Hidemi's Rambling No.149

Today is Buddha’s birthday. I had lived with my grandmother until I left my hometown and she led a secluded life. She rarely went out but the Buddhist event was one of her exceptions. Although she had a limp and hated to step out of the house, she was willing to take a one-hour train ride alone to the head temple of Buddhism. There, she would pour special sweetened tea over a statue of Buddha and bring the tea home. Drinking it was supposed to make us healthy and happy. Unfortunately, it tasted horrible. Since it was considered sacred and a precious result of my grandmother’s rare long trip, I had to finish it thankfully with a forced smile. It was no more than annual torture for me…