Remembering

"Honey?" he said, seeing her hesitate. "It's just that ... I feel guilty," she said (looking away from the camera for a moment). "I feel like we should've done something ... ANYTHING ... to honor Mom yesterday. It was Memorial Day and we totally blew it as a family." He comforted her, blaming himself and taking the responsibility off of her shoulders; he told her the truth ("I talk to your mom every day as if she were still here; there is not a day that passes that I don't read her something out of the paper and turn to her empty chair to hear her comments") which helped her to let it go. When the call ended, he heard his wife say, "You did well" (her soft, approving voice playing non-stop in some well worn place in his heart). "I learned from the master," he responded out loud and life, such as it was, went on.