(RT from Indonesia/Female/40s/Housewife)
I married a man from a different country, and with a different religious background. My husband’s family and relatives believe in different religions. We often talked about respecting each other’s beliefs and ideas, but sometime could not reach a mutual agreement, especially to the issue of education of our two children. Although I wanted to respect his and his family’s opinions, my heart was filled with isolation which even made me more worried to keep on living in a foreign country.
Kami’s teachings really supported my kokoro (heart and spirit).
As I learned the teachings every day, it made me realize and reminded me that fundamental happiness is achieved in a harmonious family. And the harmony between a husband and wife is what nurtures the kokoro of the child. I gradually became aware that I wasn’t considerate enough about the opinions of others. The issue was not about who is right or who is wrong. The most important thing is to support each other with respect on each other’s feelings. First I started with trying to accept my husband’s feelings, then his attitude gradually changed and he started to tell me what was on his mind and we became able to have heart to heart conversations.
I’m so happy that I am able to communicate with my husband and we understand each other. I feel more confident now that we can make a warm and loving home. I want to continue to learn more of the teachings to cherish conversations with my family which will also nurture our children’s kokoro, and to support each other, and use the multi-cultural backgrounds as our way of establishing our unique family.