Treatment

Heather and Linda briefed me on the very long and involved appointments at Cleveland Clinic with the oncologist and radiologist. Dad will need six weeks of radiation, five days a week, and six weeks of chemo, by pill. After radiation is over, chemo will begin another course. Good news is that the doctors say that treatment shouldn't be as taxing as it sounds, and Dad should be able to resume a fairly normal life.

I wish I would have been there today to help absorb the loads of information and some of the emotional and physical toll it took on those three.

Hard to believe that just about three weeks ago, this was unthinkable ...

In early May this odd bird started lingering around my home office window. It's a grackle with a single, long white tail feather. Sometimes it flits around the yard not 10 feet from me and other times it looks as if it's trying to fly in my office. I even saw it circle around to the front yard yesterday. In a meeting today, this graphic designer, an artsy gal, shared with me her love of birds. I told her about my grackle, and she's convinced it's a good sign.

Right now I don't know if I believe in signs. I looked and found signs during Mom's illness and after her death. So what? On the one hand they offer solace and hope; they don't always make your wishes come true. I guess it is comforting to know that the grackle will probably continue to come around in spite of my ambivalence.