THE DAY AFTER...

We had a very nice Christmas yesterday. Keith was here from Austin, Reid was feeling pretty good, and Troy and Deanna joined us in the afternoon for Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs...a family favorite.

We decided to get a head start on the meatballs on Christmas Eve. I also cooked the Italian sausage at that time. I knew we'd be going to the nursing home to see Dad on Christmas morning and this way we could start the sauce when we got home and just throw in the already cooked meatballs and sausage. Keith and Reid were the official meatball rollers.

On Christmas morning Jim, Keith, Reid and I headed over to the nursing home with Dad's gifts. We found him dozing near the nurses' station and when he opened his eyes we said, "Merry Christmas!" He looked up and smiled. We brought him over to a table so he could open his gifts.

He didn't have much to say, but we encouraged him to open the gifts and finally he got started. Here he is opening my sister's package. He carefully peeled off most of the tape. It was like opening gifts in slow motion. Dad used to be as sharp as a tack mentally and very physically active. This year I don't even think he knew it was Christmas until we told him and he probably forgot as soon as we left.

Then we posed for a picture, but by that time Dad was busy looking at a library book. The nursing home has a small library and there is a set of WW II Encyclopedias. He enjoys looking at the pictures, so we usually get a book for him to look through while we visit since he doesn't talk much any more. He's always enjoyed books. This is me, Keith, and Dad.

I called my sister while we were there and put Dad on the phone. He did tell her Merry Christmas, but that was about the extent of the conversation. We stayed until it was time for him to go to the dining room for his Christmas dinner. When I said Merry Christmas to the other men at his table one of them said to me, "Is today Christmas?" I told him it was and then he wanted to know if it was Christmas all day. It's sad, but this man is always smiling and my Dad always seems content, so I console myself with that knowledge.

We came home and Keith got the spaghetti sauce cooking. It cooks for two to three hours and then we add the meatballs and sausage. We double the meatball recipe so our pot is full.

After dinner Christmas Boy handed out the presents. This is a tradition with our family. When the kids were little they'd fight to be Christmas Boy, but now I suspect they secretly hope they won't be chosen. We usually all gang up on one person and they have no choice but to be a good sport and put on the Christmas Boy hat. By the way, Christmas Boy doesn't have to be a male or a boy. It can be a man or a woman, but they're still called Christmas Boy.

This year Troy was Christmas Boy. He was a good sport.

We had a lot of fun and shared a lot of laughs. It was a good day.

And then came December 26th...chemo day for Reid. I'm so glad it fell right after Christmas so he could enjoy Christmas Day. He and Jim left at 8:30 this morning for a 9:30 appointment. There was a mix up and Reid needed blood drawn. Then they needed the doctor's OK for the chemo to begin and the doctor didn't call back. Finally, they called another doctor and he OK'd the chemo. By then it was 3:00. They had some problems with his port and the chemo didn't begin until 4:00. They arrived home a few minutes before 8:00 PM. It was a long day and Reid wasn't feeling well by the time they got home. He went to bed. What a difference a day makes.

We're hoping six months of chemo will be enough. If so, he's a third of the way there. On January 7th he'll spend the day at the hospital for tests and scans. Hopefully we'll know more then. All prayers are appreciated.