Confessions

Part One

            I’ve been doing stuff I shouldn’t.

            For instance, just now Mom asked me where her sister Portia lives, and I answered truthfully:  “She died [over ten years ago].”

            On the other hand, I lie copiously by way of omission.  Mom knows my brother John is sick by his cough and his froggy voice, but I’m not about to tell her he has pneumonia.  Nor did I divulge that my “errands” yesterday involved taking him to his doctor’s appointment and over to the hospital for chest X-rays.

            I did tell the truth about going to choir practice last night, though.

Part Two

            I’ve been doing stuff I shouldn’t.

            For instance, I carried John’s laundry basket—loaded with clean laundry— over to his house and up his stairs.  I also dragged one of the empty trash cans back from the road since Mom’s golf cart has a flat tire, my car trunk won’t hold a trash can, and I didn’t feel like trying to start John’s diesel-powered, ancient Mercedes in this cold weather.

            On the other hand, I have not even tried to take Mom’s wheelchair out of my car trunk.  Nor have I changed the kitty litter for John’s indoor cats.

            Evidently my sins of commission carry more weight than my sins of omission, because my back is killing me, but my conscience isn’t.