Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Parental Time

My folks are both passed, on to the next realm or merely in the ground I dont know. My dad's birthday was Ides of March, March 15, and my ma's was April 1, April Fools Day.
Hence, this time of year I go through some stuff. Its not mourning, or regret, or looking back, its just a time of awareness, some gratefulness, and a lot of reflectiveness. I think about being a kid who had parents, and of being a parent, and of taking care of others.
For instance, I have been sorting through stuff to go to Goodwill because we are moving soon, and I have lived here for 10 years, about a third of that with my son Ed living here too. Found an Alberta flag that used to be the curtain on his bedroom window, took it to work to give to some young guys who are moving into a pad together. Felt a bit dad-ly doing that.
Shared some dad stories with a woman working the till at a liquor store, she was telling me about taking courses on hunting with her son, and going out on hunts with him. I used to jam with my son, not shoot critters with him, but we fished together a number of times. Ed was a really good guitar player before he got into the daily pot smokin, unfortunately that sapped his motivation to practice and get better and is currently limiting him. However, he did get in on some good jams with some talented players, some of whom used to make their living with their axes (or sticks). Dad thoughts.
My mum was a woman (obviously) and its sometimes hard for a guy to imagine how women feel, but taking in some fruit for the young guys at work is something I feel like doing these days. Man cannot live on noodles and McD's alone. She was a deep thinker and feeler, and she was a bit spooky. I think she hovers a bit closer to me this time of year. We both loved spring. I always liked 'making rivers' with the meltwater, and I find myself doing that now, and think of me ol Ma. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sammitches eaten with socks drying on the heat register.
Thanks for taking care of me, Mum n Dad. Hope all is well with you, wherever you might be.