Reflections on Love and Understanding: A Morning of Café Conversations and Opera Watching
This morning, I had a delightful time at a café with two of my yoga friends. We chatted away while enjoying people-watching under the beautiful Florida sunshine. Despite our significant age differences, one thing we all shared was the love for our sons. One of us was a younger mom with a baby boy, I have a 21-year-old son, and the other woman has a 35-year-old son and grandchildren.
As we discussed our sons, the conversation turned to one of the woman's daughter-in-law (her son's wife), and I found myself captivated by her story. She confessed that she often felt a bit of awkwardness towards her daughter-in-law due to significant cultural differences, especially when it came to parenting, as they live in Europe.
What impressed me most was her effort to bridge the gap by immersing herself in films, books, and literature, deepening her understanding of their way of life, mindset, culture, and background. As a result, she gained insight into parenting differences and learned not to take things personally. I felt a strong sense of love in her approach to motherhood.
After our enjoyable time together, I returned home to find my son, who was on spring break from college, inviting me to watch an opera on TV together. We watched Rossini's opera "The Thieving Magpie." This piece, influenced by the trend of "rescue operas" popular in early 19th-century France, featured dramatic twists and turns and wonderful music.
However, my mind was still lingering on our morning conversation, particularly the relationship between a mother and her son's lover depicted in the opera. Amidst the chaos of the story, the aria where the mother shifts her feelings towards her son's lover and awakens to unconditional love deeply touched my heart.
By reconnecting with the love within ourselves, we often find that many relationship issues cease to be issues. It was a day that made me reflect once again on these matters.