In the arctic,man-like stone figures placed in the sparelandscape signal a cache of food or nearby settlement and safety. Margie and I collected rocks from our land and put up this mannikin to tell you that you are welcome, if hungry Margie will feed you,very well, and we appreciate your friendshhip. Vancouver, BC has selected the Inukshuk as it's symbol for the the 2010 winter Olympics. To say the name correctly,clench your teeth together like the first nation people of the arctic and pronounce each phoneme without moving you jaw. Got it? Good, come see us. The raspberries are ripe and numerous.
My journey with cancer continues and we struggle trying not to make this a melodrama since so many of you kindly inquire and offer spiritual and emotional support. We are blessed with friendship and a close large family. My oldest son, Sean, observed the other day that cultivating and nurturing friendships is one of the most important activities we can do. He gets his wisdom from his mother. But for me, no other activity stirs my healing juices than conversation and verbal jousting about life's great questions with family and friends.
Last week Margie and I renewed our friendship with my college roommate and his wife in eastern Montana. Catching up after fourty plus years was heartwarming and inspite of the time span our closeness due to shared experiences in college and later common experiences due to his practice of family medicine in remote eastern Montana lead to hours of lively conversation. It has been observed that you can't go back to your childhood; if you try, very few of those memories and experiences can be faithfully reproduced, and one will always end up disappointed. My college roommate and his wife took us to a remote corner of Montana where they had a cabin along a small spring-fed river in the Bighorn mountains. We put on our cutoffs, tennis shoes, grabbed our fly rods, waded, caught beautiful rainbows, cutthroats, and brown trout on grasshopper patterns. We had the river to ourselves for two days and feasted on fresh trout in the evening. Yes, it was catch and cook. Horror of horrors! It was a trip back to my childhood in Montana and topped all those early experiences because of age adjusted appreciation of what we have in this country. Thankyou Dan and Bonnie for that gift.
My struggle with the side effects of chemotherapy and the uncertainty of the future remain a continuing theme. One on these days my doctor is going to start the visit by inquiring,"same song and verse"? My brain scans remain stable, show no new growth and perhaps some healing of the area around the hole in my brain. Keep the good vibes coming my way.
A young future Nobel laureate has arrived for conversation and dinner. Must not keep him waiting. Love to all, Eric
