Happy 2009!
We started the year out by, um, doing nothing all day yesterday. THAT felt great. 'Nothing' included Jo Ann driving us to In N Out Burger for an early lunch. As a special treat, Pablo got to sit in the back seat with a seatbelt strapped across his body, and I sat next to him. We played with bearded and sworded Lego guys. Jo Ann and Pablo told me stories about things that happened the day before when I wasn't with them. We laughed our arses off. It was fun. At some point on new year's day, Pablo counted to '1,000. No, 1,010.' We laughed our arses off at that one too.
At around 4:30 p.m. our friends Katy and Jeff Jorgensen and their charismatic and cute kids Chase and Sophie came over to hang. They live in Portland, OR, and were in SD and OC for a short trip. They extended their trip a day to come and hang with us. We're glad they did, cos within in 30 seconds Pablo, Chase and Sophie were playing up a storm. Pablo NEEDED that interaction with other sub-five-foot people. While that crew was playing and eating pizza under Polly's supervision, the parents snuck out to dinner at Dusty's on Sunset. We got a cozy corner booth, and enjoyed great convo about lifestuff over great food. Dusty's is one of the few great rooms in Silverlake where you can converse. Most places (insert cranky old man alert here) are too loud.
Katy is a dear friend of mine. She and Jo Ann have chatted on the phone a few times. And last night was the first time we'd met her hubby Jeff and her precious, hilarious kids. The reason I'm writing this detail is cos this family, from waaaaaay up in Portland, have been in almost daily contact with us since Pablo's journey started on May 18. Sophie and Chase have gotten to know Pablo through this blog. They have sent him gifts and included their well wishes in Katy's emails or blog comments or phone messages. And last night, on the rails of the simple human act of love, they arrived at our doorstep and put faces with those faraway names. The next time I wanna act jaded and outside—like sweet stuff only happens in movies—I am going to remember January 1, 2009 at our house.
When we returned from dinner, Chase and Fred were scrapping it out over bball stats. Pablo was in the shower downstairs. Sophie was waiting patiently (not so patiently) for her mommy to walk in the door. When she did, Sophie flew to her.
Of course, this scene would be, like, um, 100% better if the boy whose name adorns this blog wasn't going through cancer treatment. But he is, and that's that. Every time I think 'cancer sucks' (and it does), I am reminded of all the GOOOOOOOOOOD things that have sprung from this experience in our lives. Like Katy+Jeff+Chase+Sophie coming over and changing our scene for the better last night.
Would I give up all this fairy dust and happy-go-lucky hangs with friends from far away if a fairy's wand could make all the treatment and disease go away? Yes! But in real life, Pablo is in treatment. And although Dr Mascarenhas is one of the loveliest men we have ever met, and we love him with all our hearts, he is not a wand-yielding fairy. And that chemo is definitely not fairy dust. And, since this is our reality, Jo Ann and I try very hard to see the good, even when we are on one another's last nerve. So far, it's not been that hard to find a lot of good everywhere we turn.
So, here we are, grateful and conscious at the start of another year. A year we hope will bring us good luck with Pablo's health. A year we hope will lead us back to the path of life we were on prior to May 17 of last year. But better. With all of the love and clarity we've exercised with all of you.
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