Dad's Birthday�

2004-02-15

Went to Dad's birthday party today. Mom made the cake and cooked the breakfast for us all.

Dad had chemo first thing this morning, arriving shortly after Wonderful Spouse and I.

There is no way for me to tell my parents how much I love them. There is no way I can say how I can appreciate the effort they've put in to being good people. Not just good parents, good people.

They're still trying so hard. Mom cooked the birthday brunch. Mom baked the birthday cake. Dad enjoyed the birthday brunch. Dad enjoyed the birthday cake and exclaimed over the birthday presents when he'd had a treatment less than two hours before that the doctors had guaranteed would give him some pain.

I don't know how to help people like that, except to not make things harder. For now, my problems don't exist. There's only being there. And, when I see a thing that needs doing, just do it.

The day that Mom had to go the emergency room I should have got dinner for Dad. They both had so much to deal with that day. I did so much less than I should have.

I keep saying to myself, 'Do the things they haven't asked for.' Those, like cooking dinner, will be the things that they can do for themselves, but may not bother to do.

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