My brother Jo was weird. (Yes, that’s the spelling he was given.) He would eat the cake and leave the frosting! His Halloween candy lasted for weeks!
We weren’t very close. Our lives touched a few times when we helped each other out but we both understood it was situational.
He was a cautious man, with a noble career (doctor), good friends and reputation. He never went close to the flame that burned me more than once.
When we were both old, Jo invited me to spend some time with him at his winter home in Florida. I went hoping that at last we could share some of our childhood feelings. He wasn’t talking.
My nephew encouraged me to honor his father’s choice and make peace with it. We settled into a cordial time until he died.
Jo's children say he was a wonderful father. He was able to give them what he himself had missed.
Not all the hatchets we accumulate in a lifetime can be buried. It starts with an apology with no conditions. Sometimes it ends there. I wish it were otherwise, Joan
ReplyDeleteYou’ve talked about him so often through our friendship, Joan. This captures what I’ve heard you discuss. For his benefit, he
ReplyDeletewas able to give what he hadn’t received in childhood 💞💞Camille