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In a Camper for Two Weeks with My Parents

In the late summer of 1983, I took my parents to Michigan on a healing trip. We spent a peaceful two weeks together, getting to know each other as adults. One of the things we did together was to take the train 150 miles to Agawa Canyon in Canada. While I was there, I wrote a very philosophical set of sonnets—positive and non-judgmental—about the intertwining of my parents’ lives and mine. Later I used these sonnets as the basis of a song, in turn used as the basis of a beautiful video. It’s 8 minutes long, but if you have the time, it is definitely worth your while, and will inspire you. Or, you can simply read the three sonnets below. And here are the last 12 lines of the original poem.

Our lives are like a train ride, my parents lives and mine;
There's more than we can fathom as we move along the line.
We all are seeking beauty, yet we see it differently;
One finds it in a flower, another in a tree.
We should not tell each other what beauty we should find;
It isn't in the things we see, you see, it's in our mind.
It isn't so important, then, the cards that fate has dealt,
The thoughts that we've been thinking, or the feelings we have felt.
Important is the fact that we have had the chance to share,
To take the ride together, to listen, learn, and care.
And so I love my parents as our journey nears its end,
For I know the truth is waiting, and it's just around the bend.

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