August 14, 2023
You’ve Got Mail—9
Takodah came into my dad’s life through my mom, and he was always the one who drove my sisters and me to and from camp. I remember stopping for a picnic lunch at Atkins Farm in Amherst, Massachusetts, on the drive home from Takodah to NJ one year. I was irritable, snapping at my sisters, and being generally nasty. My dad gave me a quick hug and, with a handful of illuminating words, helped me understand—and implicitly gave me permission to feel and see as perfectly normal—the loss and sadness I was experiencing after the fullness of my time at camp. I had never anticipated a ‘reverse homesickness’ after leaving camp; I had no idea that there was something driving my snotty behavior as I left camp behind.
I am so grateful to him for introducing me to an understanding of and permission to feel loss and sadness.
3 x 5.5″ postcards; ink on paper, mounted on card stock
ink stamping
2023
=====
2 responses to “You’ve Got Mail—9”
It seems notable for a man of my father’s generation to have that level of emotional intelligence; certainly a blessing for me!
What an awesome Dad! 
No comments:
Post a Comment