If you're too sick to go to school, then you're too sick to play outside

Or at least that's what our mothers told us. So I have to admit I felt a little guilt when we skipped church today. Not only did we skip church, but we then went out sledding on Kohler's picturesque little sledding hill. We just woke up and it was one of those mornings. We stayed out "late" last night (midnight! We are NUTS!) for a round-robin holiday party. When we got up the snow was falling, and it just seemed like the kind of day to hunker down and be a family. So that's what we did. I know we should have picked it up and been a family at church, but whatever Jim says goes, so we stayed home.

After sledding we saw one of our favorite nurses, Chris, from Jim's stay this fall at Memorial Hospital. She happened to be out sledding with her family. It made my day to see her. Jim was delighted. It's so funny how a solitary event brings you into contact with so many people. If Jim hadn't had cancer, we would have just walked by her on the sledding hill, never knowing that we were walking by a truly special soul. It just happens like that. You walk by people every day and never know what they're about. Of course you can't just stop random people on the street and introduce yourself, lest people think you're a complete loon, but at the same time it makes me wonder how many wonderful people we miss in our daily activities. I certainly would be willing to give up meeting the 2K nurses from the hospital if we could trade in Jim's cancer, but since that isn't an option, it seems like getting to know some of these people makes the pain less painful.

After seeing Chris, we went to our friends' house for hot cocoa. Friends from church. Of course, they made it to church. Oopsies. Well, in any event, we had a lovely afternoon and I got to drink tea with two friends that are very dear people. See above - I don't know that I would have had the opportunity to get so close with these women if we hadn't joined this church...Jim's cancer drove us into the church scenario. When I read articles by cancer survivors that tout the benefits of cancer, I silently wonder if the chemo has driven these people off the deep end. But when I look at the big picture...the big, big, big picture...I realize that indeed, we've been blessed by new relationships, new friendships, a new relationship with God (me - Jim always had it), a deeper appreciation for each other and our kids, and for everything that is so special in everyday life - snow, the sound of a shovel scraping snow, the happy screams as kids fly down the hill on their sleds, chocolate chip cookies, the taste of hot cocoa, and having people with whom to enjoy the cocoa. Cancer sucks, but we are truly lucky people.