Family Matters

The most important part of my life is my family. While I don't mention them much in this blog, they are the always-present thread that wraps through and amongst everything I experience, everything I write about, and they give me all my hope and strength. Despite this public blog I'm a private person, although clearly not secretive. I have a deep respect for the privacy of others; the stories of my loved ones are not mine to tell, and so I have made the choice not to include them as an ongoing part of my blog.

But no representation of myself would be complete without including my family, and so I introduce them briefly now. Just know that no few words can come close to describing these amazing people who share my life. My mother, healthy, bright, and active in her 70's, drives 200 roundtrip miles every two weeks in order to support me during chemo treatments. She's generous with her love and energy and is always there when I need her. My daughter, almost 20, eager, enthusiastic, and wise beyond her years, loves her university life, and shares my home during summers, breaks, and occasional weekends. My son, almost 14, complex, uncannily observant, endures school and is happiest constructing and executing jumps on his mountain bike, or playing World of Warcraft. He lives with me part-time, and also with his father and stepmother, only a few blocks away. My brother lives in a new home in northern California, in domestic bliss with his beloved partner, and together they have beaten their addiction to cigarettes. I have cousins, both near and far, who stay in touch much better than I do, and cheer me on. I have a dear childhood friend who is like a sister to me, and she lives in New Mexico with her husband and dogs, where she runs her wonderful bookstore and literary community center, Bookworks.

These people, together with a small handful of friends and a small congregation of UUs, are my support team during this battle with cancer, and they deserve my greatest gratitude for what they give me, now and always. While I may live a solitary life, I am most certainly not alone. I love you all.