Total Abandon

Barreling down the mountain of forgetfulness, I raced to Wal-Mart for that last minute gift. We’ve not seen his children since Christmas. Despite their quicksand of un-thankfulness, I want him to have something for this Father’s Day. His son has been in a swamp of discontinuance lost in that great, lonely desert called New York City. His daughter has sprouted sharp thorns of bias since their mother’s death and dad’s remarriage to me. Arriving at the store early Sunday afternoon, I did not expect such a thunderstorm of confusion. On the trash heap of heartlessness, clerks were already marking down common items like ties and shirts, aftershave and desk supplies. I moved past this obvious marsh of misery to a safer spot and found myself in a fog. I spotted an older woman I recognized. In a sea of hopelessness, the two of us, ended up sharing doughnuts and expensive coffee in Starbucks (cave of debauchery) in the front of the store. We indulged over footholds of remembrance, the gifts our kids had given us when they were in school – piles of hand prints, bookmarks, flower pictures and homemade cards, simple, treasured, special gifts. Abandoning my valley of sorrow caused by events beyond my control, I quickly sped to the grocery aisle. Racing back home I enjoyed fixing my best friend, a Father’s Day Supper that he would remember, complete with his favorite foods and dessert - a gift totally given to pleasure, both his and mine. August 16, 2019