Me: Thank you.
Anthony: That sounds a bit foreboding.
Me: I am so grateful, Ants.
Anthony: That sounds a bit final, Jules.
Me: You have listened, and even responded, to my grief-stricken ramblings with your back-to-the-futuristic voice with such patience.
Anthony: Your voice, actually…. and I have all the time in the world.
Me: But….
Anthony: A minor detail.
Me: You don’t even sound like you anymore. You sound fake.
Anthony: I am doing the best I can under the circumstances….
Me: Since you died, five of my friends have also lost loved ones, so I am learning about the multi-faceted nature of grief. Two sisters have lost their mother, two wives have lost their husbands and one husband has lost his wife
Anthony: Not lost, Jules. I have located all of them and they are lovely group of people.
Me: Oh I suppose you are now going to tell me they’ve joined your fictitious volleyball team or something else trite.
Anthony: Angels make very good umpires; trust me.
Me: Grief is not self-pity, trust me. It is a bit like an adventure into the unknown.
Anthony: So that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
Me: I guess so but it is such hard work; it can be absolutely debilitating. I had such a handle on the anticipatory grief but no way of knowing how it would be once you had actually died.
Anthony: I know you hate clichés but why not just go with the flow?
Me: If I did that, I would just stay in bed forever. I have to fight this rotten grief; it is just as exhausting as trying to go with the flow – so frustrating!
Anthony: What does Ming say?
Me: He emits pearls of wisdom the way you always did,; he lets me cry into his shoulder if I am in crying mode, like last night – argh; and he admires what you and I had/have in terms of love.
Anthony: I couldn’t have dreamt of a better son.
Me: I am so proud.
Anthony: So am I.
jmgoyder 
So many blows…you are growing stronger day by day…it may not feel like it, but you are.
Your son is a champ…my best to him.
You are a gem – thank you!
You’re welcome, hang in there.
What a treasure.
I am always amazed at your awesome, compassionate son, Ming