Yes, I took a week of writing my blog.  After my trip to Ecuador and Peru, and the twenty-two hour return trip (seven of those hours hanging out in Lima Airport), sleep… perhaps to dream, felt real good.  Plus, I had to catch up on all of the things I didn’t do during my vacation, I mean South American speaking tour.  And those Pisco Sours take a while to get out of your system, my son agrees with me completely.

Anyways…

For those of you that have been following my blog since I began writing nearly two years ago (wow), you know that I don’t mind sharing personal stories.  In fact, the blog about my dad (in early January) is the most commented writing I have done.  So, on this Monday, May 4, indulge me for just a minute, please.

I’m in Cincinnati today, my hometown, for some business meetings scheduled through Wednesday.   I like coming back to Cinti (the proper abbreviation, not “Cincy”), it is where my childhood friends still live, and it has the best four places to eat in the world (Walt’s Hitching Post for ribs, Graeters for ice cream, LaRosa’s for pizza, and Skyline for chili). It’s a trifecta, plus one.

My brother and his family, and my sister-in-law and hubby Rick are there too. It’s a place I am comfortable with, I know where everything is, I know how to get around, heck, I still remember the cable channel numbers and it’s been over 20 years since I’ve lived there.

And today, I’ll be going to the cemetery to visit with my mom and dad.

It’s been over three years since my mom died, three years since my dad found her not breathing and was able to get her heart started again.  Three years since my life, the life of my brother, and our families changed.   It’s been over six months since I went to the cemetery to bury my dad next to mom, it’s not a place that I go to often, even when I am in Cincinnati.  I avoid it. It’s “final”.

While I was in Ecuador and Peru, I spoke about “Narrowing the Focus while Expanding the Scope” of compensation & benefits and rewards and recognition.  I talked about the issue of work-life balance as a way to  reward and recognize the needs of all employee, especially in South America which tends to have a much more “familial” culture than we do in the states.

I also take a moment during each presentation to talk about the issue of the Sandwich Generation, employees who are taking care of both children and adult loved ones.  It is a deeply personal issue for me, and I don’t shy away from talking about my own story.  After my first speech in Quito, I was joined for lunch by three human resource professionals who attended my morning keynote.  They appreciated my coming to Ecuador and all were interested in the Sandwich Generation issue, since children in South America often stay with their family until marriage, and sometimes even after.

They asked about my parents, so I told them.  Four colleagues and friends just talking.  They could sense the difficulty of my words and were very gracious in their comments and questions.  And each of them encouraged me to visit my folks at the cemetery next time I was in Cincinnati.

And that is what I’m doing today.

I’ll talk, my folks will listen.  I’ll close my eyes and hear their words, their laughter, and if the wind is just right, I’ll even hear my mom yell at me for putting my feet on the couch.

And all will be right in the world.