if jane and i were to recount the good deeds done on our behalf over the last five months, we'd have a laundry list par excellence. beyond flowers after surgery, heartfelt notes of encouragement, shabbat dinners, pickups, dropoffs, and people checking in, there has been so much love sent our way! it's quite impossible to annotate how critical all of this has been to the healing process, and how happy (and lucky) we've been in the friendship circles we're a part of.
old friends from camp, new friends made from the kids, family, friends of friends, and everything in between. and although some shy away from the 'spotlight' during times of trouble, we decide early on to be 'out there' and just let it all wash over us ... i mean, life is messy to begin with, so what's the point of cocooning anyways? and we're certainly glad we choose this route, as we frankly conclude that there is NO way we could go through all of this on our own. as it is, we've been losing it of late, as we've tried to slip back into 'normal' life, 'normal' routine.
today, we have some very special friends that we are most humbly grateful for. maria is truly one of my 'oldest' friends (not age wise!) from the early days of new york. when we all lived in shoe box apartments in the village (maria included), she exuded a kind of elegance and good taste that everyone wishes they had [she will be mortified if and when she reads this post, further painting an accurate picture of her characteristic humility]. she begets daniel, a great guy that jane and i have clicked with right from the beginning, and as our families have grown closer over the years, we've celebrated good times together and endured a few rough moments also. following our collective relationship is like taking a walk through all that life has to offer.
and when jane is in the thick of chemo, they offer us their home in miami for some recuperation once treatments are completed. it is perfect, says jane - do nothing but soak in warmth and sunshine ... not jockey for rooms with a view, or fight crowds for pool chairs, or drive from museum to museum ... rather, engage with peace and enjoy our family.
i am, well, not resistant per se, but rather thinking that it may be too pedestrian for our family, which has been globe-trotting the last few years. i am concerned about the kids turning into uneducated sloths, cultureless souls wandering the desert of american pop icons. i am worried that we'll be unmotivated to do anything at all, and that perhaps we should explore the argentinian pampas, or help in an orphanage in addis ababa, or scale ayers rock. no, jane insists that our friends good will and heartwarming gesture is what the doctor ordered.
so i glumly relent, feeling uninspired - yes, jane says, i WANT to be uninspired. i don't want to think, she insists. and she is right. we land on friday, trudging through miami international, bringing back memories of my own journeys to this, my father's hometown growing up, to my grandparents home (my sister and i used to call it the house that sparkles, due to it's stucco exterior studded with tiny glass crystals). the sun is shining, warm and lovely, and we make our way to 'our home' for the week.
maria and daniel are the consummate hosts, even while they are in new york and we are here solo. when we arrive, everything is inviting, pristine, serene, balanced, quiet. light, air, space - in fact, to call it a house is a misnomer - it is truly a lovely reflection of their own subdued and exquisite good taste [again, they will kill me when they read this unabashed praise being heaped upon them - although in my estimation rightfully deserved]. this trickles down to how they live, what type of people they are, and how they raise their children ... explaining our enduring friendship through all seasons of life. they leave us notes about what to do, where to go ... and we plan to follow religiously!!!
and so, we turn a page, sit by the pool, the kids frolicking. they are happy, we are at ease, and immediately learn to exhale. it clicks - the healing is not a physical healing for jane ... no, it is a family healing, a time to regroup, come together, and enjoy the simple pleasures as a unit. it's been a while, and if we return more placid and calm, it will be due to feeling, happily, breathless for a time ...
merci ...
old friends from camp, new friends made from the kids, family, friends of friends, and everything in between. and although some shy away from the 'spotlight' during times of trouble, we decide early on to be 'out there' and just let it all wash over us ... i mean, life is messy to begin with, so what's the point of cocooning anyways? and we're certainly glad we choose this route, as we frankly conclude that there is NO way we could go through all of this on our own. as it is, we've been losing it of late, as we've tried to slip back into 'normal' life, 'normal' routine.
today, we have some very special friends that we are most humbly grateful for. maria is truly one of my 'oldest' friends (not age wise!) from the early days of new york. when we all lived in shoe box apartments in the village (maria included), she exuded a kind of elegance and good taste that everyone wishes they had [she will be mortified if and when she reads this post, further painting an accurate picture of her characteristic humility]. she begets daniel, a great guy that jane and i have clicked with right from the beginning, and as our families have grown closer over the years, we've celebrated good times together and endured a few rough moments also. following our collective relationship is like taking a walk through all that life has to offer.
and when jane is in the thick of chemo, they offer us their home in miami for some recuperation once treatments are completed. it is perfect, says jane - do nothing but soak in warmth and sunshine ... not jockey for rooms with a view, or fight crowds for pool chairs, or drive from museum to museum ... rather, engage with peace and enjoy our family.
i am, well, not resistant per se, but rather thinking that it may be too pedestrian for our family, which has been globe-trotting the last few years. i am concerned about the kids turning into uneducated sloths, cultureless souls wandering the desert of american pop icons. i am worried that we'll be unmotivated to do anything at all, and that perhaps we should explore the argentinian pampas, or help in an orphanage in addis ababa, or scale ayers rock. no, jane insists that our friends good will and heartwarming gesture is what the doctor ordered.
so i glumly relent, feeling uninspired - yes, jane says, i WANT to be uninspired. i don't want to think, she insists. and she is right. we land on friday, trudging through miami international, bringing back memories of my own journeys to this, my father's hometown growing up, to my grandparents home (my sister and i used to call it the house that sparkles, due to it's stucco exterior studded with tiny glass crystals). the sun is shining, warm and lovely, and we make our way to 'our home' for the week.
maria and daniel are the consummate hosts, even while they are in new york and we are here solo. when we arrive, everything is inviting, pristine, serene, balanced, quiet. light, air, space - in fact, to call it a house is a misnomer - it is truly a lovely reflection of their own subdued and exquisite good taste [again, they will kill me when they read this unabashed praise being heaped upon them - although in my estimation rightfully deserved]. this trickles down to how they live, what type of people they are, and how they raise their children ... explaining our enduring friendship through all seasons of life. they leave us notes about what to do, where to go ... and we plan to follow religiously!!!
and so, we turn a page, sit by the pool, the kids frolicking. they are happy, we are at ease, and immediately learn to exhale. it clicks - the healing is not a physical healing for jane ... no, it is a family healing, a time to regroup, come together, and enjoy the simple pleasures as a unit. it's been a while, and if we return more placid and calm, it will be due to feeling, happily, breathless for a time ...
merci ...
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