August 8, 2014. Caledonia, N.S. Mortification.

Recently, my friend and I had a conversation concerning bankruptcy. Several years ago, she and her husband were forced to go through that experience and she said that she had felt mortified the whole time. On a personal basis, she only spoke to three people to give them the information, two friends and one aunt And she cried to me on the phone when she was telling me their plans. The topic was raised in response to our conversation about Andrew. She knew Andrew and his energy and enthusiasm. She suggested that the failure of his business would have been difficult for him to swallow. He was accustomed to success. After my discussion with my friend, I came upon a term written in an essay by Joseph Epstein, ‘profound mortification’. I think it described Andrew. I suspect that Andrew was not prepared to disclose to his loved ones the reality of his business. Instead, he decided to leave it all behind and trust in his family, his friends and his insurance policy. My friend Susan Fitz correctly pointed out to me when Andrew died that “Andrew has no more worries”. But we must carry on.