500th!

Hey, Wow! This is my 500th post! That's pretty cool. Especially since I have been blog-slacking to the extreme lately. I wonder when or if I will ever go back and re-read these things. Yeah, probably exactly one minute after some horrific virus strikes Google and everything I've written is irretrievable. Shudder.

I write today after so long a break because of a couple of unrelated happy occurrences. Well, if you believe in such things, it's possible they are cosmically-related, but whatever. Don't go consulting your crystals about it or anything.

The first thing is that my dear friend Kathleen ran her first 5K today! 'What's so great about that?' you may ask. Well, many things.

I have known Kathleen for just over 10 years. (She started out as a theater acquaintance so it's easy to keep track of when I met her: we were doing Annie Get Your Gun and Tommy was just a few months old). Shortly after we met and just before we became really good friends, she had knee replacement surgery. Because of this, whenever talk of running came up she was very supportive of me and my pursuit  but was clear about herself: Can't run. Knee replacement. Not possible.

Then, of course, there is the small matter of Kathleen facing a little thing called CANCER back in 2011. Ummm, yeah. And she did not get that friendly kind of cancer where you have a little tidbit removed and a teaspoon of chemo and then you're good to go. She had knock-you-on-your-ass, scare-the-crap-out-of-you, surgery-and-chemo-from-hell, with-a-side-order-of-pulmonary-embolism for added excitement. It is not an exaggeration to say that Kathleen thought she was going to die. And while all of us who love her never spoke of it, there were many moments when we wondered, too.

Of course, Kath would jump in here and dispute, "Well, you can't call what I did really RUNNING.... Lots of people who started in waves after us caught up to us... " Yadda yadda yadda. Typical denial from a lady who deserve some Horn Tootin'! She trained hard for this event. She started out just walking the dog and then trying to run a bit as she went along. Then she got on the Couch to 5K plan. And then she made it 3 miles with some walk breaks. And THEN, last week, I got a message from her saying she RAN the WHOLE THREE MILES. That is so huge. For anyone. But for her, that is like Neil Patrick Harris Hosting the Tonys Again Huge! (Legend - wait for it - dary!)

I did my due diligence and FB stalked her enough to share these pictures. (God bless that Journalism degree. I am a pro!)

Stranger on the Left had a the perfect sign for Kathleen on the right... (who is stranger  than most but not A stranger to me!)

Kathleen's friend, Barbara, ran with her. I didn't dare commit to the event, given my bad run of luck lately. (RUN of luck... HA!)

Knowing Kathleen was cranking out a personal goal this morning was not, however, enough to inspire my lazy butt. I say lazy, but I guess after the week we had here I had a reasonable excuse. All three boys were sick this week. And not in that convenient-but-challenging all at once way. It went like this;

Monday - Gabe wakes with major boogs and fever. I stay home with him.
Tuesday - Gabe still has fever. Scott stays home with him.
Wednesday - Everyone wakes up healthy. Yay! Off we go to school.
Wednesday afternoon - Call from daycare. Gabe's fever's  back. Drat.
Wednesday night - Gabe cracks his chin open and Scott takes him to ER. (I am at play rehearsal at the time). No stitches. Just exceptional stress and steri-strips.
Thursday - Gabe is OK but Tommy wakes up with a fever. I stay home with Tommy and Gabe because, ya know, bashed open chin and fever yesterday....
Friday - Tommy still has fever. Scott stays home with Tom. And, bonus, it's Scott's birthday. So that's fun!
Saturday - Everyone is feeling OK. Woo hoo. Getting some stuff done around the house, putting away the outdoor furniture... and, uh oh. Elliott doesn't look so good. Yup. Elliott has a fever.

My running has been going OK. I've come to grips with not doing the Ultra in a couple of weeks and I will happily just enjoying my time with my running pals and being their Athletic Supporter. I am focused on Boston 2015. And I reaaalllly wanted to get in a double digit run today. It would be my first since August. But ggggaaaaawd I was so mentally exhausted from the week. And gaaawwwwwdddd I just had no give-a-damns left.

Then, the phone rang. And it was Kathleen. And she told me about her run and I thought, yeah, I need to go do that 10 miles.

So I did. Of course, of all the hilly routes I could take around here, my unplanning feet took me on the hilliest. So I trotted along at a decent pace, listening to podcasts, contemplating the universe. (That is, if you think that contemplating the fact that I knew we had no chocolate chips NOR chocolate milk ingredients in the house is equivalent to contemplating the universe...)

Thanks and big congrats to you, Kathleen! And if you do another one, remember the Age Old Rule: "Run if can. Walk if you must. But always, always, pee yourself a little."

P.S. Everyone think BQ thoughts for the great Sarah Bowen Shea tomorrow. She is one of THEE mother runners from Another Mother Runner and she is poised to do amazing things in the morning. West coast time... so don't get your fast thoughts in too early.

Running takes a holiday

I was scheduled to do 10 miles today. When I woke up I learned that my husband's cousin, Kurt, had passed away at 6 this morning. Kurt was just a few days shy of his 32nd birthday. When he was born, doctors told his parents he wouldn't live very long. I don't know the full extent or the names of the things that were wrong with him... I just know that he was never able to exert himself too much and as a young adult, he underwent 2 heart & lung transplants. Despite all of his physical ailments, Kurt soared academically, attended Carnegie Mellon, and taught high school science for several years. His robotics team competed in major tournaments.

The last couple of years he was unable to continue working because his immune system was so poor. More recently, doctors discovered cancer. Here are his mom's FB posts from last night and this morning:

"Just want you all to know Kurt has decided to no longer try to fight the lymphoma. Instead he has chosen to abandon therapy for end of life care. He remains at Mass General, resting pain free. We will remain with him. We ask for loving, peaceful thoughts and prayers...."

"At 6AM Kurt passed peacefully, finishing his battle with his life long illness and has begun his journey on the other side."

Kurt was selected to carry the Olympic Torch before the 2002 Winter Games.

The K. Giesslers: Kristen, Kurt, Karen & Kenny

His incredible parents and sister have walked this journey with him for over 3 decades and my heart just breaks for them. I cannot fathom what they are going through.

Hug 'em if you got 'em, people.

Needless to say, squeezing in 10 miles seemed completely unneccesary. Instead of handing the baby over to Scott at camp, I took him for a "quick" (hilly) four-miler. Double digits another day.

Guest Post: Physical Fitness Benefits for Cancer Patients

My small but mighty band of blog followers have come to me in a variety of ways. Many are family members or friends who like to (read: feel obligated to!) keep up with what's happening with me. Some found me when I was featured by my pals at Another Mother Runner. Another crop found me when I posted about my cousin Polly's battle with breast cancer. (My eulogy about her is at the top of this blog). Still others made their first click when I was keeping a Caring Bridge site for my friend Kathleen who was battling cancer, too.


So it's always a delightful surprise when a person unrelated to any of those parts of my life stumbles across my site. That's what happened with David Haas. David is a contributor to The Mesothelioma Cancer Allience Blog. He wrote to me requesting the opportunity to write a guest post about the benefits of exercise for cancer patients - with a particular emphasis on mesothelioma. Because I care deeply about so many who have battled and continue to battle cancer and because fitness is a very important part of my life, I of course happily agreed.


If you have something cancer-, running-, fitness-, parenting-, or hilarious-related that you're hoping to share with my blog followers, please let me know. I'm happy to review and host other writers' ideas.


And don't you worry, my own original posts (probably nonsense, of course!) will return tomorrow!

Physical Fitness Benefits for Cancer Patients

Physical fitness has important benefits for cancer patients, whether you have just been diagnosed, are in treatment, or are in remission. Recent studies are showing that regular exercise can help you sleep better, have more energy, and raise your spirits.

Energy Boost

Regular exercise will help you have more energy to get things done. Cancer treatment can be very demanding, leaving you feeling exhausted afterwards. Exercise can help with that- even for those undergoing mesothelioma treatment. People who exercise regularly are raising their metabolic rate. Metabolism is the rate at which your body creates energy by burning calories in the form of food. So by exercising, not only will you have more energy, but you will also start to lose any extra fat you may be carrying around.

It may seem counter-intuitive that working until you are tired will give you more energy, but it is true. Once the initial tiredness fades, you will likely feel invigorated for several hours afterwards. The metabolic boost will last long after your workout is over. When you give energy, you get energy, provided you give your body sufficient food of high quality.

As a cancer patient, there are certain considerations and precautions to bear in mind. You will not likely be able to match the performance of a healthy person at first. That is fine. You will still see the benefits anyway. The key is to engage in regular, moderate exercise.

You will need to find a form of exercise that is right for you. It needs to be something that you will enjoy, otherwise you will not be able to sustain the motivation to keep at it. Many cancer patients have taken up running or jogging, swimming, or resistance training.

Resistance training is a great way to exercise, while also getting other benefits not seen with other forms of exercise. That is because resistance training builds muscle. And muscle raises your metabolism, even at rest. It burns more calories.

Another benefit of physical fitness is its effects on your mood and perception of pain. Regular exercise stimulates the release of chemicals called endorphins- your body's own pain killers. After an endorphin release, you will experience an elevation in your mood, pain reduction, and feelings of calm and contentment. And there is more good news. The effects will linger long after your workout is over.

Cancer treatment can be a grueling process. It can weigh heavily on a patient, leaving you feeling stressed and anxious. The endorphin release that comes from exercise will ease or eliminate those feelings. In fact, you may feel so good that you continue exercising long after your cancer has gone into remission!

If you are planning to undertake an unusually demanding exercise routine, be sure to consult first with your doctor to make sure it will not interfere with any treatment you may be undergoing. It is important that you listen to your body, and not overdo it. Moderation is key.  

Marvy Mom Monday: Val Houck edition

Bob and Val, Christmas 2009

A spare Mom. Almost every girl I know has one. Usually it's a best friend's mother who makes you feel like part of the family. She is probably slightly more tolerant of the nonsense of young girls when you're around, but you (and your parents) know you are safe in her home to be a little wild while knowing limits will be set.

For me, that Mom was Valerie Houck. Okay, DOROTHY Valerie Houck, but I didn't know her first name was Dorothy until I was 15 or 16... Then we incessantly called her "Dot" or "Department of Transportation" or "Polka" or... well, you get the idea. Bless her, she chortled at our relentless puns on her given name and never once did what I think I would have done: lost my sh*t and said, "ENOUGH!" See what I  mean about tolerant?

Val's daughter, Kristin, was my best friend from the time we were in Mrs. Telford's first grade class together. (Marvy Mom Monday fans may remember Mrs. Telford's daughter-in-law, Chris, from a previous post. Small town, I tell ya!) Kristin's life fascinated me because she was, for all intense and purposes, an only child. She had grown up half siblings (okay, they were probably like 18 or 20, but that was full-on adult to a 6-year-old!) who were out of the nest by the time she and I became friends. Going to her house was ah-MAY-zing because there was no one there to argue with about what channel to watch or who took whose seat on the couch or any of that stuff that comes from growing up with 64,000 siblings (give or take). Kristin, of course, also loved to come to our house for the same-yet-opposite reasons: the novelty of a never-ending supply of spare siblings was a nice change from what I suppose must have been a sometimes lonely Only Child existence.

Val and Bob (Kristin's dad) were always happy to have me or most any of Kristin's friends spend time at the house. Random flashbacks of times with Kristin that should have driven her parents completely bonkers include:

• our mocking of their love of polka music, which we played loudly on their honest-to-God 8-track player 

• identifying skeevy guys and referring to them as "loin burners" - a phrase which Val adopted herself and used with a familiar twinkle in her eye

• dressing up in (and being horribly judgmental about!) Val's finest polyester pant suits for 70's day at school

• finding Val's HS yearbook and peeing our pants over the comments from her peers... including the one from my Mom who wrote "I'll always remember our gay times in the woods." OH MAN! Obviously that didn't mean the same thing in 1960 as it did in 1989 or so. We never recovered fully from the hilarity of that one!

• a birthday party in 3rd grade when one somewhat notoriously sensitive attendee began to bawl hysterically because her whistle-shaped lollipop broke; I can't remember exactly what Val said but it was akin to, "Oh, Janey, get over it!"

That last one shocked me and gave me an internal fit of giggles because I finally realized where Val's breaking point was: spoiled brattiness! Of course the list could go on for days, but these give you the flavor of the laid back and kind Mama we are talking about.



Val spent the last year-and-a-half or so battling cancer. She and her family went through hell with a frightening diagnosis... which would lead to unexpected recoveries.... followed by mysterious symptoms.... alleviated by surgeries and meds and good old fashioned love... Her medical team deemed that life saving options were all tapped out and she went to hospice. There, the atmosphere of "sleep when you want, eat what you want, get out of bed when and if you want...." was the exact "medicine" she needed. Yes, Val "graduated" from hospice and went home for several months! Those of us far away but following her Caring Bridge site (from whence I filched these photos and to which I am so indebted!) were in awe of her comeback, but not really surprised. I can't imagine how those in the thick of it must have felt.

Val's sister, Jean (right), had her own battle with cancer. Here you can see the good humor and strength which helps this amazing family cope. (I personally would have gone with a lime green boa and bright red wig but I suppose their options were limited!)

But, untreatable cancer is untreatable cancer. And this morning, Val passed away peacefully - back at hospice - with her family by her side. Her niece, Denise, reports that Val told the nurse on Saturday "I'm going home."

I am so sad for my dearest girlhood friend. I am so sad for Bob. I am so sad for everyone who knew and loved Val and whose hearts will ache for her always and forever. I am, though, glad to know that she is at last at peace and "home".

Val, thanks for the millions of laughs. The thousands of free meals. The hundreds of overnight accommodations. And thanks for creating and nurturing the best best friend a little girl could have.

Val, Bob & Kristin. August 2010. Kristin is expecting her first baby this May. It's a girl...

I wouldn't be who I am today without Dorothy Valerie (Strong) Houck. And I'm just one of thousands who can say that.

P.S. In case you didn't think my world was small enough, Val is the aunt of Kelly Ward Spivey, also of Marvy Mom Monday fame!

Marvy Mom Monday: Kathleen Hill Edition

The most important thing you need to know (and do) right now for my dear friend, Kathleen, is send her good wishes. Whatever form you'd care to send them: prayer, meditation, Pony Express... just send them. Right this second. Seriously. Do it. I  know you may not know her yet, but right NOW, THIS second, just do it. And I'll explain.

We took separate vacations to Disney World a couple of years ago... but met up at Downtown Disney for some nonsense. She always supports me!

Okay. Thanks. Now here's the scoop.

Today (Monday, October 3) K is traveling to Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital to have what's left of the cancer in her uterus removed. She will go into surgery around noon and will, hopefully, come out with NO MORE CANCER. Back in April, if you were following then, you may remember THIS post. It gives a sense of how scary the situation was then. And it makes me so grateful for how under control the situation seems now.

So, why is Kathleen a Marvy Mom? Oddly enough, mostly because up until just over a decade ago, she never even imagined BEING a mom. She's spent a lifetime hanging with kids and built a career around them: from camp counselor to camp director to teacher to principal to (currently) curriculum coordinator She likes them so much so even chooses to spend EXTRA time with kids as the drama director for her district's middle school. But, being a mom wasn't something she really had in mind. The idea of it, frankly, kind of terrified her.

Theater is her passion. Here are two theater "kids" she hosted in 2010 who were performing in local summer stock shows.

But, just over a decade ago, Kathleen's partner, Melinda, expressed a sincere desire to adopt a child. K did a lot of soul searching and realized that yes, she COULD take on this role, but it was not going to necessarily be a natural fit for her. And then.... she saw Jeanne's picture. As K explained to me way back, she took one look at that sweet, 3-year-old Romanian orphan face and there was no doubt in her mind: that was HER daughter. Thus was born another Marvy Mom!

Jeanne, also a theater lover, getting ready for a scene in Cinderella. Fall 2010

Life in their household went along as it does for most new parents. Getting to understand Jeanne's wants and needs, enjoying the obviously vivacious and charming personality already developed in their daughter.. and discovering after many tense hospital visits, Jeanne suffered from exceptionally high fevers that, while scary for her moms, were really okay. She can't take ibuprofen (or is it Tylenol? I can't remember) because her liver (kidneys? shoot! I can't remember!) doesn't process it well. But other than that, they had on their hands a natural dancer, gymnast, actress, singer...

Then, Melinda got breast cancer. All of this happened before I knew Kathleen so I don't know the chronology of Melinda's disease. My understanding is that she had treatments that seemed very effective and things were going really well. She was well enough that K's doctors decided she needed to have knee replacement surgery which she had been putting off in order to be available for Melinda. Then, Melinda's health got bad rapidly.

Suddenly, K was a single mom.

But as Marvy Moms do, she soldiered on. Kathleen and Jeanne marched through the months and years honoring Melinda by pursuing the things they love. Kathleen is hilarious and sharp witted and caring and has high expectations... and these things are what make her an outstanding leader in school and in community theater. These things also make her the perfect friend when you're up, down or sideways about what life is handing you. And I think Jeanne will agree, she's a plain old exceptional Mom.

Kathleen and Megan (director & stage manager) during some, uhh, downtime of Cinderella, Fall 2010. (I'm not saying we DID drink Cosmopolitans, but I'm not saying we DIDN'T, either...)

Given her history with the disease (oh, did I mention that K lost her mom to breast cancer when she was a young adult? Ugh...) you can see how finding out her own diagnosis last April would have exceeded the average feelings of pure devastating. Her sole concern was how Jeanne, this teenager with a laundry list off losses from which she's manged to bounce back so many times, would cope with this. There were some very scary times this spring. Kathleen's people rallied like no other group (except maybe Polly's People). Rides for Jeanne, meals for months on end, overnight care, cards, letters, phone calls... Team Kathleen has been fantastic.

[A special note on Al: K's brother, Al (who deserves an entire MONTH of Marvy Brother posts), uprooted himself from his "quiet" (read: well earned, golf- and grandchild-centric) retirement outside Chicago to move in with K & Jeanne. He has been the nurse, harasser, driver, smart ass, pharmacist, whipping boy, and you name it. In the beginning, his was almost always the single source of testosterone as Team Kathleen coordinated itself. He deserves a medal for that alone! I know that Al - and all those who came together for Jeanne and her - are forever in Kathleen's heart for what they have done.]

Anyway.... despite scary beginnings in which pulmonary blood clots were discovered and additional ER visits were, ahem, enjoyed, the chemo treatments have really done a number on the cancer. Blood tests show her "cancer markers" - which had been sky high - are now below normal. (Which leads me to ask, is it possible to have "less cancer" than normal?? I'm not a doctor, but that seems odd to me!) She is anxious about the surgery, of course, but is very glad to have it here and get it DONE. She'll probably spend 3 - 5 days recovering at the hospital and then 4 - 6 weeks recovering at home. After she is healed, they'll do another scan to check for any pesky remaining cancer... but HOPEFULLY there won't be any more need for chemotherapy.

An old racing bib I outfitted to wear when I race in honor of those I know fighting cancer.

So, one more time before you're done reading - and now that you know why - send up your good juju to Kathleen Hill. And don't worry, I'll keep you posted on her progress.

P.S. Al is convinced that, upon arrival, Baby TOP needs to be named Albert (though he'll settle for Alberta). He's getting a little testy since I haven't mentioned his great idea. So, Al, here you go. And, YOU'RE WELCOME!

Glad

Glad it is really Spring now.
Glad we had our first Puddle Boots Day today.
Glad we heard the deep-voiced frogs that hang out in the woods behind our back yard last night.
Glad we had our first Bubble Blowing today.
Glad there's ALMOST no snow left on the decks of the house.
Glad I got up at 4:30 to do a track workout - my first attempt at Scary O'clock at the track.
Glad I'll be seeing my family and Polly's People in just a few days.
Glad Tommy won't have to endure Saturday school this week... it's a FULL day!
Glad Elliott seems truly excited about the idea of Kindergarten.
Glad we are looking at family vacation options for mid-June.

But.... still sad and a little mad at the Universe.

It might be Darfur.

Megan (Stage Manager), Kathleen (Director) & me (Assistant Director) between performances of Cinderella. November 2010.

I met my friend Kathleen thanks to theater. Among a million other things, she is a great performer and an even more outstanding director. I jokingly refer to her as "The Controversial Genius" because she's just really, really good.

Kathleen and I have a little saying when things aren't going our way. Whether one of our kids is behaving in a way that makes us nuts, or we're annoyed about jobs, or we're not feeling well, or our cars have broken down. We say "It's not Darfur." Because really, whatever we have going on... it's NOT Darfur.

Kathleen has ovarian cancer. She is a single mom to an amazing 13-year-old. Six years ago she lost her partner to breast cancer. She was supposed to go to Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital today to begin the plan of removing it and making sure it stayed away.

That was Plan A. We are well onto Plan E or F or G...

Last night I decided to pop over to her house - it's about a 30 minute drive - with a "car care package" for the first of many road trips she was going to be making to Hanover, NH. It's kind of a haul from her house. I made a card and decorated a shoe box with paintings the boys had done. I bought a Vanity Fair with (a steamy, shirtless) Rob Lowe on the cover, threw in some Tic Tacs, granola bars, a bottle of water, cross word puzzles... you get the idea. I knew she was extremely anxious so the plan was to pop in, give her a hug, make sure her ducks were in a row for tomorrow (oh, yes, it's tech week for the musical she is doing with middle school students) and take off.

When I arrived, I knocked on the side door and got no answer so I peeked my head in. Lisa - a teacher friend - was there cleaning up a storm. I could see from the look in her eyes that this was not going to be a quick visit. Jeanne was at school with her theater friends and parents to set up the stage, props, etc. for the show. Lisa said that Kathleen was not feeling too good and suggested I pop into Kathleen's room and check in with her.

It was dark in there. Kathleen was on the bed and told me in a very worried voice that she had been down and out all day. Her chest hurt and she was having trouble breathing. She thought it was anxiety about the appointment, but it just wasn't easing up. I was *sure* it was anxiety, too. (Hey, I've seen enough made-for-tv movies to know that a panic attack looks and feels very much like a genuine heart attack.) So I sat with her and talked awhile. We talked about being scared for Jeanne and talked about not knowing, really, what was coming next. We talked about theater. I hugged her and rubbed her shoulder. (Note: Don't rub her shoulder. It annoys her. But I kept forgetting and it seemed to be my go-to empathy touch! Oy!)

Before my arrival, a call had been made to her doctor, who was not on duty, so we were waiting to hear from the on-call doc. At about 9:00 Jeanne was back from the school, Kathleen had roused herself enough to give Jeanne some instructions on the play ("Make sure so-and-so has the CD, make sure so-and-so knows where his props are and doesn't break them...."). I felt fairly comfortable because she was, though tired for sure, acting like a woman who had a show going up this week. She was being Kathleen. I helped Jeanne and Lisa make the fold out couch into a bed for Diane Booty, who was on her way to spend the night there. I went down to say good night to Kathleen and chirped "Last call for sarcastic comments for the night!" She was sound asleep and I was relieved and drove home concerned but not panicked.

At just before 11PM the phone rang. It was Megan, another theater friend. She had seen a post on Facebook from Jeanne about an ambulance and police officers in her house. She immediately got in touch with Jeanne and learned that Kathleen was transported to Lakes Region General Hospital. Oh. Shit.

This morning I learned that the on-call doctor called not long after I left and, after hearing the symptoms, advised that Kathleen be taken immediately to the hospital. She was given a chest x-ray and a CT scan and they found multiple pulmonary embolisms. (Is that the plural? Anyway, blood clot on the lungs). Lisa, who was going to go home to bed, stayed at the house with Jeanne. Diane went with Kathleen. Eventually, pain and anti-anxiety meds got her comfortable enough to sleep, though she was still in a good deal of pain. Diane stayed until 4:30, went back to Kathleen's to relieve Lisa and was heading back to the hospital this morning to find out about tests Kathleen was having.

Kathleen has 5 brothers. They all live far away. One of them is flying in from Chicago - or more accurately has certainly already arrived. I'm so glad about that.

It's 1:19PM. I don't know anything else. I want to give Diane a chance to rest... she's been up since God knows when yesterday. And I also don't want to know.

For her, now... it IS Darfur.

Dad's review of Dispatches

Moments ago... literally... my mom emailed me my father's review of "Dispatches From Candor". I put it here because it's just so Dad: sweet and insightful and quietly hilarious.

Please let my kids feel this lucky some day!

March 15, 2011

Dispatches from Candor

Reports of any events I have participated in or closely observed are seldom what I expect.

Dispatches became less a surprise than a Triple “F” special: Family, Faith and Fun.

Family was conflated, combined, reduced and consolidated. For my part, I was granted ordination, which I do not deserve, and an early exit through an untimely, early death, which I have avoided. I even am endowed with paternity of our heroine, whose development, character and class I would have been proud to claim.

All the women of my generation disappear from the plot. Matriphobia, Scott?

But ah, that younger generation – those women especially, strong, stylish, not so civil . And the boys, had to bleach “Mark” to fit the genotype available and spare the explanations. The Peter character – intoxicated, vibrant, and ordained!

Once the familiar family folklore is installed, sibling rivalries displayed and love expressed or implied you find a real family.

Scott has distilled a family history that might be mistaken as an allegory – but it is the account of a contest. Cancer the apparent winner, but Polly is the dominatrix. Faith is hard to define, but it is obvious here. Not unlike my failing NCAA basketball tournament brackets, we will all fill out our wishes, not our expectations thanks for the help with that!

Winners: cancer, Polly, resolve, faith

Losers: cancer, selfishness, envy

Watch the play – Find yourself – Rejoice in life - Live in love.

And here's a pic of Dad, Mom & my boys...