I finished the UBC (Ultimate Blog Challenge) 11/30/2021, a blog entry everyday throughout November. I repurposed most of the entries from articles I wrote in the 1990’s, words that are as true today as they were then.
Here are words strung together from a book I published in the 21st century: “Life is an art form and every moment can be viewed as an empty canvas upon which to sow your dreams.”
The blog entries in November served to act as a Life Review for me. I often write about my mother but my dad was the humble one in the background. He had the responsible job, put food on the table and made it possible for my mother to buy all of her hundreds of books, ranging from philosophy to spirituality.
I learned about human relationships from both of them. My mother died days short of my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. She had abandonment issues and was raised by Roman Catholic nuns in a nearby convent from age 3 to 13. Her parents were alcoholics but left behind the Loving Legacy. This included the Supreme Court case Loving vs Virginia, making legal biracial marriage upon which the Supreme Court case legalizing Gay Marriage was predicated.
We tell our stories around camp fires and dinner tables and long drives. Once I was privileged to drive across America with my parents. Each day I witnessed them relax more and more. I read books to them, most notably “Knowledge Of The Higher Worlds And Their Attainment,” by Rudolf Steiner. My mother’s childlike curiosity came to the forefront on that trip. My dad reveled in his LOVE for her. Unconditional Love.
Marriage is tough work. Learning to love a life partner unconditionally resonates to every other relationship we have in this lifetime.
That’s what Tomaso and I did the last three years of his life.
I learned how to do that from my parents.
OM
My dad humbly receiving a Planned Parenthood Award for service to the organization.