Translation 1: 女の子 {The Little Girl} - Part 1

大きい家があります。
There is a big house.
とても大きい家です。
It is a very big house.
大きい家の大きい部屋に、女の子がいます。
In the big house is a big room and a little girl. 
部屋には、ものがたくさんいます。
There are lots of things in the room.
絵本もピアノもテレビもあります。
There is a piano, a picture book and a TV.
人形もあります。
There are dolls too.
でも、一つだけありません。
But there was one thing that was not there.
それは、「言葉」。
That was "words".
女の子は「言葉」を言いません。
The little girl did not say "words".
そして、笑いません。
And so, she didn't laugh.
女の子の家には、お父さんもいます。
In the little girl's house, there was father.
お母さんもいます。
There was mother too.
でも、女の子は、いつも一人です。
But the little girl was always alone.
隣の部屋から、お父さんの大きい声。
In the room next door, there is father's big voice.
お母さんの大きい声。
Mother's big voice.
そして、ドアを音　（バタン！）
Then there is a sound (Bang!).

Being Thankful

Watching episode 1 of a drama called Around 40, I realized that even when we as human beings are immersed and happy in our lives, there will always be people around us who will not be happy for us. They might do it in the form of, "Oh I only wish for your happiness," or "Oh poor thing! I feel so sorry for you". Even though you may not have thought yourself to be the object of anyone's pity, you are suddenly forced to look at what you don't have. You may have felt content with your life until you let someone else's words come into your life and tell you that what you have is not enough. That is the point when even the most thankful of us become unthankful and depressed. We end up convincing ourselves of how pathetic we are. There is so much that we are missing even though just a day before we may have been extremely happy with the same circumstances only a day before. Just because our lives have a steady pattern does not mean that there is nothing else to live for. Just because we have a schedule that is full, doesn't mean that we are necessarily overworked. People who live in dire conditions who may have been laid off or worse in a country with less facilities or in wartorn areas are still fighting to live and survive yet it is usually the people who live in developed countries are patients of depression. Why? Why can't we be happy with what we have? We are truly blessed. If we have a stable job, if we are going to school, if we are working at home as mothers or even if we are old and retired. We are blessed because we have been provided for in every way. Shouldn't we then be thinking more about helping those who may not? Why worry about whay we don't have? Shouldn't we focus on what we do have? Unfortunately, in today's society there will always be someone there to remind us of what we don't have. Whether it is tv advertisments or our coworkers, whether its our family or our friends there will always be something 'missing' that is apparently wrong with our lives. Focusing on what we have will help us be thankful and hope that whatever comes in the future will bring blessings to us and to those all around us is the best way to live one's life.