One of the unfortunate things about getting older is attending the funeral for loved ones. This past weekend, I had the misfortune to attend a dear friend’s mother passing away. He was one of my first friends in this country, making our friendship more than 3 decades old. Yet, there was so much I had missed out on. I wasn’t aware how long his mom had been sick for, or the fact that his kids were grown. To me, he would always remain part of our small group that hung out at my house where we traded stories, jokes and just silly banter of teenage talk. We always went through our recollections when we saw each other, but sadly it was sporadic. Maybe that was part of growing up, losing touch, but not the feelings. Even as I saw him Friday, the first thing he said was my place was the first place his mom dropped him off to. So we have that, and I wish I kept in touch more because his parents are wonderful. A genuine love emanates from them each time I meet them, and now I have lost some of those chances. So I get to do better.
Today is Diwali, one of India’s biggest festival, but mostly I remember it because of all the food, sweets, fireworks and candles. And again, I need to do better because my son will ask me why we celebrate and saying “just because” isn’t going to cut it. I refuse to give lame answers to him because that will become his foundation which means I get to dive in deeper. I get to learn so I can teach forth. So much to learn, and so much to pass forward. The lessons of my past now become the future learnings for my son. It is a heavy task, and I do doubt myself but then I remember who I am surrounded by. A strong as hell wife who will make an amazing mother, and so many family and friends. Which makes this so much more special, and I look forward to celebrating next year’s diwali with my son.
