"We have to be optimistic about these things"

To say that Jack is particular about things is an understatement. His routine is very important to him. Every morning for breakfast he has to have his mini-muffins and orange juice. The muffins have to be standing up on his plate. When he goes to bed, I have to read stories first, exactly three books and then Bernie has to play in his room with him until he gets tired. The other day I parked in Bernie's spot in the driveway and you would have thought the world was coming to an end.

There are not all that many adults Jack's really connected with. Pepa (Bernie's father) is one of the lucky few that Jack really loves. I think Jack connected with him almost as soon as we brought him home from the hospital. My friend Lesley from Texas seems to have a catch phrase for almost any situation. In her thick southern accent, she says things like"it's the only hitch in the giddy up." When I described Jack's relationship with Pepa, she aptly said, "Jack thinks he hung the moon." 

Jack loves his hotwheels and when he gets a new car, he can't wait to show Pepa. When we attend Nick's wrestling matches or baseball games, Pepa always shows up with a box of raisins which seems to make Jack's day. When we go to my inlaw's house, Jack runs into the living room to see Pepa in his chair. I don't put much stock in astrology but I've wondered if part of their connection is the fact that they are both Sagittarius. Maybe their connection has something to do with the fact that Jack was named after him, or maybe they are just two peas in a pod. Whatever it is, they are awfully cute together, whether it is picking raspberries, sharing jellybeans, or playing cars.



2012 has been an extremely difficult year, health-wise for us.  Gary has been released from the infirmary and is making strides in moving forward.  My grandfather has recovered well from the spine surgery, is currently cancer free, and has been granted a short repreive from his doctors.  Bernie's mom faced her own health issues earlier this year but seems to be doing better now.  They all seem to be getting stronger hour by hour, day by day.

The latest news: Bernie's dad, John, aka "Ed," aka "Pepa" has cancer. My opinion: cancer sucks and it needs to leave our family alone already.

How do you explain cancer to a 3 1/2 year old?  I've come to the conclusion, that you don't.  We don't really understand it ourselves.  We have simply told Jack that Pepa isn't feeling well, that he was visiting his doctor, and that he is working on getting better.  He seemed to accept that along with the idea that Pepa just needs some extra love and prayers right now.

I've written and rewritten this blog more times than I can count this week.  Yes, he is Bernie's dad, but he's been in my life for more than half my life, so he's my dad too (how's that for logic?).  Ed and I have the same birthday.  Most guys marry someone like their mother.  I'm convinced that Bernie married someone like his father. I know this is hard for Bernie, because I know it is hard for me.  Ed has always wanted a girl but had all boys.  When we found out Vivian was going to be a girl, we decided to have a gender reveal party on Christmas.  Ed was the only person I couldn't keep it a secret from because I knew he would be ecstatic.  Here he is with his little girl:

The first round of treatment is over and now all we can do is wait, pray, and hope that it worked. At the beginning of my grandfather's journey he said "we have to be optimistic about these things." He is a smart man. His determination has enabled him to overcome the many obstacles that have been thrown in his path.

We need to be optimistic about Pepa too and be steadfast in our belief that the treatment worked, and that the rest of 2012 will bring only good news.  One of my favorite quotes is by Vivian Greene and just seems so fitting right now: "Life's not about waiting for storms to pass... its about learning to dance in the rain."

We love you Pepa. Rest up and be well!