりあたたかくなった。

言葉じゃなくても、心はこんなにちゃんと届くんだ。

ただ車を止めただけなのに、こんなに素直な「ありがとう」をもらえるなんて…。

逆に、こちらこそありがとうって思った。

忙しさに追われがちな毎日だけど、

こんな小さな優しさにふと立ち止まれる瞬間が、

なんだかものすごく大事なものに思えた🌿

今日の朝、子どもたちにもらったあの「ありがとう」は、

きっとしばらく、私の心の中で灯り続けると思う🌈

I am deaf.

Today, during my commute,

I was driving as usual when I noticed some children standing at a crosswalk 🚸.

Even though it was a rushed morning, I naturally stopped the car and waited for them to cross.

They walked across with their small backpacks, hopping along one step at a time.

It was just an ordinary scene of a morning──

But then, something unexpected happened.

After they crossed, the children turned back toward me,

and, for some reason, they signed “thank you” in sign language 🌸.

Without using their voices, they conveyed their gratitude through their hands.

In that brief moment, my heart was filled with warmth.

Even without words, feelings can reach across so clearly.

All I did was stop the car, and yet they offered me such pure and heartfelt thanks.

It made me think — no, it made me feel — “Thank you” from the bottom of my heart.

In the busyness of everyday life,

it’s these small acts of kindness that make us stop for a moment,

and remind us of what is truly important 🌿.

The “thank you” the children gave me this morning

will surely stay as a light in my heart for a long time to come 🌈.