(Written for The River Current publication; Thursday, January 31, 2013) Yesterday I set aside some time to spend the day with my parents. Their situation is difficult in that my mother now resides in an assisted living facility and my father remains at home, still proudly waving his ‘banner of independence’. It is very difficult seeing them in two separate places; both alone and without each other. Typically when I go for my visits, I feel I quickly buzz through giving them each only an hour or two of my time. Because it is becoming increasingly difficult for my father to get around on his own, yesterday I suggested I would pick him up and together we would go spend some time with my mom. Deciding to make a day of it, I set about planning and preparing a meal that I could share with my father after returning from our visit. I prepared for him a meal that was quite similar to what my mother would have typically made for us as a Sunday meal. A fork-tender