Hope and Courage

I'm going to veer away from me for a moment.  Don't worry, won't be long until we're back in cancer land again!  (I know you love hearing about all the intricacies of my procedures.)  But first I have some sad news.

My father-in-law passed away yesterday.  For those of you who knew him, or knew of him, know that he has been battling Parkinson's for over ten years, and has had a lot of other ailments that stemmed from the Parkinson's.  In the last few years, it was hard for him to communicate, and you could tell this was extremely frustrating for him.  He was a pretty social guy before the onset of Parkinson's, so the disease took a ton of his personality away.

Even though I'm the newbie in the in-law category of the family, I have always felt welcome in the family, in large part by Jerry.  It became apparent even before I met him that he played a huge role in his kid's lives.  When I finally met him (which is another post in itself), I felt comfortable immediately.

I'm glad to have known him, and it is obvious by the countless people who have connections to Jerry, that they are glad too.  He will definitely be missed, but the memories that we have will help us get through.

Yesterday, when Stein called me at school to tell me he died, I immediately left school to get to the house.  I was driving through Chelsea and noticed what was painted on "the rock" in the park on Main Street.  It said "Hope and Courage".  I thought this was so fitting for Jerry, who never gave up hope for his family and friends.  He was courageous in trying times, and showed us all how to live a life fully despite being dealt some terrible cards.

Hope and courage is what's getting me through my hand of bad cards right now.  I like to think that Jerry's influence has shown me how to handle it with grace.