Being Wise Thirty-Nine

                                 Judy Hogan, photo by Debbie Meyer 2021

Being Wise Thirty-Nine October 31, 2021

For my children

It has happened to other families:

children are rejected; parents are shunned.

My eldest won’t speak to me, pretends

I’m not there, and has written off her own

son. My second child lives with me and 

and helps me. My third child checks in,

wants to know how I am, is proud of her

own children. I’ve been active in the

world of my friends and neighbors, worked 

to stop coal ash dumping in our backyard,

published books about it and other

community problems, taught classes, 

got us laughing. I can’t imagine rejecting

a child, however seeming indifferent.

It does happen. I’m certainly not perfect,

and in one quarter I’m not forgiven.

Maybe I won’t ever be. I’ve said, “She’ll

have to figure it out.” I’ve heard that a

sign of maturity is that you forgive your

parents. It took me awhile to forgive

my mother, but I did finally. 

She did her best.