The Emperor's clothes

“Daddy what is the Holy Virgin?” my youngest daughter asked me. I explained her that she is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Then she asked: “But she was his mother, how can she be a virgin?”. So I told her that that was just the miracle of the whole thing. She started giggling and asked me if grown-up people really believed that...

Aufersteh'n

Was entstanden ist, das muss vergehen!
Was vergangen, auferstehen!
Hör auf zu beben!
Bereite dich, zu leben!

Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724-1803) & Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Eerie father

The road of a modern father isn't always paved with marsh-mallows. Or perhaps it is, easy to sink into and sticky as can be.

Being a single-parent now I am drawn into the world of other parents. A few nights ago a mother and daughter came to pick up my youngest daughter for a sleep-over at new-years eve. I had met the mother already a few times so I kissed her on both cheeks. The daughter she had with her, not the friend of my daughter but an older specimen that I estimated to be 15 or 16, was standing behind her, timidly. After some of my insisting and her hesitation, this daughter kissed me too. I then asked both to come in and offered them something to drink.

During the nice conversation we had it slowly became clear to me that the 15/16 year old daughter was in fact a son.....

I firmly shook his hand when they left a bit later.

When my youngest daughter was brought back to me today and the whole family came out the car to wish me a happy new year... the son was sitting in the car and waving safely at me from a distance.....