Words to Live By: Weeks 50, 51, and 52

My friend Jeanine is surviving and thriving after breast cancer.

At the end of May, we traveled to Indiana to attend a memorial service for Jason's grandfather who passed away in December.  A lot of Jason's brothers and sisters attended the memorial service.  And although she really wanted to go, Jeanine had to stay behind in North Carolina.  It was doctor's orders.  Her white blood cell counts were just too low, and it really bummed her out to not be able to attend.  However, her sister, Kristie, came up with a plan to record video messages from everyone attending the memorial, so that Jeanine would know that she was in our thoughts even though she couldn't be with us.  I know she really appreciated being thought of so far away.

Week 50

During the first week of June, some of the Patten women met up in Charlotte to watch Wicked and celebrate our niece's graduation from junior high school.  We had a fabulous dinner at P.F. Chang's and headed to the Ovens Auditorium to watch the show.  During the musical, Jeanine heard the song, "For Good," and whispered to me, with tears in her eyes, that she had found her new funeral song.  I joked with her and said, "Thanks for ruining that song for me."  I think the Pattens are the only people I know who declare their funeral soundtracks.  Funny but true.



And finally, after many, many torturous months, Jason was able to shave off his mustache.  As his shave date got closer and closer, I asked if he wanted to throw a party to celebrate the shaving of his mustache.  I had ideas of making a mustache pinata, mustache-shaped food, and mustache favors, but no.  Jason didn't want any part of it.  When I asked him why, he said, "For the last nine months, I've had to look in the mirror and see this mustache.  When I see this mustache, I see my sister with cancer."  Needless to say, we didn't have a party, but now his face matches our present reality - Jeanine without cancer.  Hip-hip-hooray!