Mother and Daughter

I couldn't help but notice this mother and daughter who sat in front of us on the shuttle bus during our tour of the Grand Canyon.  They were with a party of five others, whom I presume were all family.  They all spoke Chinese, and the rest of the group sat on the other side of the bus, laughing and chatting in their foreign tongue.  These two though sat alone together and displayed such a tenderness between them.  They were so gentle with each other and so affectionate; I first noticed that the daughter (a middle aged woman who appeared to be in her 40's) resting her head on her mother's.  There was a a sense of reverence in the way the daughter leaned into her mother - a respect and gentleness I've seldom seen between American mothers and daughters.  

I continued to watch them, fascinated by their gentle communication and slight hand gestures and the way they would pause to look at each other.  What a lucky pair to enjoy such a loving relationship.

Oddly enough, on the plane bound to Vegas last Sunday, I began reading an autobiography that was about a Chinese girl whose mother died shortly after her birth, leaving her and her four siblings in the care of their wealthy businessman father.  He became smitten with a 17 year old Eurasian, who was both beautiful and extremely cruel, and he married her.  She was beyond selfish and merciless to his children. The story of this young girl's life was shocking, heartbreaking and haunting.  I highly recommend the book:

The cruelty and selfishness of some is beyond comprehension to me.  The resilience of others astounds me in equal measure.  You won't regret this fascinating story, plainly told and gleaned from Adeline Yen Mah's incredible memories.