back in the day.......

back in the day....oh, ten years ago ...at least...I worked with a young lad who was going to University he was so bright and full of wit. A few weeks back a co-worker and I were talking about him wondering where he had gotten to. So like the all good people do eventually we googled his name....and wham found him right away. He is a Rhodes Scholar, has Doctor in front of his name, was at Princeton but now resides at McGill here in Canada. So we took a chance and e-mailed him, yesterday he replied. What a nice treat to hear from him and to see pictures of his growing family.

back in the day...I worked with a lovely woman named Lois. She and her husband dropped by to say hello. They were in the city for the week from Toronto. She brought with her smiles, warm memories and hug.
Yesterday had some lovely moments in it!

It also held some difficult ones that brought about frustration. I am doing my best to shelve those aside and hold the good ones close and dear.

Dad is doing okay. He coughs quite a bit now. So very thin. Another Doctor appointment today for him....he is so weakened by those excursions, but they are part and parcel of the process, I suppose.

just another manic monday......

Awoke too early.
Walked a bit in the rain.
Had a visit with my Doctor.
Need to see Doctor again in a week.
Visited with my parents at lunch.
Dad so thin.
I make him smile....which in turn makes me happy.
Work day seemed to drag.
Home.
ahhhhh.

I had a tough time this morning, as I was thinking of the time ahead when my Dad would no longer be on the planet Earth. It is a difficult thing when one is really "tight" with a parent to think about them slowly fading from this life into the hereafter. Can't dwell on that. Just trying to enjoy the moments I can with Dad.

The weather doesn't seem to "lighten" the mood at all. Been very dreary and rainy today, much like myself. Time to gather up some "light" and "restore" the sparkle that God places in our lives....even when the days seem pretty dark.

at work....

I am at work, taking a break.

I have the pleasure of working in the same building as a really nice, level-headed, very clever,
witty young man. Andrew is a little younger than my son, but he reminds me of him, A LOT.

Andrew always takes the time to drop by and say hello, share life stories. I enjoy his wit and laughter....I expect he will become a leader in a community when he finishes his schooling. Yep, nice young man....I have high aspirations for this young fella.

It will be interesting to look back ten years from now and see where Andrew is.....

We spent the afternoon with Dad at the Cancer clinic, it was a tough afternoon. Difficult statements issued by the Doctor, hard for the ears to hear but even more difficult on the heart.
Mom broke down once we got home and cried her heart out, a few times. Dad will receive only one radiation therapy and it needs to be done at an integral time, so we will wait until he gets the symptoms they talked about. I gave the nurse a hand taking Dad's shirt off and putting on the gown, my heart fell to my knees the strong and solid man that was my Dad is no more.
I was pretty much in a fog for the remainder of the day, last night I woke thinking about Dad and all that he will have to go through yet. I cannot dwell on it as I turn to tears and get very upset so trying to keep the chin up and take each day as it comes along will be my prayer.

I have long standing plans to have friends come over tonight for a barbeque, I just went outside and our brand new patio set's table is in shards on the deck! It went below zero last night....it would seem the table did not like the chill in the air and collapsed into fragments like fine hair, all of which are sitting under the frame of the table at the moment.....I could cry...but what's the point, that won't help matters. I will make a phone call later once the store is open and see what they will do for us. oh boy

The sky is perfect blue at the moment, so maybe the day's weather will turn out.....please!!!!

I never made the debate team ....

So today was another milestone or valley depending on the way you view things. Dad had a follow up appointment with the Dr. that did his broncoscopy at City Hospital. This Dr. will be writing a letter to ask the Oncologist to give Dad some radiation without doing another biopsy, this will be a second "specialist" to send a letter to the Oncologist requesting that radiation be done without requirement of tissue. Apparently, the Oncologist we are dealing with is a difficult person to deal with....the Dr's were hoping that once we had a face to face confrontation with the Oncologist we would be able to debate our way into his good graces and have him give Dad the radiation backed by the two letters from each specialist. Here is the problem, I wear my heart on my sleeve and my brain gets soggy in the process. I really need to be on my toes with questions, queries and some darn good responses when dealing with this situation......here's hoping God gives me the strength as well as the wisdom to bring this to an outcome that is best for my Dad.

I went out this evening and picked up most of my bedding plants, will tuck them into their beds on Monday....as I listen to the weather report for the weekend, me thinks waiting until Monday is a really good idea. Those poor people near Porcupine Plain/Hudson Bay area.....a winter storm warning.....really? wow.

I was out and about yesterday at noon and found a backpack for little Molly. The backpack is pink with Curious George on it.....too cute. Now, she has her own bag to use when she is coming over for a sleepover, or just a play date and needs to bring extra clothing. The backpack came with a little "lunch kit" but I believe Molly's extra shoes will fit into it perfectly!! Nice. She was tickled when I gave it to her tonight, what a great moment ...to see such a sweet little face lite up so brightly over something so simple.

I really look forward to relaxing and just puttering around the house over the weekend....no travelling, no expectations, no obligations, just nothing but relax and enjoy those days off.
Perfect. ah......to savor some precious time doing what I want, when I want.......huh...perfect!

Just observations......

I observe....
some people bathe in their perfume....
the trees have begun to sprout their lovely fresh green leaves!....
some teenagers wear clothes that are made two sizes too small.....
the smell of fresh cut grass is truly a beautiful thing......
some woman wear really a LOT of makeup......
it's great to see new little plant shoots raising themselves out of the soil......
some people talk on their cell phones WAY to LOUDLY......
the sky has been quite gray for days and yet, no refreshing rain.....
some people have their little ipods so loud that people four seats away on the bus can hear the music.......
some people wear mass amounts of jewelry.....
some people work so hard and long they fall asleep on their way home (on the bus).......
some people look like their face would break if they smiled......

These are a few things I observed on the bus ride home tonight!!!