dealing with other people afflictions

More immeasurable benefit
this morning........
Monday morning, snowing, equinox energies have been flying for a few days
My son
is affected, afflicted, ranting, raging, suffering, emoting
This is what used to trigger me into all kinds of emotional turmoil myself
I felt so helpless and like this shouldn't be happening, embarrassed and just generally disturbed.
I would have tried to offer suggestions and tried to stear him away from his afflictive thoughts and emotions. And he would have said I am not hearing him and rejected anything I had to say. Then I would have felt defeated, rejected and angry. It would have probably ended in either me crying and him mad or both of us mad.
This morning, after a week of feeling like I am not really feeling any benefits that I am aware of, I was genuinely NOT affected by his emotional drama and pain. I had the capacity to be calm inside myself while listening to him and feeling his pain and frustration and confusion with him. I was able to from that place of compassion to offer some understanding that I could see he got. To feel like he is not crazy but to know that I understood maybe is helpful. But I did not try to solve or suggest even anything to him. Just love him fully and in that I was fine, just fine. not disturbed. I thought I would cry when he finally left and feel helpless and sad. I do feel helpless and sad, however, just calmly knowing that this is all clarity. Points of view, mine and his are being clarified in this situation of feeling the afflictions fully and knowing that they do not have an independent nature. They only are as real as I make them in my focus on them, so when I focus on clarity/awareness, then the afflictive points of view just keep moving because i don't support them with my story about them.
This is a lesson to me because for the last week I have felt like nothing is really happening in my practice, however, this is where this practice shines. When previously very disturbing situations arise, all of a sudden, I realize, WOW, I just went through that thing and my well being is not disturbed.
Very Grateful, I am.