Josh has some great friends. Friends that have been around since he was a kid. Friends that don't treat him any differently than they always had since the big C word entered our life. In fact the off-colored politically incorrect and razzing comments from friends and family have brought the biggest laughs and smiles. It makes things seem normal, even if just for a moment.
Today Josh was feeling much better. It's amazing what a little blood can do! He had energy, spunk and CABIN FEVER. This morning we were blessed to have a visitor bring in Josh's favorite lunch and a mixed CD of inspirational country songs. They chatted for awhile and I could tell the visit meant a lot. Josh's dad showed up as well to get our yard under control. Our yard has been a disaster. It was going to be a complete rehaul this year ... but more important things came up. There are probably 25 mole hills and I really don't think there is one blade of grass in all the weeds. He came and mowed, cleaned up and set another mole trap. It was hard for Josh just to watch out the window, but he was so glad for his Dad to do it. This project really weighs on him.
After lunch, I put Hudson down for a nap and I myself fell asleep on the couch. I guess we were sleeping for a while. Josh watched the TV, went and got the mail and eventually couldn't stand it anymore; he woke me up and said that we needed to get out of the house. That's all I needed to hear. I quickly grabbed the baby and we were outta there!
We drove to the Life of Christ exhibit that our church community puts on every year at this time. Josh brought his new CD and a pillow for his back (still really sore). It was nice to be out. It was nice not to be going to a Dr or hospital. It was just nice.
The exhibit was fantastic. The spirit was so strong. I think that we have been so focused on our faith right now that we were primed and ready for it. I felt the peace and love of our Savior.
We bumped into a couple people who knew what was going on, but not too many. Josh and I were a little concerned that it would be worse. I really don't think we would've been ready for a flood of people with "I'm sorry" looks. We did bump into our kids! That was fun to see them. They have not been home this weekend. Josh's mom and dad and sister have done a stellar job at keeping the older ones busy and distracted. They were heading into the building as we were leaving. A quick hug and kiss was such a blessing.
Josh wasn't ready to go home. He couldn't face our bedroom or couch again. He's never been a big homebody. We got the car washed, grabbed a milkshake and then dropped by his brother's house. We have felt so bad that we've "rained on their parade." Jeremy and his wife just had a new sweet baby on Friday. Our whole family was so excited. I had set my schedule aside to help all week. Little did I know what was coming. It was nice to see the 1 week old baby and chat for a little bit. We love you Kai and can't wait to spend more time with you soon! We didn't stay long, our nephew had a basketball game. Josh still wasn't ready to go home.
So we stopped in on the Nix family. Jason is Josh's good friend (and I swear his wife Laurie is a living angel). Actually, we called Jason right away Monday night for that first blessing. They have 6 sweet kids and Hudson loves it there. They were so gracious to let us just show up for a couple hours and visit. Josh climbed into their Lazyboy (again with his pillow) and laughed and chatted with Jason. His spirits were so high and he truly had a great time. Thank you Nix family.
Eventually Josh got tired and we headed home. He checked his phone while I drove and found a gem of a message from an old friend. It went something like this...
"Hey buddy I saw picture and read a blog, sounds like you got some kind of cancer. What's up? Give me a call." Josh laughed so hard. His friend Chip has a history of goofy voicemails. Tonight when Josh called back Chip answered his phone with "So, you still alive?"
I can't tell you how much this helps Josh. He has always loved to laugh. That's just part of who he is. He has a great laugh and has never really taken himself seriously. I'm so grateful to these friends that treat him as he is. He's Josh. Always will be. Yes, he's still alive.
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