Cakap cakap...AJ

Early Saturday morning and my first thoughts are of my own family. My wife, my son, my daughter and her family far away in Canada….so far away that it could almost be at the edge of Earth. We cannot just get into the car to visit them, cannot catch the train to travel to their door step nor take a domestic flight to visit our grand children, Izzy and Sofie….and yet there are in our thoughts constantly. How hard it is to cope when your loved ones are so far away! But we know that what we have to endure is little when compared to what others have to contend with and so we manage – manage somehow to soften the tyranny of distance with good thoughts and an acceptance that life sometimes throws at you curved balls and a good many other things. You simply have to live with it.

This morning too my thoughts turn to AJ – my cousin. I sms him yesterday to ask for a mobile contact number for another of our cousins - and AJ being AJ, called me back and we spoke. 

I have not heard his voice for many years and hearing him tugs at my heartstrings – because AJ is one of those rare human beings that are put on this earth to give us some indications of how we are to measure ourselves against. And I do not say this lightly. He is the voice of reason. He is all that is good about a friend and a cousin. He gives us all hope that there is goodness in this world.

Think! Amongst the people that you all know how many of you can say that they have an AJ amongst your acquaintances? I only have one AJ and I am grateful for that blessing. I know that when I am in need of some one to listen and hear what I say – AJ will be the one. But he will do so not unconditionally. He is capable of making us understand what is right and what is wrong in the things we do and want to do. And his rationality and sense of right and wrong carries me through another day of life in this conflicting world of ours.

I do not know if he reads what I write. If you do read what I write AJ then I want to thank you for a life lived with you around. Every moment spent with you has been good –especially when you pick up the bills to our lunches and dinners – though I did remember there was at least once when I did the honors! AJ and that man from KP are my two favorite cousins and when we are together the world seems to be just about right! I want them to know that this morning I am thinking of the good times…thank you!