Dad’s and Justin’s Birthdays

I’m packing up my skiis for my trip out west. The flight leaves at 1:00. I can’t believe the amount of stuff I’m grabbing. I travel all over the world regularly and pride myself on how organized I am. I usually only bring a small suitcase (size you can carry on) for a 2 week trip. Now I’m got a large bag plus my skiis and I still need to grab a pack to carry on! Winter stuff is bulky! I’ve got a couple more hours before I leave. Still have to run to the store for some distilled water. Otherwise I’m all set.

Justin and his girlfirend, Nichole, were home this weekend and we got to spend some quality time with them. We went to the mall to get him something for his birthday (19 this year) He wanted sneakers and a video game. Then we went to dinner at Romano’s Macaroni Grill. Nichole’s mom and brother joined us. We really like that place. Casual with nice food and not terribly expensive. On Sunday they left around 1 to go back to school. Justin had a math review session at 3:30. Yesterday he called Diane to brag that he had aced it. (3 for 3 this term!) Only the final exam remains. He should end up with about a 3.6 GPA this term. I’m really proud of him.

I called my dad Saturday to wish him a happy birthday. It was about 8:40pm when I finally got through and he had just gone to bed. We talked only a couple of minutes. He sounded very tired. The Christmas day stroke has transformed him from a vibrant adult to an old man. Even though the stroke was a mild one, he still has some mobility loss and has lost his energy. Everyone goes through it but it’s always difficult to see your father get old and frail. Fathers are always your source of strength. That’s especially true with mine both physically and otherwise. He’s about 5′ 4" tall with broad shoulders and he’s never been overweight. He only broke down and bought a wood splitter last year. He heats his entire house with wood. I mention this only because I think it typifies his health and the type of person he is.

My father and I never talked about deep subjects. If we did, then it would only be brief discussions. He preferred to be busy than to reflect on things. I hope that as he ages he doesn’t have to endure any long period where he can’t be active. That would drive him crazy. On the other hand, maybe it is something he needs.  

Namaste