The Book of Houston

And Lo, the day shall come to pass when thou will engage in a conversation with thy father or thy mother about thy parent’s bowel movements. And thou will enter into dialogue and be a witness to thy parent’s colonic testimony, and thou will listen freely and openly and with only small disgust and embarrassment. For despite thy parent’s TMI, thou will feel great joy that thy beloved parent is alive and recovering and now, ten weeks after major surgery, still eager and able to cook too much food and check the Weather Channel frequently and seek understanding, as during the World Cup final, as to the meaning and use of the offside trap.

And thou will know that the glory of The Lord and modern medicine has shone round upon them, and thou were not sore afraid anymore, just a bit frustrated with Medicare billing issues. For as it is written in the song of the words of the prophet Kate Bush, saying, thou knows there is a lot of strength left in thee.*

Prepare Ye the trip home to see him, make thy children’s manners polite. Every dinner plate shall be filled, and every backyard and garden shall be green; and the wounded shall be healed, and the Tex-Mex shall be eaten, and the political talk shall be avoided; and all family shall see the salvation of… Family.

*from ‘This Woman’s Work’, a song ostensibly about childbirth (and featured in the John Hughes’ movie She’s Having A Baby) but applicable to anyone in need of strength and courage.

As you may know, this is a companion piece to a February post, Notes From Another Land, about my Dad and his cancer diagnosis. Thanks for reading.