We're back to August, the month of ghosts. As regular readers of this feature will recall, this is the month in which both of my parents died; my father in 1990, my mother in 2000. While there's a lot to like about August, especially in the Upper Midwest - the warm days, the beautiful sunsets, the State Fair - it's personally difficult for me to not think about the losses my family has had during this time of year.
Still, I'm trying to face the future. Sadness is normal enough, I suppose - I think about my parents every day. I long for their counsel, their support, their love. You don't realize how much you miss those things until it's too late. But the lessons I learned from my parents work in new contexts as well. When I consider how Jill and I are raising our own children, I can clearly see how my own childhood has profoundly affected the decisions I've made in my life, especially where the kids are concerned.
Okay, I promise not to go all introspective this month. There's plenty of stuff to write about in politics, sports, music, etc. But know that the ghosts are out again. And they may alight here in the next month on more than one occasion.
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