Talking in the dark

We stayed at our son and daughter-in-law’s house a couple days this week. Our son took the day off and we took in the Seattle Art Museum and the Ballard locks. It was good to spend time with him.

The last night there, while everyone else was in bed, I had a great conversation with him. We sat in the living room. A faint light from the kitchen filtering in from the hallway was our only lightsource.

There’s something about talking in a dimly lit room. All the destractions light provides are hidden and so your attention is completely focused on the conversation. Your thoughts are more focused. You listen. Your words have more meaning.

We talked of his job and his hopes for the future. He spoke of the challenging test he’d taken at work and how surprised he was at placing so high.

Though he is a grown man now, there in the dark, for a brief moment, I heard my young teenage son talking about his high school studies. But mostly I heard my adult son talking about his new life.

In that very short time we shared a lot. I got to tell him how proud I was of him – not in a perfunctory way, but in a way that showed him I really meant it.

Sometimes darkness is a blessing.

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3 Responses

  1. Willie says:

    Thank you for being the best father for our kids. Love you all so much.

  2. Jodie Warren says:

    Think if we all used candles ,we’d listen too each other deeper, every body looks better, and use save on the electricity bill. Good idea cuzin Jim,thanks for the idea,I’ll do that with my daughter next time she visits me.lots of love Jodie

  3. Jan says:

    What a gift–for both of you.

    My daughter Anne lives near the Ballard Locks.