This morning was an early start for a client meeting. I love early mornings. Everything looks so fresh and new and hopeful. As I drove down the East West Expressway to my meeting looking at the cloudy morning sky...it hit me. I live a very FULL life in every sense of the word. While briefly at the office this morning, I took the time to read a couple of e-mails. One from Rita giving me an update on my hero, Mary Helen's cancer battle. Another from my friend Dennis commenting on my "Happy Dance" blog and how it made him smile. I reflected on Jim's comments last night about how much I cram into each day and how much delicious food I crammed into my mouth this weekend. And I thought...what a FULL life. I am blessed with a loving family, great friends, high energy and good food around every corner.
This afternoon was one of the best I have ever had. I spent a couple of hours in a hospital room in the cancer wing of Florida Hospital Altamonte with my friend Rita, my hero Mary Helen and her boyfriend Ron. I made a grand entrance by incorrectly using the aerosol disinfectant outside the door and entering the room with foam in my hair, on my face and on my suit. Mary Helen quickly brushed away my mishap and greeted me with a big hug. No hug has ever felt so good.
Mary Helen is in the battle of her life against cancer and cancer keeps running up the score. But, I can honestly say I have never seen someone exude so much life and positive energy as MH did this afternoon. We talked about politics, horrible hospital food, my silly blog, my roommate Jim, work, cancer, tumors, pain and dogs. We talked about life. Nothing was off limits.
She shared her view on the people in her life right now. Mary Helen explained that a lot of her friends and acquaintances don't contact her because they don't know what to say. She understands and is not mad, but believes they will feel sad later. To her the ones that are left are like a wonderful sauce reduction where the flavor intensifies to create the perfect taste, rich and wonderfully satisfying. Did I mention Mary Helen is a foodie?!
Perhaps my most memorable moment of the afternoon was when I looked into Mary Helen's eyes and told her she was my hero. She said she didn't deserve it (of course she does), but was very honored. I will always cherish that moment. For me, it was truly magical. Happy dance time.
Lunch was nonexistent and was replaced by "Dunch" at 4:00 after my visit with MH. I warmed up some Turkey Tortilla soup, topped it with fresh cilantro, a dollop of sour cream and crushed blue corn chips. I washed it down with white sangria in front of the TV tuned to Food Network, of course. Giada at Home was featuring a menu made with leftovers and pantry essentials...Lemon Spaghetti Chicken Soup and Pea Pesto Crostini. They both looked quite tasty and easy to make. I may have to post the recipes.
After "Dunch" I called Kenda to talk and somehow the conversation turned to pistachio ice cream from Bruester's. As I mentioned in a previous blog, it is the best...chocked full of slightly salty pistachios. I had to have some and decided Kenda and Mark had to have some too. Off I went to spread a little ice cream happiness. I know Kenda thought I was a crazy person, but that is OK. It made me happy. Time for another happy dance.
Mary Helen hates the hospital food and mentioned she could go for some cookies...some HeartSong Cookies. I was more than happy to oblige. Tonight I made Tropical Escape Cookies and Toasted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies to take to the hospital tomorrow. Unfortunately one of the chocolate chip cookies jumped off the warming rack right into my mouth. It was actually quite good. I think MH will be pleased.
I love my FULL life!
Many hugs and moments of a lifetime,
Kathy
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