[originaltext] (35) In a class I teach for adults, I recently did the "unp

(35) In a class I teach for adults, I recently did the "unpardonable". I gave the class homework ! (32) The assignment was "to go to someone you love within the next week and tell them you love them. It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared those words with for a long time."
     Now that doesn’t sound like a very tough assignment, until you stop to realize that (33) most of the men were over 35 and were raised in the generation of men that were taught that showing feelings or crying was just not done.
     At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer, as was usually the case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand. It was James.
     He said that he was quite angry with the assignment. He didn’t feel that he had anyone to say those words to, and besides, it was a total private thing. But when he was driving home, he thought it over and found that the assignment was exactly what he needed. (34) Five years ago, he had a fierce quarrel with his father and really never resolved it since that time. They avoided seeing each other unless they absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings. But even then, they never spoke to each other. So James decided to finish the assignment. When he got home, he convinced himself to tell his father he loved him. Both of them were moved to tears.