Yesterday my friend Andy came over to my father’s house and showed me how to change the light fixtures. It was the first time I put my fingers on electrical wires, matching the right ones, twisting and capping them together. When all was done we declared it a historical day.
My father, being a craft-master, was pleased that his daughter could actually drill holes and put nails on a wall. Somehow during his working years I never learned these practical skills from him. Maybe because he was being protective, or maybe he was a perfectionist and found it frustrating to teach. Even after his stroke he managed to put all kinds of things together by himself. Now that his hands have lost their strength he has to depend on me and my friends.
The stock market lost 500 points yesterday. Wars, famines, disasters everywhere. On my father’s street the dahlias are blooming in all colors. The new lights in his bathrooms are shining brightly.
