NOTES ON AWAY FROM HOME
From our son on one of his few Stay With Friends While Parents Travel stays:
On our return from a not lengthy trip - five days maybe? - we had a talk with our son, in which he reported that he could never live with that family. "Their Bio-rhythms are off. I must be a very developed soul (underdeveloped souls are criminals) because I just couldn't have chosen better parents."
My reply: "That's a real compliment."
He says he doesn't know if it's a compliment to him or to us.
That certainly gave me food for thought.
Cimadb
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
T in for C
For those of you who remember that we, like other of our artsy friends way back when, hand made our holiday greeting cards each and every year, will also probably recall that after our son began to exhibit extraordinary drawing ability and talent, surpassing his parents by far, we willingly turned over the Holiday Greeting Card project to him. Ah, those carefree years when all we had to do was request a drawing or two, make copies, address envelopes, buy some pretty stamps and voila - Happy Holidays to all.
Then, when he left home we simply decided to give in and write a year end letter combining holiday greetings with our latest news.
Fast Forward lo these many years, when I recently found a box with son's letters home from his university in California. Continuing to marvel, not necessarily at his penmanship (I give it a Barely B), but at the wit, philosophy, and insight I find in his messages.
And the thought struck me that now that I have this blog I can not only share some of this great stuff, but turn it over to him from time to time. (Just like the Holiday Greetings!)
I did discuss this briefly with him, promising a certain amount of discretion, and with his tacit permission, I will begin with a quote or two from a letter from 1992.
At that time he was in charge of our finances, which were almost all credit card transactions, because, again, at that time, we were in somewhat difficult financial straits, having to do with many business factors and the inability to sell our apartment, and by the time all of our too numerous credit card bills reached us in Spain, we would be faced with overdue fines we could hardly afford to sustain.
So son was in charge, with instructions to "Pay the minimum."
In this particular letter he carefully listed the, as I said, too numerous accounts with the depressing "Total Due" on each and every one.
Quote: "As for the state of your money, I would like to enter into a philosophical discussion about the existential concept in Buddhist thought of the VOID. All is an illusion and nothing really exists. Ditto for your checking account."
He ends the letter with the following: "I know what your next question is: So what's
the good news? Sorry, folks.
The good news is, of course, I have his letters.
CDB
Then, when he left home we simply decided to give in and write a year end letter combining holiday greetings with our latest news.
Fast Forward lo these many years, when I recently found a box with son's letters home from his university in California. Continuing to marvel, not necessarily at his penmanship (I give it a Barely B), but at the wit, philosophy, and insight I find in his messages.
And the thought struck me that now that I have this blog I can not only share some of this great stuff, but turn it over to him from time to time. (Just like the Holiday Greetings!)
I did discuss this briefly with him, promising a certain amount of discretion, and with his tacit permission, I will begin with a quote or two from a letter from 1992.
At that time he was in charge of our finances, which were almost all credit card transactions, because, again, at that time, we were in somewhat difficult financial straits, having to do with many business factors and the inability to sell our apartment, and by the time all of our too numerous credit card bills reached us in Spain, we would be faced with overdue fines we could hardly afford to sustain.
So son was in charge, with instructions to "Pay the minimum."
In this particular letter he carefully listed the, as I said, too numerous accounts with the depressing "Total Due" on each and every one.
Quote: "As for the state of your money, I would like to enter into a philosophical discussion about the existential concept in Buddhist thought of the VOID. All is an illusion and nothing really exists. Ditto for your checking account."
He ends the letter with the following: "I know what your next question is: So what's
the good news? Sorry, folks.
The good news is, of course, I have his letters.
CDB
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