If you ask me what the highlight of this most recent trip was, I won't say the enchanting canals of Venice or the nights spent listening to music at the Piazza San Marco. No, it wasn't the breathtaking sights of the Alps or the random wandering in Vienna...all those things were unforgettable but there's a certain little moment that'll stay with me for quite some time. A snapshot better than any I took with my camera...
It was the night my mom, some friends of ours, and I decided to go to a heurigen. I had never been to one before but my mom was hyping it up, telling me how nice those little wine taverns were and sharing stories of how she spent many nights at those places way back when she was doing some training in Austria. So off we went to enjoy a night of traditional Austrian culture and wine. The place we went to was certainly lovely but it wasn't the place, the food, or the wine that made the night what it was...
It was her.
With a violinist and accordion player performing the most romantic of songs, my mom was in her element. There she was, this vision...singing, swaying, and dancing to the tunes she raised me with...Historia de un Amor, Besame Mucho, Strangers in the Night, Love Story. I sat there watching her in awe...she was so happy, so elated, so absolutely radiant. For that moment, I got a glimpse of my mom as herself. I saw her not as a mother, a wife, a sister. Not as a friend or a grandmother. For that moment, she was just Jocelyn. Completely stripped of all other titles and attachments. And let me tell you, I wouldn't trade that one moment for a thousand others. I felt so lucky, so proud to have been sitting there knowing that this woman was my mother. And though she probably doesn't know it, it wasn't just me that was taken aback by her loveliness...I know that all eyes were set on her as the violinist played by her side as she playfully (and maybe even flirtaciously) sang and snapped along to his rendition of Fly Me to the Moon. And honestly, if you were there to see it, you'd wonder how anyone could ever keep their eyes away...
If it were just for that one moment alone, that one unforgettable snapshot...I can honestly say that the entire trip had been worth it. But it was that and more, so what more can I possibly say? I spent two weeks with this incredibly lovely lady who just so happens to be my mom and my best friend. We explored foreign lands (and waters), got into some heated fights (all part of the ride, right?), and shared some pretty sweet moments together (iPod breaks at Schonbrunn, picture-taking in our hotel room, remember?). We've got a thousand more pages of memories to add to our already jam-packed story and there's still so much ahead...
Happy Mother's Day, Mama. I love you!