How many people lost their father since last Fathers Day? I know two brothers who buried their father last week.
Their father and mother were divorced 30 years ago under difficult circumstances. The boys remained close to their mother and rarely saw their father except at holiday dinners .
When their father took ill a few years ago, the older brother, busy with his company and his own family, shunted responsiblity for helping his father onto his younger brother. The younger son, an attorney, found a home for their father, who at that point was entering the early stages of dementia. He found a caretaker for him and visited as often as he could.
At the funeral last week, the older son cried as he remembered his father. 'He was an ace tennis player, a pilot, and played the piano beautifully. He taught me to drive, to fly, and to enjoy life. Because of him, I went into business for myself, applying what I'd learned from him to making the business grow."
The younger son, an attorney who had been much closer to his mother, had no tears yet. He was still in denial, beating himself up that he hadn't done more to help him.
Nicolas Kristof, writing in today's New York Times, ends his moving piece with "Speak and hug from your heart and soul - while there is still time."
For the two brothers who lost their father last week, time had run out. They will always wonder what they could have said while there was still time.
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