..... a wonderful day....

..... filled with love from the visit with  Chelsea and her boyfriend Earl.  It seemed as if everything had aligned itself with everyone from my immediate family collecting on the back deck for breakfast yesterday.  My colleague was held up by a twist of circumstances by accidentally locking her keys in her car?!  So my intended work day vanished and our visit continued with the family going for a swim in the pool.  I enjoy the pool but find that I cool off too fast and head over to the shade with a towel.  I am in awe of the bright sunshine and interaction between Lydia and Earl... she has taken to teaching him her 'basics of swimming' condensed course while Chelsea keeps an eye from her floating noodle.  I smile from my perch on the side of the pool.... grateful is the only word I can find that can even possibly touch on how I am feeling in that moment.  It is the first time my daughter has met her beautiful older cousin.  Nora arrives an hour before Chelsea plans to leave and we all chat at the table while Earl showers and readies for the day's trip.  Lydia has prepared a pink basket filled with treats, drinks and edibles for their trip to Chicago.  It will be the next leg of their journey and I am glad that they are turning their move into a vacation.  There are soulful moments and tears as we chat quietly... I am painfully aware that the time is going quickly and I will soon have to wave goodbye.

Nora is lovely and a good friend who quickly offers to snap photos as we begin to say our goodbyes in the front foyer.  I am trying hard not to tear up but I gently bite my lip to remind myself that we part with only smiles....until next time we meet.  Hugs and kisses and some for Nora in the driveway and then Chelsea jumps in the drivers side with Earl popping next to her in the shotgun seat.  Bye!!!!  We watch them roll away and off to their next destination in their journey.  I will find later that she has posted her pics on FaceBook!!  FB brought us together, kept us in communication through her trip and now we are able to share our moments with our family and friends.  I love technology.

Today is Saturday and day 6 of my journey through the first round of chemo.  I find myself checking the lump in my neck and figure that it has begun to shrink.... whether wishful thinking or not, I am thinking it is going in the right direction.  My face pain amounts to the jaw and around my eyes.  I take a tylenol.  I do not often take medication if I do not have to but really..... I need to feel comfortable right now.  I missed a reflux pill yesterday and my stomach broils over with a sickening lurch.  I find the bottle in my purse and swallow it down with some ice water.  I am drinking so much that my eyes are bobbing in their sockets.  

I turn on the pool pump and skim the surface.  The pool is warm now and is inviting with its beautiful blue color.  Our neighbor walks over to the fence... how's Max?  He's OK.... he is still dealing with the shock of yesterday's work day and wondering what happened.  He had applied to a full-time teaching position a few weeks before our diagnosis and he was hoping to secure a full time job with benefits and good pay.... I am just working a contract position but have not had a steady pay since last year.  He found out last week that he did not get the job..... meantime...... a suspicious employer, not enough information and a few accusations later after he already told Max to consider leaving his position if he got a better offer...... yup, not good timing.  Thank you to all of you who graciously and generously offered to  submit your letters of recommendation in time for him to interview for this position which he did while we waited for the doctor's phone call.  Mitch wants to head out on the bikes and is wondering if Max would like to come along?  I tell him yes and head upstairs to get him out of bed.  He did not eat dinner last night... he is quiet as he rolls out of bed and looks at me with his hollow eyes.... I think he really believes that somehow he has failed me and he could not be further from the truth.  We will be just fine babe.... a new job will come your way, lets just take each day as it comes.... now go out there and play!!!!  

Lydia's friend Amber has slept over and the two are prepping to engage in their gardening business.  Apparently, even I have to pay to have them weed my garden?!  I want to walk down to see Amber's mom to make sure she is OK after her surgery yesterday.  I gather up a potted geranium and a card wishing her a speedy recovery and head down the road with the girls.  My head is covered with a cute pink scarf but I would prefer to be bald because of the heat.  The little boy who lives next door to them is the same one who was riding around on his bike the other day..... he cannot help but stare at me every time he sees me and I remove the scarf to sate his curiosity as I nestled in to one of the porch chairs Sandra has offered me.  His eyes focused on me as the car he is sitting in rounds the corner of the cul-de-sac to leave and his head rotates to keep watching me as they drive away.  Sandra and I talk about our feelings and she is quick to hug me when the tears begin to course down our faces.... we have both been through so much and it is time to just enjoy each other's company while we physically heal.... her from her wounds and me from my chemo.  Hugs and pats on the back while we make plans to see each other soon.  

It will be a quiet evening.... and another lovely day.