A Mother-Daughter Bond and Shared Joy
This morning, it was raining. The rain made the moss in the garden especially green and vibrant. Usually, I start my day by pulling weeds and cleaning the stone basin in the garden around 6 am. I always look forward to hearing guests say “How beautiful!” when they see my tea room garden. Fortunately, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds when Kelly and her mother visited Komurasaki An. When I led the two to the tearoom garden, Kelly’s mother said, “It’s beautiful.” Hearing that made me feel like all the effort I put into gardening that morning was worth it.
The two are from the Gold Coast in Australia and had just arrived in Kyoto after arriving in Tokyo. They had already visited the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and Kiyomizu-dera Temple since arriving in Kyoto. I also remember taking my friend Barb from Seattle to the Kinkaku-ji five years ago. It was so crowded with tourists that we didn’t have time to relax and enjoy the view. I also regret not being able to answer Barb’s rapid-fire questions about Kinkaku-ji and its history. I should have studied more.
Kelly and her mother, Rosslyn are very close, and it’s hard not to smile when you see them together. Kelly always walks ahead of her mother and helps her hand over rough spots on the stone basin’s stepping stones. Even when Naoko served Japanese sweets in the tea room, she gestured with her hand to say, “Please, Mother first.”
My mother passed away three years ago. I had never taken her overseas or even invited her on a domestic trip. The first and last time I took her on a trip was six months before she died, when she said, “I want to visit my ancestors’ grave.” I took her in the car to the grave. Watching Kelly and her mother, I thought, “Oh, I wish I had been more filial.”
As Rosslyn’s repeated nods and attentive listening encouraged Naoko to speak freely during the workshop, Kelly observed their interaction with a sense of contentment, seemingly relishing the harmonious atmosphere of the tea ceremony. The hour-and-a-half workshop unfolded in a tranquil manner, enveloped in a serene ambiance that permeated every corner of the room.
