It felt good to cry.

The twins and I went to Woman in Gold which shifted the world in ninety minutes. I entered the theater feeling stuck in my provincial concerns and was soon swept up in the true story of a woman named Maria who believed she rightfully owned a painting of her aunt that was stolen by the Nazis. It hung prominently in a gallery in Vienna and the museum had absolutely no intention of letting her have it. A young lawyer named Randy championed her years long battle with the Austrian government for the restitution of what once had been hers. 

There are three strong marriages woven into the story. Maria and her husband were married at the cusp of the Anschluss and barely escaped with the clothes on their backs. Her parents did not survive, yet they could not be robbed of their deep love for one another and their children.  Randy was a devoted husband and father and his wife supported him in the grueling fight for the painting. 

Seeing the commitment and trust that steeled these couples through enormous pressures unlocked me from my own complaints. And like I said, it felt good to cry.