one year ago ...

last may 12th, our family joined in celebration to honor the bat mitzvah of marlee - her jewish 'coming of age' in a sense. on that special day, we were lucky enough to be part of our daughter's special moment, and she made us very proud. a truly mature and thoughtful young lady full of poise and (lots of!) energy.

it seems as if he blink and these moments go by. and then, a month has passed, and soon enough, we are recalling the event from a yearly distance. it rains today, a gloomy monday promising a verdant spring ... and it's easy to reflect on how much has actually happened in this one little year. and we see the kids, growing taller than we, and wonder how they were just toddlers, tugging at our pant legs.

these life cycle events mark these passages through time, and in good measure sustain us through the more arduous aspects of life. at the onset of summer last year, we griped about how 'tired' we were from planning two major events in the course of one year, not to mention a kids' BBQ party, a large parlor evening, and all of regular life heaped on top of that. and now, we think how worth it it all has been - happy kids, grounded, who know who they are and where they've come from. yes, we moan and complain when they act completely crazy, but frankly, i' hear them do the same about us!

a year. jane and i have friends that were well at this time last year, who themselves have battled cancer in the course of these past twelve months. all are fighters, all soldier on, all have great things in their lives that have surely reinforced their determination to move forward. and jane, who herself could not have imagined that she would too be in this not-too-exclusive club. she would probably not have believed that this may 12th she'd be looking back to last may 12th, thinking how much less complicated life was on that day.

surely you can't be serious!

yes, i am, and don't call me shirley!

today is 31 march, shirley jones' birthday. you may know her better as shirley partridge, the painted-bus-driving-velvet-pantsuit-kvetching mother of partridge family fame. ahhh, a simpler time ... david cassidy at the kissing booth, laurie's braces picking up npr, reuben kincaid and the sandwich that is named after him (j.k.) ... childhood, youth, vim, and vigor!

alas, now we sit with reading glasses perched on the rim of our noses, in bed at an untimely 9:30 pm whilst children watch hockey games, re-read a series of unfortunate events, and arrange sleeping arrangements in camp cabins with friends online. cancer is loosening it's grip and jane and i are back to quibbling about which continent to visit on our next journey, and whether we should err on the side of history, or pure hedonism. can't we do both?

one year ago, we find ourselves frantically thinking about preparing for marlee's upcoming bat mitzvah - which follows on the heels of jared's bar mitzvah one year earlier (which is preceded by a journey through the indian sub-continent and followed by a visit to amsterdam, a dream sequence in marrakech, and macarons in paris). thinking about being the operative words, and vowing that 'when it's all over' we will take it easy, not make plans, just go with the flow. then rwanda pops up, paris (again) too, and finally breast cancer rears it's ugly head. so much for taking it easy.

so now it is our time. to really put our noses to the grindstone, work, do the daily thing, and not focus on what's coming down the pike. put college (rightly) out of our heads. and just move forward, one step at a time.

so, happy birthday shirley! blow out the candles, and enjoy the moment!!! we think we love you!

hold the mayo

kids coming and going, lunches made and eaten, a frenzy of blow up mattresses and pillowcases. the kids are well occupied while jane and i continue on our way ... the weekend arrives with a lovely shabbat dinner at friends and a bit of calm interspersed with lively political discourse!

jane is feeling well although i can see the whole process has taken it's toll. today she is on call, and must go into the hospital early to check on the patients. i opt to wake the kids nice and early - getting tired of seeing them in their pj's all day - and we zip into the city. we have breakfast at le pain quotidien on madison, hit gagosian gallery, the biennale at the whitney, and head downtown for a late lunch at danny meyer's shake shack (a real hit with the kids, dining al fresco!). jane has a chance to relax and chill in the afternoon in our absence - a good rest.

this evening we prepare for tomorrow - amanda and josh, the cousins, will be here tomorrow! everyone's looking forward to seeing the gang, and we have a brunch at bat mitzvah to enjoy ... action packed, so nice to have taken it easy on this 'sandwich day' ...

moving forward, slowly but surely ...