Dishwashers

I heard a story years ago where a woman grew up with three sisters in a house that had a broken dishwasher. Mysteriously it was always repaired at Christmas and Thanksgiving when extended family came to visit, but the rest of the year it was always out of order. As an adult visiting her parent’s home she instinctively began washing by hand when her mother confided that the dishwasher had never been broken. It seemed that washing dishes by hand promoted conversation so the mom made sure the dishwasher wasn’t an option.

Gary and I were just washing dishes together. The dishwasher isn’t broken, but uses excessive amounts of energy and doesn’t promote conversation. We talked about family, and what it means to be supportive, and who is and isn’t. I wondered if his Dad had died feeling good about our lives and where we were headed. Gary assured me that he had, and in fact had told Gary “you really picked a winner” referring to me. I literally cried. Dad was a wonderful man, and someone that I considered to be a best friend. It is a huge loss with him gone, and I am sad for my children that they will never have a relationship with him.