Happy Birthday Jim!

We made it up North! It was a nice, relaxing weekend. We got there Saturday evening. I drank a LOT of wine while we had dinner with my folks and our friend Tom, and we got to meet his friend Rhonda. Ooh la la - she was interesting and the best part of the evening!

Sunday we just rested. The weather was...not so hot. Cold and drizzly. Par for the course up North. Sunday night we celebrated Jim's 38th birthday with a cake and gifts. He got a new air tank for scuba diving and a t-shirt from my parents. The kids and I gave him a hood for his scuba suit, diving gloves, and a bag to carry his regulator (whatever that is, I just bought the stuff). We got to take a nice ride on the boat today. The sun was shining, and it was reasonably warm. My parents got up with the kids both days - luxury. Pure luxury. And my Mom made us cookies.

About a week ago I asked Jim if he'd be upset about this birthday. He snorted and told me that he'd never be upset about celebrating another birthday again. Of course he wouldn't. Every birthday he has from here on out is a reminder of how precious life is. It's a reminder that every day is a gift, every year is a blessing. It's a celebration of his life - the life he's still living. When you think about a birthday like that, it's pretty silly to get upset about getting older, isn't it?

Cancer kicks life perspective into everything. Truthfully, I'd rather not have this kind of perspective on life. It would be easier if we could still get wound up about things like the price of gas, whether or not people pick up their dogs' poop, or whether or not that guy took our parking spot. When I think about the dumb, dumb things I get riled up about, I realize that sweating the small stuff was a lifestyle for me. Cancer ripped that rug out from under me really fast.

Jim never got riled up by the same petty things that I did, but he's still gained perspective painfully fast. Celebrating a birthday and really appreciating another year of life...that's perspective. Oh, you mean it's not about the gifts and the cake? You mean celebrating birthdays every year until we're 90 isn't a God-given right? It's silly to get a little depressed about turning 30...or 40...or 50...because jeez - there's someone else waiting in line that would gladly trade to have a chance to make it to a milestone birthday.

We did a lot of talking this weekend. We did have a renewal of hope. We are both ready to put up more fight. Lots more fight. We're ready to take our newly gained life perspective and apply it toward many, many cancer-free years, where we'll celebrate birthdays focused on the true meaning. We'll continue to be thankful for all the things we're blessed with. And we'll continue to be thankful for another day. Another week. Another month. Another year. And another birthday. Happy 38th Birthday to my sweetie.