The Weekend Eudemon
A rather slow Friday evening.
I was pelted with a lot of work on Wednesday. I was still trying to dig out late Friday afternoon, so I worked “late” (6:00, which is late for me, since I get to the office at 7:30 and work through lunch).
Fortunately, the office had recently re-stocked its beer supply, so I was able to enjoy a couple of tall Miller Lites during the last hour while I tried to clean up and prepare myself for a reasonably-smooth Monday morning.
A law office with beer? It might be a little unusual, but it's a good thing. The firm has a strict rule against any drinking before or during business, but as long as that line isn't crossed, we're free to drink. Drinking beer while I wind down on a late Friday afternoon is a great form of multi-tasking. It compels me to stay an extra thirty minutes to organize my office, and it improves my disposition, so I walk into my loud house of seven children with a good attitude.
The attitude adjustment worked particularly well last night, since Marie was leaving for about seventy minutes, leaving me with the seven children, including seven-month old Tess and a sick nine-year-old, plus a messy house. A few beers, a helpful 11-year-old daughter, and Johnny Cash IV made the experience reasonably pleasant, and Marie came home to a clean kitchen and a tidied front porch.
Things are going well at TDE. I appreciate all the return visitors and the kind words from readers (e-mail box on the left). I don't get a lot of e-mail, but the messages I receive are normally nice, a few cranks excepted.
Until next week, may your house stay warm and the fallen leaves stay off the bottom of your shoes.
Malcolm's Messages (What's this?)
Chapter 4: Malcolm and the Children (continued)
"Do you know what a 'groom' is?" Another girl raised her hand and said, "It's a man who marries a bride."
"That is right," said Malcolm. "I knew a groom once, and his father was very wise. Right before the groom got married, his father said to him, 'Son, if you want to love your wife, you must love her children.'
"A few years later, the groom's wife had a baby in her tummy, and the groom's wise father approached his son one day and said, 'Son, remember when I told you that, if you want to love your wife, you must love her children?' The son nodded. 'Well,' the father said, 'there's another part that goes with it and if you never listen to anything else I say, make sure you hold onto this: If you want to love your children, love their mother.'
"You see, the two are combined: Being a father, means being a husband first. They go together naturally. Without one, the other suffers grievously. Together, they grow strong. Separate, they limp along, at best, and often die altogether. And they often die altogether, because so many people do not know those two simple truths that the groom's father told him."
Malcolm paused, sad and uncomfortable, seeing hurt in the assembly, for many of them had killed the Beautiful Beast and felt guilty and knew Malcolm's words were chastisements. And Malcolm hoped that the young people in the audience would be made healthy by his words, else the hurt would be pointless.
