Long over-due update!
Things have been the same; still smile and laugh, but the ever-present longing to hold James is still and will always be present. Cope is the word that comes to mind… we have learned to cope with the pains.
Jim has been staying busy with the restaurant. The food is excellent and has gotten great reviews; they even made the Restaurant Report Card with a local new station for having a high sanitation grade!
He has also been busy with the Middle School Sunday School class that he also co-teaches. Those kids keep him on his toes with their crazy antics, but I believe he also keeps them on their toes, too!
My last day was June 5. Wow! Hard to believe I have been home for a month now, but I have enjoyed being able to rest. There were times when I was pulling in 65+ hours a week plus on-call at night and I am glad to be resting!!
I was able to get away last week and head south to Myrtle Beach with a very good friend of mine from church. There was something special to do there (more on that later) and she was able to take some time away from her kids, hubby and job… so, we had a great time! Shopped and laughed, and then some more.
We were able to get to spend time with a friend that I met while Jim, James and I was living at the RMH in NYC. For those of our NYC friends, we met up with Sarah… the mom of Les, who is battling Ewing’s Sarcoma.
It was so good to see here again. We had not seen each other since James relapsed in October of ’06! We speak to each other regularly on the phone, but there is nothing like seeing a blast from the past in person. She took us shopping, they talked me into getting my ears pierced (yep, 32 and never had my ears pierced!) and then we had a nice and funny dinner with her niece and extended family…
Later on that night, we met up with my parents and my brother and his fiancée at Barefoot Landing. We laughed some more and shopped some more, but had to have an early night for the next BIG day!
I was able to attend my brother’s wedding to Suzanne. The ceremony was very nice, and quite emotional. Stephen handed me a white rose, dipped in blue with blue birds clipped to the long stem that was wrapped in blue ribbon… in memory of James. I know he would have loved to now have 2 new cousins in his life… one being his own age!
So, Congratulations Stephen and Suzanne… and welcome to the family!
I know James is looking down on us… and smiling, but it still hurts. I have gotten into a weird mood lately, and I know why. It is not like we don’t deal with this every day of our life, but certain “dates” are still hard to come by.
July 3rd marks 2 years since we were told James was terminal…
Even as I sit here, the tears are just as fresh as that day; the wound just as open; the sound of the doctors voice just as audible.
I was talking, well, more like crying to Jim the other night… just remembering. And then we got to talking about the days that followed; all his laughter that filled the next few days with a trip to Hilton Head with Jim’s family, and him jumping in the pool… his “who baby” screams as each firework exploded in the sky over us that next day; his return back home to a brand new go-kart; our trip to Hershey Park and how much he enjoyed riding the Super-Dooper-Looper over and over, not even getting out of the front-row seat, arms held high as the roller-coaster did amazing loops and curves.
So, as this weekend approaches, we are going to try and focus on some good memories; ones that he would be remembering with us…
Please remember a nurse from the past; I do remember she took care of James briefly, in the beginning, but she has been battling ALL (a form of leukemia). She recently relapsed and has progressed even thru a bone marrow transplant and one of the nurses at Brenners is running in her honor and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. She has become very near and dear to us (I was very lucky to meet here for coffee a few weeks and ago and then Jim and I dropped off some toys at the hospital for the kids)... So, here is a link to her page:
Dottie Shepard
As I close, please remember some very dear children to us:
Elizabeth Westberry: she has reached the NED status, but NY wanted her to go thru another high-dose chemo to ensure this status, and my guess, in hopes of hoping to holding off a HAMA once she starts 3F8 soon!
Kyle Pierson: he was diagnosed shortly after James and relapsed not long after James died. We met thru a mutual friend via phone (he lives in Minnesota) and they have just been given the devastating news of Palliative Care. Please remember him and his parents, sister and grandparents in your prayers.
And now, James’ little “big” buddy Brandon Koontz. His family was given the unfortunate news that his bone marrow is not recovering and the blasted NB is growing. I spoke to Wendy, his mom, on the phone… and so many memories flooded my mind, and my heart. Our hearts break for them, but we know that God is still in control. Please remember this precious family and their extended family in your prayers.
Thanks for continuing to check in on us….
God Bless.
XOXOXOXO, baby boy!
