IT ALL COMES TOGETHER WITH GRACE

Into the midst of political obsession come things that make us realize what is really and lastingly important.  Family, friends, health, community.  I have seen this very clearly in the past few days.  So thank you to my virtual community for responding so generously to the request to keep M (our daughter-in-law) in your thoughts and prayers during her surgery and after.  It was a long day for all concerned, her especially of course.  We thought of little else all day.  E's (son) phone call in the early evening, letting us know the mastectomy was over and the reconstructive surgery had begun, was such a relief.  An even greater relief was that the initial biopsy of the sentinal lymph nodes showed no cancer.  This is the best news of all.  It means much better recovery time, far less likelihood of metastisis, the hope for complete recovery.  We're waiting for the more thorough biopsy to be done, results later in the week, before we entirely release our held breath.  I'll keep you all in the loop as we know it.

Everyone is home now, she says it hurts to laugh - but smiling is okay.  Which means she's spiritually able to laugh, imagine that.  Again, heartfelt gratitude to readers for being with us.  I love you all.

And then - still on the subject of community, friends, grace freely bestowed - I was able to experience what the J-Land folks are calling a "confluence" yesterday.  If you read sunflowerkat's journal you know she trekking around on a Hornsby tour.  She emailed me (the night before, but I didn't see it til early Friday morning before I left for school) to let me know she'd be driving down the Delmarva Peninsula, could we possibly get together for lunch?  That was one of the few weekdays in my life when it would have been possible.  So she met me at the college, we drifted around for a while looking for a place that was open (it was a late lunch) and had food healthy enough for our healthy and fit friend Kat.  My brain finally kicked in (it was the day of concentrating on Denver, I really wasn't all there) and I thought of the perfect place.  We had a yummy and healthy lunch  (sharing a piece of cherry pie, however) and talked for about two hours.  She's as darling and lovely, full of life and energy, quirky and interesting, in person as she is in her journals and photos.  No, more so.  It's the whole person.  And she's even going to make me a Bruce Hornsby CD and send it.  Maybe next time she goes on a groupie tour I'll go with her!  I was embarrassed and sad that my life is in such a shambles, house, refrigerator, etc.  Next time, if I have a little more notice, lunch will be at my house and I'll fix it.  I really wanted to invite her to stay the night with us, but - oh, the amount of dog and cat hair mixed with dust; oh, the empty refrigerator, the piles of papers and books everywhere!  Oh the shame, the horror!  All my friends working on this Democratic campaign assure me their life is in exactly the same condition.  Okay?

This experience has made me want to do more of this meeting my virtual friends in real time and space.  How about it you guys in Maryland, New Jersey, D.C., Virginia, Penna?  A small regional confluence?