What We Owe

A woman's eggs are in her forming-ovaries when she is a fetus. Her eggs start out inside her mother's womb.  Grandma's nutrition is what built the grandchild's egg.  A dad's sperm is practically instant.  But the Talmud recognizes a father's lasting contribution: When you teach your son, you teach your son's son.

There's a supposed Chinese proverb -- I wouldn't know, being illiterate in Chinese: Giving your son a skill is better than giving him a thousand pieces of gold.  I do know, having read Plutarch, that Solon "made a law that no son should be obliged to relieve a father who had not bred him up to any calling."

 

My son was in town last week to take care of biz and to visit, etc. We took a day to empty out a storage unit full to the brim with very heavy stuff. Transferred it into my garage -- pretty full but a nice fit. Much much much easier to unload than to load. I took the job of stooping in the truck and sliding things to the edge for the offload. Not easy on the lower back -- like hoeing cabbages. 

My son suggested we switch places, and I said, "No. Your back is more important than mine." You know, just a throw-away dad line.    

A few minutes ago he texted me this: 

"Saw this and made me think of your comment."  I hadn't meant for it to be remembered.  

I texted back, "That's very true.  Except the heart is the first thing we give.   :-)"

It's not a quote from Shakespeare -- I've read all of Shakespeare quite a few times, and I would have noticed this; it's a Yiddish proverb: When a father gives to his son, both laugh.  When a son gives to his father, both cry. 

 J