I've had an amazing week!
My whole world begins and ends with Sarah so, of course, it all starts with her.
"I don't feel like going out," I explain after she suggest meeting Derick and Michelle for drinks and to listen to world famous Joe Jarka.
Working the magic that only she can I find myself walking out the door, heading to Molly McGuire's.
The most delightful evening unfolds as we laugh as only friends can. Che delights in requesting songs and Joe masterfully delivers as the crowd jump up and move their feet.
And Sarah and I dance.
Che rushes to the floor needing to be part and throws her tiny arms around our legs, which is precisely how we should be dancing.
A smiling Michelle follows us too and snaps a picture.
I get to dance again with my beautiful wife, even if only a minute!
I'd all but given up hope of it ever happening again yet here I am!
The next day, I feel good enough to give in and finally grant Che's wish of a "Daddy/Daughter" date. It's been months since she and I have been able to go much anywhere by ourselves but at the moment I'm capable so we seize it too!
At Walmart, Che pushes the cart and we laughingly shop.
Mark Lebos breezes by, waves, and I'm possessed to speak, joke and completely overdo personal interaction with another human being because I really am out of practice.
At check-out, the line is long, Che and I are laughing, oblivious to others while Beverly keeps running my card the machine keeps rejecting.
"Micheal," I hear from a lady with her own full cart, "I read all of your stuff! I love it! I'm going to Africa! I'm so excited! What's the problem? Here, let me do that!" and she slides her card, still hot from her own purchases through the machine continuing to talk, "Have you been to Africa yet?"
And I am amazed that she added the word "yet" as though Sarah and I simply haven't gotten around to it but should be soon.
Locking her arm in mine, she walks Che and I out discussing Africa when I suddenly stop and thank her for "paying it forward."
"Well, you didn't want to have to come back. Gas is too expensive for that!" she laughs, waving goodbye and taking off for the other side of the world.
Afraid I'll forget to tell Sarah, I ask Che to remind me when Mark Lebos air surfs by, smiling, waving, exclaiming it's good to see me and I'm touched by the miracles of these moments.
Later, at home, as Che plays outside with a friend, Sarah and I sit on the sofa scrolling our phones when I see on Facebook that Robin Wakefield has painted "Fran's 1000 shades of green."
Sarah and I introduced Robin to our back yard on Tybee Island years ago after I'd named it after a long deceased college friend who taught me "green" decades earlier. When we moved off island a few years back we left Fran there but now Robin's brought her back again as a celebration of good times that once were! What a gift!
If this weren't all enough, our new granddaughter was born.
"Join us at the Gym?" Sarah later ask the next day as she and Cassidy prepare to work out.
"Okay," I surprise myself answering, "but I need to take some medicine first."
Sarah rolls her eyes.
There's some nice pictures from our time at the Islands YMCA Gym.
We had a really good time, laughed a lot, saw our friend Leah who waved at us while leading aerobics causing the 20 or so in the class to wave too!
So much activity was bound to catch up and, sure enough, my energy crashes and I spend the next day sleeping so I can be up all night focusing on "other issues."
We're used to it though as it's our new normal.
I'm certainly unaccustomed to so much happening in such a short period of time.
The thing about living with Cancer, for me anyway, is keeping my pocket full of dreams, a heart full of hope and a, often begrudging, openness to finding joy in whatever comes next.
There are times though, high holy days really, when the joy comes to you.
It's just a matter of seizing it when it does.
--
Micheal Elliott
