Healing

We had a lovely evening with the girls last night. We returned home after a long weekend of travel, an afternoon visiting with family and then relaxed by enjoying some card games with them before bed.

They'd attended a weekend camp put on by the American Cancer Society for siblings of those with cancer called SunSibs. The counselors are former attendees in many cases and the staff are social workers and hospital child-life staff. Last year was their first time going, right near the beginning of Henry's radiation treatments. They both anticipated this year for the last month by recalling fond memories of swimming, pranks, songs and activities.

Dropping the girls off on Saturday morning was a oddly disconcerting experience. We recalled what was happening last year - just starting Henry's radiation treatments, preparing for more separation, more hospital time, the unknown. When I recall past times during Henry's treatment I have enormous empathy for our past selves, wanting to comfort them, tell them we're doing OK now, encourage them. Then I realized that the parents still standing there were quite possibly in that very place, right in front of me. Other parents were there with their surviving children as we were, many years out, making me wonder what that's like. I heard cell phone conversations about one parent swapping hospital duties with the other. This story continues to happen over and over again all the time - all over the world.

We picked Anna and Sophie up on Monday and, although visibly tired, they were happy and had spent a busy weekend enjoying their old and new friends and the love and companionship of those who cared for them by offering them a fun and carefree time. It made Tara and I very happy to see them confidently marching off to camp and returning with memories that we hope will continue to buoy them and give them another facet of identity within the cancer community.

Grief for me is changing again. I haven't cried as much recently. I can more often stand at the door of his room and imagine him, remember him and smile. I think of him and feel the clenching in my chest, but it has become more familiar to me now, that manifestation of grief. And most of the time, that grief has enough form that I can hold it without it spilling all over the place uncontrollably. It has begun to congeal into something that is still difficult to hold, but it's possible. Sometimes it is still collapses into pieces but I'm getting more accustomed to picking them up and understanding how they fit together.