Home for the Holidays

Heather and I got to go to Alma for almost a week for the holidays.  It was a bit of a whirlwind.  People to see, food to eat, and plenty of fun to be had.  It was fantastic to spend time with loved ones.  As cliche as it sounds, being presented with this diagnosis has really changed my perspective on everything.

It's crazy the things that held value to me before, and are now pretty meaningless.  The seemingly meaningless things, that I took for granted, that mean a lot to me.  Here's a simple list of small things that make me feel alive in a way that I've never before felt:

Good conversation
Laughter
The way onions burn your eyes when you cut them
Clothes fresh out of the drier
The way winter fog makes the trees sparkle in the morning
The sun peaking out of the clouds on a winter day
The way Pizza Sam's tastes in the restaurant
The calm in the morning when you're the first one up (this happens a lot these days, need to ask if this is a side effect of the cancer drugs)
Talking to my my mom one on one
Snuggling with HB (I've always appreciated this one)
Seeing little kids open Christmas presents
Good home cooked food
Hugs (this is also something I've always appreciated)
An ice cold glass of whole milk

This is by far, not a complete list, as every day seems to bring a whole new list.

While I was in Alma, my brother, Doug, said that he had something for me from one of his co-workers.  I opened it up and found an amazing note, and this:

I almost broke down in tears in front of everyone at my Grandparent's house.  This was so thoughtful, and just what I needed.  It's now hanging next to my bed, so it's one of the last things I see at night, and one of the first in the morning.  If you're reading this, Judy, thank you so much for the inspiring words and sharing a little bit of your hope with me.

When HB and I got home, there was a package in the mail from someone, I'm not sure who.  It contained this T-Shirt:

Holy cow, this is AWESOME.  I will definitely be wearing to my oncology appointment in a few weeks.  Thank you secret Santa, whoever you are.

All in all, it was a great week, and thanks to everyone that I got to see, and also, and apology for those that I missed.  I'll let you know when I'm in town again.