This week T told me that his father passed away last week. I gave him my condolences. He was a little choked up, but he said "it feels strange, but you lost your dad, so you know what I mean". I was instantly back 10 years ago. He asked me some questions about it, and we discussed the differences...his dad having been a fairly good dad with some issues, my dad being being an abusive alcoholic. But even with these extreme differences we were able to "compare notes". He had to make the decision to "pull the plug"...as did I. We talked a lot about grieving, and about other stuff that goes along with loosing a parent....going thru their belongings, visiting the gravesite, trying to remember some of their "story".

It was a different kind of session, but I bonded with him. At the end I caught myself actually looking him in the face. (I never take my eyes off the floor). I felt connected to him. I wasn't anxious or jittery...and it was a huge break from talking about the cancer issues. It was oddly peaceful, and I left feeling really good about the session. That's a first for me too.