Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Realization

Tonight I went to a spaghetti supper at the elementary school. I sat one table over from a cherubic seven-year-old boy who has been given two to six months to live, due to an inoperable brain tumor. The dinner was in his honor, a benefit to raise money for a last-chance medical procedure not covered by the family's insurance. I watched him tucking in to his plate of spaghetti, as bright-eyed and chipper as any of the kids there, his swollen face the only real giveaway to his medical condition.

His parents sat on either side of him, smiling and clearly grateful for the community support. His mother's eyes looked tired. I can only begin to imagine what she has been through, and where her mind must take her late at night when her little boy is sleeping.
At the end of a day like today, you make sure to give your kids that extra hug, to say "I love you" out loud instead of just thinking it.
I'm going to stop bitching about minutae long enough to give thanks that little insignificant things are really all I have to complain about. Things like the drearily persistent winter weather, my favorite pants not fitting the way I think they should, or the fact that my cat was apparently born with an extra chromosome that enables Continuous Shedding...those are gravy, baby.

I'm pretty damn lucky, and today I'd like to both acknowledge that and say thank you.

4 comments:

smalltownme said...

I work with seven year olds. (I'm an aide in second grade.) I can't imagine this happening to one of them. I'm going to go hug my own big sons right now!

Is there a way I could make a donation?

Nana said...

It's at times like this that we ALL should take pause to realize how lucky we are. I, too, am guilty of complaining of too many insignificant things. The next time I'm tempting to, I'm going to think of that little guy who is fighting for his life.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for that reminder. I needed it.

Country Girl said...

Your girls are beautiful. I heard about this boy at work someone is raising money for him and his family. Boy, life changes in a moment. My heart goes out to him!