Miles from Home

It was back to work today, having enjoyed a pretty relaxing weekend.  The work day went very well, and we finished up ahead of schedule.  I have some loose ends to tie up tomorrow before heading up to Redondo Beach for the next few days, but all in all, I cannot complain.

Selecting Fruit and Vegetables this weekend

Throughout the day I kept thinking about an email I received this morning and which I read before leaving for the office.  It was an email from my father.  It was actually a reply to an email from my uncle, Dad's brother, but Dad copied all of us on his reply.  What struck me about the email was how very nice it is that Dad, age 76, has my step mother Lynne at his side. Most of us take a lot for granted in our relationships, especially when those relationships have lasted more than 30 years, as is the case for Dad and Lynne.  It is just so comforting to know that every once in a while there is an opportunity to really stop and appreciate that "significant other."

Dad's email was, I imagine, one of his first after being discharged from the hospital, having undergone surgery.  He is recuperating at home now, awaiting further results from his doctors, and "next steps" based on those results.  His story is lived out thousands of times a day in this country alone, I am sure.  Still, it becomes immensely personal when it is you or your family member who is involved.

Dad wrote about his current situation,

"I am very fortunate in having Lynne here with me to help keep all the edges smooth! I found it helpful to take her with me to the doctor’s pre-op visit, and to sit in on the visit to the oncologist just before the surgery. As I pointed out to them, it’s better to have the “corporate memory” present for such visits. And of course, she was there to see me as I was taken from the operating room to the recovery area—a period of my life I had no recollection of at all! I had decided to include her in my doctor visits after my surgeon recommended that I think up all my pre-op questions, and write them down in advance, as I would surely forget them when I got to his office. So Lynne and I discussed them, she wrote them all down, and was there to make sure he covered them all—plus a few of her own. The upshot of it all is that I had extremely great care on both the domestic and professional fronts throughout the process—and I’m very grateful indeed!"

I'm not sure I ever heard my father express his appreciation for this wonderful wife of his in such terms before, and it just felt really good to read those words.  Of course, I am hopeful his recovery is swift and complete and that Lynne will be able to rest awhile....helping care for recovering spouses can be exhausting even with the best, most appreciative patients!

Tonight, after work, after the day had slipped into night, Joe and I took a drive out.  We ended up in a little Mexican restaurant...very basic, very authentic.  We shared a couple of tacos (unlike Taco Bell's fare, one taco from this place filled me up!)

Enjoying Tacos

Afterward, we stopped at the local Food-4-Less and picked up a few supplies to sustain us in the upcoming days.  We returned to the hotel and shared a couple of mangos we'd bought.  It was, as always, a very pleasant evening.   And then I spent another several hours working on reports, finally submitting them and calling it a day around midnight.

Mangos

Even as I worked, my mind kept returning to Dad's email.  As I was writing this post, it occurred to me that it was not only that Dad had written such a nice acknowledgment of Lynne, but that, while I am all these miles from home, all these miles from being able to do ANYTHING really supportive for Dad during this time, it is REALLY nice to know Lynne is there and caring for him.

Thank you Lynne... for more than 32 years.

Sutherland Dam this Weekend