On Sunday, David and Peter went to the fair in Sandwich along with Jemesii and her husband Jamie. David had valiantly tried to find a wheelchair to rent so that I could come too, but where we live it is difficult to secure such a thing and certainly not for only one day. So I bid them adieu with one request: I asked David to take some pictures of Pete on the carnival rides. Peter LOVES any sort of whirlygig or roller coaster; the crazier the ride the better. My heart is always in my mouth as I watch him, but his blissed out expression is a joy to behold. Perhaps all the more so, because Peter is generally very sedate and measured as he goes about his life, and there is something quite unexpected in his relish of these gravity defying rides.
Yesterday David addressed my hunger to be out and about. He hitched the trailer behind our tractor and made a nest of sorts out of sleeping bags. This was my chariot, and after tucking me in, he slowly made his way down to the edge of the woods. Once there, I was able to hobble around a bit on my crutches and see all those leaves close up. And I was outside! Yes! My little adventure concluded with a ride through a section of the woods and then a glass of wine in front of the fire with my leg propped up. A good, good, day.
Sadly, we also bade goodbye to Jemesii. She has been here ever since the day I broke my ankle, and now her leaving felt a bit like when she first left home to go to college. She has been such a star the past two and a half weeks: nursing me, cleaning, baking, doing laundry, ferrying and looking after her younger brother. Buddy (our golden retriever) has an even bigger crush on her now than he did before.
Jem even set about organizing 25 years worth of family photos. This is a task that time has only made more daunting, and therefore, less likely that I would get to it. Peter has helped her, and it has been fun to have these visual reminders of days past on display.
Anyway, I am so thankful that she was able to be here and I continue to be awed by her burgeoning capability and maturity: this person whom I have loved and watch grow for almost a quarter of a century now. Thank you for sharing her Jamie!
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 