"Here are some snapshots if you'd like to see them: Shaw helping Brian string Christmas lights along the edge of the roof of our house, then calling me outside to witness them being switched on. Shaw shovelling the snow, or cutting the grass without being asked; me bringing him out a glass of lemonade, or a bottle of water. Shaw inviting friends and girlfriends over for Sunday dinner, paying particular attention to whether or not they were showing Brian and I the correct level of respect. Shaw playing his ubiquitous, omnipresent acoustic guitar while I bustled about upstairs, or wrote in my study, the music drifting up through the air vents, never a distraction, always a comforting and peaceful reminder of his presence."
—from "Other Men's Sons" (2001)
