solecism Saturday, June 18, 2005 4:53 AM
I use to call my folks once a week—I believed I was the dutiful son. They wanted to hear the news, I thought. The communication often followed a predictable pattern, an exchange of pleasant cordialities, an update on the latest infirmaries of their advanced age and my father’s liberal diatribe about big banks (I was working for one) and foreign competition.
They are gone now and I miss those weekly chats. I miss the unconditional love that was imparted. Now I find it much more difficult to remain at peace alone. There are waves of insecurity that disturb my concentration now. Forcing me to worry or seek companionship.
With every loss there is a gain. Now working hard to communicate by reading and practicing here. I have a respect for words—words create the bridge to others.
This weekend my teenage son is with me, and though our conversations are brief, I am comforted when family is near. Even knowing life is teeming just a city block away I was at peace read on a Friday night. I asked him if he had visited this site, Yes, he said and commented on my faulty word construction. Because it was him, I was proud that he was discerning. Yet this morning I found myself back to reading a grammar book.