It was eight years ago that I realized that my parents were human beings, people, just like me. At that time I struggled to figure out if I liked them, were they the kind of people I would want to know if I met them on the street, in a class, at work? It was a real struggle because there were a lot of emotions that got in the way of me being fair, and compassionate.

Yesterday, I caught a glimpse of my dad through other people's eyes. We were at Lorraine's. He got up, set the table, made dinner, and was doing general predinner preps. Lorraine watched him intently, then asked for the 10th time "Rudy, are you ok?" My dad answered "I'm great". Then Lorraine looked at me and said "Sometimes he is such a good man". I saw my dad through her eyes, and for a moment I saw my dad through my grandma's eyes. I felt my grandma watching over my dad, and I knew she was so proud of the man he had become. I was proud of the man my dad had become. He is a good man. I would want to know him.