outer-jessie's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- whoa, success Hey you. So there was yesterday, right? A day like many others, in which things happen and we react to them and cause more things to happen. A day in which I left at three to catch a train to meet my brother to meet the people who hold my parents' wedding pictures. Which I assumed would be a disturbing, depressing, wholly unpleasant experience. These were the people I'd called shortly after their father's death and requested a favor (strike one). These were the people I'd been calling for FOUR MONTHS with nary a reply, and many an unanswered message on answering machines (strike two). These were the people whose mother, now widowed, we were about to barge in on and make a possibly extremely unreasonable request -- we, complete strangers (strike three). Who'da thunk it would be so nice? Mrs. F was so congenial, so vibrant, so jolly. She was interested in us and our stories and our talents, and wanted nothing more than to express to us the glory of her recently deceased husband. She showed us his art, his photography, his instruments. She told us how he'd taught himself all these crafts, and been so talented, and so rich in so many ways. She introduced us to his best friend, Max, the happy dog who followed her around. And she told us, Mr. F had always considered himself a failure, compared to people who make a lot of money. Until he was diagnosed with cancer and given eight weeks to live, when he realized that all that matters is the beauty you leave behind in this world, and family. And he realized that he'd been wealthier than anyone. Mrs. F, a cancer patient herself for eleven years, showed me that there's more than one way to deal with loss. That it doesn't have to destroy you, and that you can even benefit from it in a way. I hope she lives a long life herself. And I hope she finds all the people whose negatives they have, so they can be reunited with their old memories. Incredible. So, in case you skipped all that, the short version is we found someone at the house, and she's promised to look for our negatives for us. That's caused me no end of glee. My brother went the wrong way on route 139, so we didn't end up having enough time to visit my grandfather at the hospital before we had to be in Boston for my sister's show. After some swearing and some near-death experiences, we did manage to find a non-fire-hydrant-inhabited parking spot, and we got to the theater not five minutes before they opened the doors (which was not two minutes after I accidentally dislodged a bulletin board from the wall). Being family, we got two of the few actual chairs in the small room and a really good view of everything. Not that anyone had a bad view, because the stage was the very floor they were sitting on. My sister was the mute, the one permanent fixture during the whole performance, and she was fabulous. She had to emote most of the time, and be a wall the rest of it, and she was equally good at both those things. But in a good way! When the show was over, we congratulated her and told her she was great, watched her be hugged by at least five people, all male...and then went out to eat. *drool* Homemade pasta... All in all, I can't believe how well the day turned out. Especially considering I went the wrong way on the T and almost missed my train, I forgot to get directions to the theater from Randolph, and my brother is a maniacal driver. If my excursion to the library this afternoon goes even half as well, I'll have this Christmas entirely in the bag. Baby. Ooh, and if you're inclined, the Charlie Brown Christmas special is on tomorrow night at 9 o'clock eastern. If you're in Boston, you can come to my place to watch. Just keep in mind I have no furniture. And no cleanliness. But I'll have food, provided there's enough time to fetch it, and provided my credit card shows up. Where is my damn credit card? I'm so proud. As long as I don't perish in an untimely encounter with a stupid bus, this is going to be the best Christmas evah. 2:20 p.m. - 2002-12-12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||