For just one day, I want to look back. This is atypical of me, but since it's Super Bowl Weekend and it's a time when family and friends get together, I hope you will accept my doing this.
Back in 2009, my Mother was diagnosed with Brain Cancer---thankfully in many respects, she didn't suffer long. But it was the annual phone call on "Super Sunday" when she would get my Dad on the phone that made me think, for just this one day, I will look back and open up to the readers of "Our Town." In my world, growing up in St. Louis, meet my Mom.
From the blog Snap.Shot which ended in September of 2010.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Brain Cancer Sucks.
" I wonder if I have brain cancer?" is often a question that is thrown out knowing the response is, of course, "no." Fortunately 99.99% of the time the headache goes away and/or you remember what you forgot. My Mom is part of the .01% who was not as lucky as the rest of us. She has stage 4 brain cancer. She is in hospice outside St. Louis, MO.
This is not a blog to enlist sympathy, it's actually very uplifting. I promise.
Brain Cancer does suck. No doubt about it. But let's look at it differently.
Brain Cancer has a wonderful way of sucking people out of the woodwork, out of their daily lives, out of the humdrum; the ones you have not seen for many years, heard from in a lifetime, were not even sure they knew you existed any longer. Whereas I hate this phrase..."Trust Me," they do.
When someone has a bad disease or a situation that lands them in the hospital, hospice, or their own bedroom to recover, it's amazing how many people come back into your life. The long lost friend who lives across the country who miraculously calls to check in only to learn that someone is very sick, to your best friend who offers to stay the night and hold your hand, putting their own family aside because you are their best friend. It happened to my Mom---several times. Brain Cancer sucks the best out of people.
Brain Cancer also sucks families back together. Whether you live a 100 or 1000's of miles away from one another. Often times a holiday or a phone call will allow time to re-connect for a few days or moments, brain cancer brings families together to talk and live as a family unit again. You talk about everything. From the funny incidents when you were growing up to the moments that shape a family. My family has many of them. Every family does. From my rolling my crib back and forth, blocking my bedroom door (the fire department was called to open it) to numerous stories about family vacations, my brother, sister and folks. Since I want to keep it private about my family I will just say...we have the ability to laugh at situations that were funny back then and just as funny today. My brother and sister know about such wonderful moments as riding bikes into walls, throwing dirt clods, and hitting certain people with slap shots in very private places.
So what the heck does this have to do with photography?
You know those pictures that were taken when you were younger? The ones that are boxed away and probably will be for life. We all have them. The clothes and hairstyles are dated, the colors have faded due to bad processing or sunlight, and "OMG" is a very common expression when you look at them. You laugh, you stare, you appreciate that someone was smart enough to capture the moment. When I was home in St. Louis I looked at some of these photos. My Dad was into photography when I was younger---he took the typical shots. Stand there, wait for him to focus, and snap. A memory that we forgot about. So, thank you Dad. I appreciate the smiles, laughs, tears and insight that we would appreciate/treasure one of these days long off into the future.
I am going to close today's blog with a suggestion. Go out and do something that just sucks. Sucks you back into something you enjoy; a hobby you have put aside, a friend who you have not called (Sprint, Verizon and ATT can help make that happen) or better yet....suck back into someone's life who needs you. Needs you to know you are out there. They don't have to be sick, they are someone who was very important to you at one time---and more than likely the feelings have not changed. (Find out...it is easy to do. It just takes a moment to say, "Hi, how are you doing." Oh, and mean it.)
I am going to call my Mom and Dad.
Enjoy the holiday and thanks for stopping by.
I know I am
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