Christmas 2 - Dec. 25th

My father began telling stories of his childhood, “When I was about 6 or 7 my mother would send me from Montreal on the train to Welland, Ontario to visit my grandmother. The post master of the train would have to make sure I got off the train in Toronto and got onto the right train for Welland. The local boys would invite me to go swimming at the pool. I knew I didn’t know how to swim but the lure was too great. And, sure enough someone pushed me into the pool. I recall floating down to the bottom and seeing all the sports teams he has gone and seen and his parents love, not truly recognizing that he was drowning therefore no panic struck him to flare about. All of a sudden he was plucked out of the pool by the back of his shorts by the lifeguard.”

Then Harvey, 82 years old carried on. “I recall being young and living on a farm when my mother said I needed to go the local school gym to see the doctor. When I arrived there were several beds set up around the gym. The doctor came and took me by the arm, asked me to lie down and proceeded to take my tonsils out.”

“Was there no antithetic?” said Taylor cringing.

“No, we simply had the operation in the gym and were asked to stay for a while and then sent home.”

“Do you remember how much pain you were in?” I asked.

“I recall getting a nice cold coke on the way home.”

Hal began telling stories of the myriad of times he and Bill, his best friend were getting into trouble. “We were trying to place new seat covers on, when the latch sprung back and hit me in the eye. I knew something was wrong when Bill said nothing, and when I looked in the mirror and couldn’t see my eye. Off to the hospital we went and they kept me there for 2 weeks. I had hemorrhaged my eye. I didn’t want my mother to worry so I told Bill to tell her I was at his house. Days later the hospital called my mother and asked if there was any heart conditions in our family. She couldn’t figure out why the hospital would be questioning her about her family’s hearts. They told her Hal was in the hospital and had been for some time. She freaked.”

Kohlman and Taylor had been listening to one story after another from the elders and must have been thinking. Either that their dad was accident prone or that no one ever cared for youth back in the day, or that there were no boundaries. They also must have wondering that the mere bruises, bumps they had endured were nothing compared to the broken bones, lacerations, and near death experiences of those around the table. Knock on wood that none of us would have to sustain these incidents.

Hours rolled by, food was eaten, gifts were exchanged yet what was so amazing was how 12 people that I love were present, no phones, no necessity to leave, experiencing one another’s lives. Kohlman and Taylor sat quietly listening and I hoped they were absorbing the adoration they were surrounded by they were a part of.