As my dad ages, we've discovered a new ritual to stay connected

This is a First Person column by Frank De Palma, a former newspaper editor who lives in Halifax. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

Sometimes the simple things in life can shine a light on the fray of day to day.

A few years back, I began a daily phone call to my aging father. Give or take a few exceptions, it has stuck.

“Hello, Dad, how are you doing today?”

“No bad. Keepa going,” my 91-year-old father responds, offering one of his favourite catchall phrases.

This is how we start a simple and sublime daily routine. He lives