A thousand words couldn't sum it up better than the ONE word hanging at the bottom of the sign

Something(s) Beautiful

Until I logged on this morning, I had no idea how long it had been since I’d blogged. Halloween? Wow... so much has happened since then that was certainly blog-worthy, but lately I struggle to be quippy and light when many days I cannot shake off the lead boots of life-as-it-is-now. And who wants to read downer blog posts? I don’t want to write them, so I can’t imagine anyone wants to read them!
But this morning’s after-run cool-down playlist offered a burst of inspiration. The Killers “Smile Like You Mean It” was my anthem through the holidays, reminding me to try to find the sweet in the overwhelming bitter-sweet. This morning as I listened to the song again, I thought that maybe I could reenter the blogosphere with some of those sweet things. So, here is my list of some of the many beautiful things I was blessed to encounter since Halloween…

• Fighting my way back after bronchitis to be a stronger, faster runner than I was before I got sick. The old me would have given up.
• An Indian Summer day’s hike in the Cleveland Metroparks with very good friends
• A visit with my dad’s sisters, who I don’t see nearly enough, and listening to the three siblings reminisce over a giant stack of old pictures
• Drinking champagne in a limo as we rode downtown to see Wicked for my dear friend Jill's 40th birthday
• The Christmas Eve services at church and being keenly aware of the love of that church family for my family
• Having Jill’s husband, who is a pilot, so calmly arrange for P to fly home the weekend of O’s school play, when I-90 was closed. I completely lost it, but Doug was the calm in my storm.
• Watching O in that play, so confident and comfortable, so happy on stage
• My friend Sue's Split-Pea Soup, which is deliciously seasoned with love
• My sister-in-law’s baby bump…. And my mom’s reaction to learning the gender of that bambino
• Being the respite & refuge for my brother-in-law, his wife, and my sweet niece while they mourned the loss of Erika’s grandmother the week after Christmas

But nothing topped the beauty of my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. My brother & I contacted as many friends & family as we could find, asking them to send anniversary greetings. It was a gift just to see the love pour in from near & far, past & present. But to be there with mom & dad on their anniversary while they opened the box-of-love that we had assembled, well, that was one of the most beautiful things ever.

Happy Halloween from Mount Olympus

Here we are... Poseidon, Percy Jackson and the godess Athena

a la The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.

Never read it? We are (obviously) big fans!

Percy with Riptide

A sugar rush fit for a demi-god

A Great One

Just as we did twelve years ago, we spent this past weekend in Toronto. Last time, we were newly married, P was recovering from the flu, and I was determined to make our Plan B honeymoon fun & memorable. We ate in out of the way cafes, saw Phantom, stayed in a ridiculously swanky hotel, and worshipped at the Temple of Lord Stanley. It could not have been a more perfect trip, even if we'd taken more time than the drive from Cincinnati to plan it.

There were, of course, notable differences from that first Toronto weekend on this trip. Instead of enjoying the city's night-life, we were changing hotel rooms at midnight because the nightclub 14 floors below us was so loud that we couldn't sleep. We spent a lot more time in gift shops, the hotel pool, and chasing pigeons this time. We didn't get to eat at the amazing Le Papillon, with its melt-in-your-mouth crepes, but we learned that even in Canada, you can order a foot-long sub at Subway. Who knew?

We ate dinner at Gretzky's on Saturday night, because it was near the hotel and they have the Holy Grail of children's menus, offering not only mac & cheese, but also cheese pizza and spaghetti. Woo hoo for choices!! As we devoured a plate of homemade perogi, we noticed a man making the rounds of the room. People were handing their cameras to waitresses to get pictures taken with him. He was obviously not Wayne Gretzky, but still, he was someone people were thrilled to meet.

Not one to miss out on an opportunity to meet someone thrilling, I asked the waiter. Turns out it was Walter Gretzky, the Great One's dad. And this is what Walter does before Maple Leafs home games... he strolls the dining room of his son's restaurant, signing autographs, taking pictures, chatting with the people, being the Proud Papa. So--when in Rome--we, too, had our audience with Walter, chatted awhile, got his autograph, took some pictures.

And the more I thought about it, the more perfectly this encounter fit for this weekend when I was reflecting heavily on the last twelve years. As I was thinking of all that Life we've lived (and are living right now), Walter's exuberance reminded me of some simple truths: Love Generously, Praise Loudly, Live Fully. Walter is so proud of his son not for his fame or his talent, but simply because he is his son. He lives that love by showing up at this place and being with others who love his son. With that insight, my focus turned to celebrating my family and remembering all the ways we love each other--not because of what we do or what we have, but because of who we are. And so Walter Gretzky reminded me to show up and bring the love more often. I think he, too, deserves the title of Great One.

The Road to the White House

Anyone who knows O well knows that he wants to be The President of the United States when he grows up. Well, he took his first step toward that goal this week, winning his first ever election! He will be proudly representing his classroom at his elementary school's Student Council . Thought you all might enjoy reading his self-penned campaign speech...

I think Student Council is very important because it helps make school decisions. I’m concerned about some school decisions, and I want to help make good ones. I believe I can handle the responsibility.

I have done some things in and out of school that I think will help me be a good student council member. At Cub Scouts, I have learned to always do my best. I am a responsible and safe member of the Safety Patrol. And I try hard to follow the Canavan Code.

I’m also interested in politics and how governments work. This is my first step into my campaign to be President of the United States in 2036.

Just imagine what the kid will do with speech writers!

The Nut Wizards

I am always amazed at the ingenius solutions that people invent to solve even the most mundane problems. Here's one I wish I had thought of... the Nut Wizard! And not just because I think the brainstorming session they had to name it must have been a laugh-riot, but because it is pure genius.
The Nut Wizard is like a sideways whisk on a long handle. You roll it over the ground to pick up whatever pesky nuts litter your yard. In this case, we were de-acorning mom & dad's yard. But the Wizards also work for golf balls and Hickory nuts (we borrowed them from friends who have a Hickory nut bonanza). Amazingly, the tool traps the nuts so that as you roll it to pick up more, they don't fall out. So simple! Why hadn't I thought of this?!? Here's P demonstrating his highly efficient double-fisted technique....
And the victors with their spoils (one of many buckets we filled)...

And our trusty supervisor, undoubtedly thinking that if he had a nickel for every acorn we collected, he'd be a millionaire!

Of course, no Sunday afternoon at mom & dad's would be complete without a belly-stuffing meal. Here's Baba and her sous chef whipping up some delicious mashed potatoes to complement the turkey breast in the foreground.

After lunch, P set up mom & dad's new WebCam and their Skype account. For those of you far-away folks who'd like some face-to-face time with them, drop us an email and we'll give you their Skype ID. And ours, if you want it. Skype is free, easy to use, and lots of fun. Hope to see you on the internet soon!

Riding the Scrambler

Typically, I avoid using carnival rides as metaphors for life, what with the carnie at the controls and all… but this one fits. The Scrambler is a perennial favorite in our clan. Here we are—three generations preparing to ride it just this past June.

The Scrambler, in case you’re not a carnival regular, involves three arms with four cars each, all spinning around a central pole. As your car spins in one direction, the ride as a whole rotates in the opposite direction, all at increasing speed. It gives you the illusion that you will slam into the other cars, and you are smushed into the people in the car with you despite your best efforts to defy the forces. You are simultaneously giggling with glee and a little terrified. Plus the spinning makes you wish you hadn’t just eaten that Elephant Ear. But deep down you trust that you’re ok because you know that the steel beams will hold you, you’ve got buddies in your car, and they wouldn’t really make a ride that slammed you into the other riders, right?

So, here we are in life, spinning around in so many directions over the last week. We are being propelled at speeds we cannot control through tests and diagnoses and prognoses and real estate and jobs and homework and life. Most of the time all we can do is hold on, try not to throw up, and hope we don’t slam too hard into the other riders in our car. Sometimes we scream in terror, and sometimes we get to laugh through the fear, like when the Cancer Support Team Nurse jokes with dad that her specialty is constipation, and he dead-pans back, “No shit.” Oh yes, he did.

And eventually you find that you really CAN trust that in the end you’re going to be ok on this ride, because the steel of grace surrounds you. You feel it when you overhear your nine-year-old say to his grandfather on the phone, “I’m just so disappointed that you have cancer.” And you know that you have raised a child with the emotional intelligence to persevere.

Or you feel it when, on his way to a training class in Michigan, your husband’s route takes him past the hospital just after dad’s first Oncology appointment, and so he is there at precisely the moment you need him. And he is able to reschedule the training class and spend the next day at home with you, crying and talking and planning how you will navigate this new normal.

And you know it when, after she’s already graced you by keeping your son occupied all afternoon so that you can go to the Oncologist with your parents, your dear friend has made you soup. And since the food is there, you eat. And your other friends call you, and email you, and take you to lunch, and just know you well enough to know how to love you through this.

But you especially know it when, just when you start to feel a little sorry for yourself, your dad states plainly that he refuses to feel sorry for himself, and you again have the strength to hold on, even with the spinning and the fear and the forces pushing against you.

For those of you who are wondering how to help, I highly recommend the website Circus of Cancer. I learned about it when a dear friend loaned me the book The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, which I also recommend. I just didn’t know when I read it that the information would come in so handy, so soon.